High School Update • Dec. 11, 2013

By Rob Sherrill

Sem overpowers Franklin Regional

This just in: Kingston (Pa.) Wyoming Seminary is pretty good.

And with the Walsh Ironman just days away, the pre-meet hype just got ratcheted up a little.

In a match-up of two Top 10 teams in the final round of the Friends of Sem Wrestling Duals, the Blue Knights broke away from a 6-5 lead with three straight wins, then rode Nick Reenan’s key win at 152 to a 60-13 blowout over the state’s top PIAA team, Murrysville Franklin Regional.

Both teams easily won three duals prior to the final round. Sem outscored their four opponents by a 256-40 margin, while Franklin Regional’s closest dual was a 41-18 victory over Plymouth Wyoming Valley West, which finished third.

Top-ranked Spencer Lee lived up to the hype at 113, scoring a 15-0 technical fall over Trent Olson. Jimmy Overhiser (120) and National Prep placewinner Danny Boychuck (126) then scored back-to-back pins to give Sem some breathing room, and National Prep runner-up Will Crisco added a 9-3 victory at 132 for a 24-5 lead.

State champion Tyler Smith (138) started a Franklin Regional rally over Will Verallis with a technical fall, and two-time state placewinner Josh Maruca (145) edged Tyler Ponte, 3-1 to make it 24-13.

But Cadet National double champion Reenan used a late takedown to close out an 11-7 victory over state placewinner Josh Shields, and the Panthers were finished. All Sem did was close the meet with six consecutive pins, the last five in the first period. Chris Weiler (160) started the streak and Jake Scanlan (Hwt), a transfer from Runnells (Iowa) Southeast Polk, finished it for the 60-13 final.

 Perry Meridian keeps rolling

With victories in the Capital City Classic — a tournament they won by 72.5 points — and the Harrison (Ohio) Duals, Indianapolis Perry Meridian appears well on their way to a fourth straight state team title.

All 14 Perry Meridian entries finished in the Capital City top three, and the Falcons got titles from eight of their 10 finalists, including six in a row from 145 through 195, and also had four third-place finishes. Their champions included Brandon James (132) and state champion Cody LeCount (145). State champion Deondre Wilson (126) of Indianapolis Warren Central also dominated en route to winning a title.

The Falcons posted a 5-0 record at Harrison, with their only close match a 39-23 victory over Cincinnati Glen Este in the third round. LeCount was voted the meet’s Outstanding Wrestler.

Another Indianapolis-area powerhouse, Carmel, accounted itself well at the Washington (Ill.) Duals. The Greyhounds beat a pair of ranked Illinois teams, beating the host school, 43-19 and Minooka, 36-19. They also took on powerhouse Oak Park-River Forest, losing 65-3. Carmel is now 5-1 this season.