2003-2004 Pre-Season Chat
Head Coach Brian Hills  11/25/2003

This is the toughest December schedule I have ever seen. Do you worry that it is too front-end loaded?

We are happy to have been invited to some of the most prestigious events available. Ironman is ranked the 2nd toughest tournament in the Nation. There are 30 teams there that are of elite caliber. 12 teams ranked in the top 40 are at this tournament. We feel this is stronger than taking the kids to the PIAA State Tournament. This exposure will only help our kids in the long run although it will most likely expose them to some  losses as well. The Manheim Holiday Tournament is known as the toughest in State Tournament available since 2 PA National ranked teams will be there also in Easton and Cumberland Valley. Throw in the Philipsburg-Osceola Tournament and we'll be more than ready for our Dual meet schedule in January. We pray not to have injuries which could hurt us dual meet wise from this exposure.

 

Coach Hills, I heard you were a banker. How much longer do you think the interest rates will remain low?

Hi Don! Wow a day job question. As you know this makes my days extremely long for about 4 months of the year. Interest rates are at all time lows so make sure you take advantage of  available refinances through First National Bank of Pennsylvania. No in all seriousness I am very fortunate to work for a great employer that really works as a team.

 

Let's talk numbers. How many can this team get to Hershey?

We feel the talent on this team is very very good. We are extremely young this year but surrounded by some outstanding seniors. Our starting line-up this weekend at Philipsburg will include nine 9th and 10th graders. They are very experienced and barring injuries which can hurt badly we look to have good representation at the PIAA's. It will be very hard to repeat last year taking 7 to States and placing 6 kids but we are instilling in the youngsters that the same expectations are on them. The probabilities are great.

 

Recently there has been 500 team wins, 200 coaching wins and last year 200 section champs. Any milestones on the horizon this season?

We currently have 208 Section Champs, 89 District Champs, 43 Regional Champs, 19 State Champs and 43 Other State Place winners. No special numbers just adding to the list. We would like to add another District 10 team title and perform better at the State Duals. We've had some bad luck in the past 3 years as we have always had to face the eventual Dual meet State Champs in the 1st round. Actually over the past 3 seasons we've lost 5 dual meets all to the eventual Team State Champs as we have wrestled Wilson and Juniata at the Ultimate Duals during the REGULAR season. We think this team is ready to take on the challenge and start this weekend.

 

What do you think of the "Fabulous Five?" Your group of freshmen.

We kept five 9th graders up this year that all have a shot at seeing Varsity experience this year. All have had extensive PA Junior wrestling experience and have quite a few medals between them. The 1st day of practice we told them that the word freshman didn't matter as they are expected to contribute just as much as the veterans. They  are Steven Nestor, Aaron Nestor, Lawrence Beckman, Jonathan Uhrin and Travis Sommerfeld. You can tell by most of their last names that they have been around our program for years. They come to work every practice and make the room  better.

 

Will anyone ever break Owen Brickell's takedown record?

211 Takedowns is quite a feat especially wrestling our schedule. Owen was a tremendous wrestler and had set his goals to break the team record set by Mark Bodo. Mark Bodo  went on to be a three time Division I All-American for PITT. Owen set his goals high, accomplished them and we are very proud of him.

 

Your coaching staff has become a real family affair with Casey and now Michael helping out. Do you guys ever get tired of each other?

Actually No. It's something we all work hard together at and brings us closer. Wrestling is a very close knit sport, especially at RHS, where we like to think of it as a family affair. With all the great coaches and student athletes we are surrounded by it only makes us better individuals. Having Casey around is great for the kids and Michael is working with our 275 lb Hwt. In general I am blessed to have a great staff all the way through our program. John Tofani is a tremendous motivator and leader. Joe Reichard and Ron Beckman along with Casey are outstanding technicians. I hope our kids realize how much we want them to perform to the best of their abilities.

 

can you give us a quick rundown of the raiders that you know of who are currently wrestling in college?

We have several graduates that are continuing their wrestling careers in college. Division II All-American Jason Nestor is starting again for the University of Pitt-Johnstown. Dan Burns is red-shirt freshman there also. He is recovering from another knee surgery but is doing well there. Joel Davis is wrestling at Mercyhurst College although we haven't seen him yet this year. John Svirbly is wrestling at Thiel College. Justin Nestor is starting for the University of Pittsburgh after qualifying for the Division I Nationals last year. I hear he is really looking good. Michael Hills has decided that he needs to put more time into his studies, which I'm proud to say have been good so far. Owen Brickell is not going to school at this time but still has alot of talent.

 

that program you guys sell at home matches is awesome. all the old pictures and stuff!

WOW! We are very fortunate to have someone the caliber of Don Shaffer (former Section Champ) who puts the time and effort into creating our program. He includes the history, records and special lists etc. It is well worth the cost to have one. He is always gathering information, old pictures and such from Coach Lineman and myself to include in the book yearly. Actually some of the old pictures that Coach Lineman brought in for Don really energized the memories for me as they were from my State Finals match. Not a good memory losing in the last second of the Finals. Oh well only makes our kids better today! Thanks Don where-ever you are!

 

Hello Coach Hills:

Good luck at the Ironman in December. I have watched most of the Great Bridge wrestlers since they were in grade school. They have an intense year around program. Our local area (Virginia) has decent youth program.
I wrestled with Greenville in the early 70's.  That was a great rivalry then. 
Bresnan

It's great to here from you! You must truly be a wrestling fan. We are looking forward to competing with Great Bridge, VA. at the Ironman Tournament. They were preseason ranked 6th in the Nation by Amateur Wrestling News. This is the caliber of elite teams we are looking to expose our young and veteran wrestlers to. We are trying to reach another level. Thanks for the comment.

 

Will you have any weight classes you can't fill?

No. We may not be quite as strong at the Philipsburg-Osceola tournament as we have Eric Campbell out with an injury and several wrestlers making it to the leanest weight classes already. We will adjust our lineup for dual matches that will make us pretty solid top to bottom with several other wrestlers that can fit in at certain times.

 

How is the elementary program doing?

We had several meetings to concentrate efforts on working to improve our elementary program. We have seen some very good wrestlers coming up to the Jr. High level but not as many. We have instilled split sessions for the experienced wrestlers and new novice wrestlers. The volunteer coaches who work with these kids have done an admirable job of putting the time and effort in. They do not get the credit they deserve.

 

Who will be the team to beat for the D10 Duals?

District 10 is always loaded with good competition. MCAC schools will again be very strong with Commodore Perry, Hickory, Greenville, Mercer and surprising Grove City in the hunt. Ft. LeBouef  is always very strong as is Saegertown and Maplewood. There will be some surprises for sure.

 

How many assistants have you had over the years? Could you list them?

I am very fortunate to have had tremendous help over the years. There is no way that I could list them all and speak the volumes that they deserve without running out of time. I will list my very valuable JV/Varsity Assistants that have worke dwith me over the years. My 1st Jv Assistant was Ed Derrick in 1986-87. Ed and I are very good friends to this day and he was very instrumental in beginning the elevation level of our program that we see today. When Ed resigned, our present Elementary head Coach, Rick Stoyer took over as the JV/Varsity Assistant. He was with me I believe until 1993 when he was nurtured away to start a family. That he did! Three kids later he is back helping us. When Rick took his sabbatical John Tofani was elevated to that position and has continued to do tan excellent job. I have to add that I was Johns Junior wrestling coach when he went on to win 3 PA JR State Titles. I would really like to continue this conversation but it will have to take place another time. I do not feel right only being able to mention a few when there have been so many that have made our program what it is today.

 

Coach Hills,  What is your lineup for Philipsburg this weekend, and how do you rate each wrestler in their respective weight class.

As I stated before this lineup will only get better. After our 1st wrestle-offs which were outstanding our lineup will consist of the following wrestlers:

103-Paul Kulka, 10th grade, 1-0, last yr with a win last yr over our Section Runnerup. We expect Paul to rise to the occasion after wrestling with Matt Dunn last year.

112-Jake Habel, 12th grade, 31-6, career 88-27, previous State Qualifier.

119-Matt Dunn, 10th grade, 40-1, PIAA State Champion

125-Mason Stewart, 10th grade, 31-13, NW Regional 4th

130-Aaron Nestor, 9th grade, Multiple PJW placewinner.

135-Jason Brown, 11th grade, 26-15,  career 50-30

140-Lawrence Beckman, 9th grade, PJW State Runnerup + multiple place winner

145-Josh Tofani, 10th grade, 0-1 + 8-4 JV

152-Jonathan Uhrin, 9th grade, PJW 7th place

160-Travis Battles, 12th grade, 35-7, career 91-25, 2 time PIAA State placewinner

171-Travis Sommerfeld, 9th grade, 14-7 Jr High last year, much improved.

189-Nick Sommerfeld, 12th grade, 38-6, career 80-30, PIAA State 7th place

215-Mike Edwards, 10th grade, 24-13. District 6th, PJW State 3rd.

275-Ryan Foust, 11th grade, 2-12 wrestled alot of big matches for us last year.

Again I would like to talk about each these guys more but am limited for time. We also have some very good wrestlers not in the lineup this weekend that will be there eventually.

 

I read somewhere Reynolds is sweating out finances , Any dangers to your program?

Reynolds is in the same boat as many other Districts that are in need of there allocated State subsidies. I have the utmost confidence in our school administrators. The wrestling program is surrounded by many great contributors who sponsor our Booster Clubs. The District has not been able to fund as much as in the past but with great booster backing we are able to attend the competitions that we do. A great many thanks go out to the numerous people that put the time in to support our program.

 

Coach, I hate to see last years group of Seniors go! Although you probably don't mind not havin to grapple with Owen, Dan, Joel, and   ESPECIALLY the big guy.  Can you tell us where those guys are and what there doing if you know? They will be missed greatly!

Owen Brickell is presently working and not in school. Dan Burns is wrestling as a red-shirt freshman at University of Pitt-Johnstown. Joel Davis is presently wrestling at Mercyhurst College and the Big Man Michael Hills is furthering his education at Thiel College. This group provided great leadership and I agree are sorely missed.

 

So Coach Hills, what do you think about this years line-up?

To be honest we've been looking forward to this combination of kids for some time. The combined youth that are experienced with the veterans that we have should make for an enjoyable season. The sky is the limit and barring injuries this should be a fun season. Again elevating our program to another level is the task at hand.

 

Do you think your team can win it all this year ? You have some real talented wrestlers, how far do you think the team will go.

I'll be honest we would like to win the Team Duals and perform well at the PIAA individual states. There are other teams that are wanting to do the same thing. Bloomsburg, Forest Hills, Loyalsock, Wyalusing, Wilson, Northern Lehigh, Brookville, Brockway and many others all have capable teams. We just need to set our sights high, stay injury free and use are elevated competitions to prepare us for these meets.

 

The Chat is now over. Let's wrestle!