Wrestler of the Week – Brock Parker
Wrestler of the Week — Dec. 6, 2006
Brock Parker drops two ranked wrestlers, wins at Top Hat
By Rob Sherrill, W.I.N. High School Editor
The Pennsylvania wrestling season has finally begun. And, as is usually the case in the Keystone State or anywhere else a lot of ranked wrestlers reside, once the real bullets start flying, so does conventional wisdom … right out the window, that is.
Or maybe the other lesson is this: No matter how good freshmen are, they’re still freshmen.
Brock Parker of Canton High proved that in the Top Hat Tournament, the season-opening central Pennsylvania classic, Dec. 2 at Williamsport High, located in central Pennsylvania near Interstate 80.
The top seed at 130 pounds was Mill Hall Central Mountain freshman Andrew Alton, a Cadet National freestyle champion. That didn’t matter to Parker, a junior who finished third in the Class AA state tournament at 125 last year.
Parker scored three takedowns in his title match against Alton, cruising to an 8-4 victory and the Outstanding Wrestler award. Each of the two scored a takedown in the first period, Parker taking a 2-0 lead before Alton escaped and scored a takedown of his own, with Parker having to fight out of a potential near-fall situation before escaping to tie the match at 3-3 after a period.
Alton escaped in the second period, but the 4-3 lead would be his last. Parker scored his second takedown of the match and rode out to make it 5-4. In the third period, he added another escape, takedown and rideout for the victory.
In the semifinals, Parker faced another standout freshman, Harrisburg Central Dauphin High’s Marshall Peppelman, and was also impressive in a 9-2 victory. Alton used a 19-6 semifinal victory over Lewistown Indian Valley High’s Tyler Bedelyon to advance to the finals.
“I actually didn’t think I brought my best wrestling to the mat tonight,” Parker told the Williamsport Sun-Gazette. “I felt good when I got that first takedown down but he nearly threw me to my back and I had to recover from that. As the match progressed I got back into it.
“(Alton and Peppelman) aren’t slouches. Knowing that you are going to face a stud and preparing to beat him makes (winning) that much better. Nobody expected me to win. That made it special.”
Parker knows something about overcoming adversity. The Northeast Region runner-up last year, he lost 5-3 to eventual champion Scott Clymer of New Tripoli Northwestern Lehigh High in the first round of the state tournament, then won five grueling consolation matches in succession to take third place, finishing with a 40-5 record.
Mechanicsburg Cumberland Valley High outscored Central Mountain, 197.5-178.5, to take the team title. Alton’s twin brother, Dylan, claimed Central Mountain’s only individual title, pinning Indian Valley’s Chad Frankhouser to win at 125. Central Dauphin (160) finished third and led all teams with four champions: Simon Rice (103), Patrick Wieger (112), Walt Peppelman (140) and Tony Dallago (145).
“I was a little nervous before I went out on the mat but once I started wrestling I got through it,” Dylan Alton told the Sun-Gazette. “High school kids are older and stronger, but wrestling is the same. Watching my brother lose tonight was tough. I guess we’ll just have to go back in the (practice) room and work harder.”
Cumberland Valley’s Derrick Hockensmith (215) also made a bid for OW honors, pinning his way to that title. Mike Evans (152) also won for Cumberland Valley.
Brock Parker drops two ranked wrestlers, wins at Top Hat
By Rob Sherrill, W.I.N. High School Editor
The Pennsylvania wrestling season has finally begun. And, as is usually the case in the Keystone State or anywhere else a lot of ranked wrestlers reside, once the real bullets start flying, so does conventional wisdom … right out the window, that is.
Or maybe the other lesson is this: No matter how good freshmen are, they’re still freshmen.
Brock Parker of Canton High proved that in the Top Hat Tournament, the season-opening central Pennsylvania classic, Dec. 2 at Williamsport High, located in central Pennsylvania near Interstate 80.
The top seed at 130 pounds was Mill Hall Central Mountain freshman Andrew Alton, a Cadet National freestyle champion. That didn’t matter to Parker, a junior who finished third in the Class AA state tournament at 125 last year.
Parker scored three takedowns in his title match against Alton, cruising to an 8-4 victory and the Outstanding Wrestler award. Each of the two scored a takedown in the first period, Parker taking a 2-0 lead before Alton escaped and scored a takedown of his own, with Parker having to fight out of a potential near-fall situation before escaping to tie the match at 3-3 after a period.
Alton escaped in the second period, but the 4-3 lead would be his last. Parker scored his second takedown of the match and rode out to make it 5-4. In the third period, he added another escape, takedown and rideout for the victory.
In the semifinals, Parker faced another standout freshman, Harrisburg Central Dauphin High’s Marshall Peppelman, and was also impressive in a 9-2 victory. Alton used a 19-6 semifinal victory over Lewistown Indian Valley High’s Tyler Bedelyon to advance to the finals.
“I actually didn’t think I brought my best wrestling to the mat tonight,” Parker told the Williamsport Sun-Gazette. “I felt good when I got that first takedown down but he nearly threw me to my back and I had to recover from that. As the match progressed I got back into it.
“(Alton and Peppelman) aren’t slouches. Knowing that you are going to face a stud and preparing to beat him makes (winning) that much better. Nobody expected me to win. That made it special.”
Parker knows something about overcoming adversity. The Northeast Region runner-up last year, he lost 5-3 to eventual champion Scott Clymer of New Tripoli Northwestern Lehigh High in the first round of the state tournament, then won five grueling consolation matches in succession to take third place, finishing with a 40-5 record.
Mechanicsburg Cumberland Valley High outscored Central Mountain, 197.5-178.5, to take the team title. Alton’s twin brother, Dylan, claimed Central Mountain’s only individual title, pinning Indian Valley’s Chad Frankhouser to win at 125. Central Dauphin (160) finished third and led all teams with four champions: Simon Rice (103), Patrick Wieger (112), Walt Peppelman (140) and Tony Dallago (145).
“I was a little nervous before I went out on the mat but once I started wrestling I got through it,” Dylan Alton told the Sun-Gazette. “High school kids are older and stronger, but wrestling is the same. Watching my brother lose tonight was tough. I guess we’ll just have to go back in the (practice) room and work harder.”
Cumberland Valley’s Derrick Hockensmith (215) also made a bid for OW honors, pinning his way to that title. Mike Evans (152) also won for Cumberland Valley.