Prep Wrestling: Wildcats are ungracious hosts

The Williamsport wrestling team took care of business at home Saturday, sweeping South Hagerstown and Boonsboro in an MVAL Antietam tri-meet.

The Wildcats defeated the Rebels 61-16 and then were 51-21 winners over the Warriors. In between, South held off Boonsboro, 46-35.


“We wrestled pretty well. It’s always nice to beat two county rivals,” said Williamsport coach Mike Rechtorovic, whose team is off to a 3-0 start with three conference victories. “It’s a good start, but we still have a lot of work to do.

“We’ll get tested next week — Saint James first (Tuesday at Saint James) and then the North-Middletown tri-meet (Saturday at North Hagerstown). The competition only gets tougher.”

The Wildcats prevailed in 11 of the 14 weight classes against the Rebels (2-1, 1-1) and in 9 of 14 against the Warriors (0-3, 0-2).

Jacob Cody (170 pounds), Austin Keadle (195) and Lasher Urciolo (220) each had two pins on the day for Williamsport, while Nick Miller (113, 120), Sinjin Shoop (138) and Kobe Baker (152) also each went 2-0 for the Wildcats.

After winning his first two matches of the season by forfeit, Miller, a senior who transferred from Hedgesville, finally experienced his first action as a Wildcat against Boonsboro. And the 2011 West Virginia Class AAA state runner-up at 103 wasted little time, pinning Gage Nicodemus in 65 seconds at 120.

“Yeah, finally,” Miller said. “I was itching to get a match. It was driving me crazy.”

The newcomer said it’s been a smooth transition to Williamsport.

“I like it,” he said of his new team. “I like everybody, and the coaching’s good. It seems like it’s going to be a good year.”

Miller has lofty goals.

“I’m hoping to win states, go undefeated, definitely,” he said.

The most exciting match of the day was South vs. Boonsboro.

The Rebels, who led 40-12 through nine bouts, were clinging to a 40-35 lead with one bout left — South’s Jason Smith vs. Boonsboro’s Cody Craig at 138.

Smith, who just needed to avoid being pinned to lift the Rebels to the win, led 10-8 after a couple of wild flurries, before pinning Craig with 7 seconds left in the second period.

“I was determined to do it for my team, not just for me,” Smith said. “There were times I had my doubts, that I might get pinned, but I just kept thinking, ‘Get off your back, stay off your back.’”

Jayshawn Young (182) and Marquil Holt (285) each had two pins, while Isaiah Brooks (106) also went 2-0 for South. But the hero Saturday was Smith, a sophomore.

“(Smith) is one of the best workers in the practice room — first one to arrive, last one to leave,” Rebels coach Thomas Ashby said. “We’re looking for very good things from him this year.”

Ashby said the victory over Boonsboro was a confidence booster for the whole team.