CURWENSVILLE — Because of low numbers, individual results will matter more than dual meet wins for the 2016-17 Curwensville Area High School wrestling team.
Coach Dean Swatsworth embarks on his third season at the helm with 11 athletes in the practice room, six of whom are certified at the first four weight classes.
Seniors Mason Lancaster (160) and Kaleb Witherite (170), juniors Steven McClure (220) and Dylan Meyers (120) and sophomore Blake Passarelli (113) are lettermen from last season’s 8-12 team, and junior Anthony Winebold (126) has rejoined the squad after wrestling at 106 as a freshman.
The Golden Tide will be forfeiting a minimum of four weights, and the lowest number probably won’t occur until the two-pound allowance takes effect in January.
“We’ve talked, and the team knows we’re short on guys,” Swatsworth said. “But it’s like being a teacher in the classroom. With less kids, you get to spend more time with each one.”
He won’t be concerned as much with scores in dual meets and tournaments as he is in the progress of his wrestlers.
“All we’re gonna do is prepare our kids to go out and wrestle as hard as they can, try to get better every day and try to win every head-to-head match,” he said. “Since I started coaching, I’ve said we have to win on the mat no matter what.”
Passarelli was impressive as the Golden Tide’s bantam, qualifying for the PIAA Class AA Tournament at Hershey and finishing with a 29-10 record.
The No. 2 seed for the District 9 Tournament, he reached the finals before losing to Keelan Kunselman of Brookville and placing third at the Northwest Region Tournament after losing to eventual state runner-up Beau Bayless of Reynolds in the second round.
“Blake is looking forward to getting back there again,” Swatsworth said. “Once you do that, it fuels you for the next year. Every year, you want to better yourself.”
A football injury kept McClure (7-5) out of action until early February, and he was unseeded at 2-2 for districts but beat four of the five seeds he met to place third and earn a trip to the regional, where he was 1-2.
Swatsworth put McClure, Witherite and freshman Zach Holland among Golden Tide hopefuls with the potential to get out of districts.
Witherite, 20-14 as a sophomore at 170, was 4-1 when an injury cut short his season.
“Holland is a strong little wrestler,” Swatsworth said. “He was undefeated in junior high. That’s why we brought him up.”
Curwensville will not be at full strength for the season-opening Mountaineer Tournament at Philipsburg-Osceola with Holland at 113, Passarelli at 120, Meyers at 126, Winebold at 132, sophomore Cole Bressler at 138, Lancaster at 170 and Witherite at 195.
Junior newcomer Nick Stewart and McClure will join Witherite in the heavier weights next week.
Curwensville’s schedule has changed with no Clearfield Duals or a dual meet with Cameron County, while Indiana Tournament and a dual meet with Indiana have been added.
The Golden Tide, who have seven of their 11 dual meets at home, will be on the road for all four events in December and won’t make their first appearance in Patton Hall until Jan. 19 against Johnsonburg.
Swatsworth’s assistant coaches are Johnny Sutika, Chris Folmar and Tyler Mays.
The roster, with certified weights and (*) denoting letterman:
Seniors – Ethan Collins, 126; Mason Lancaster (*), 160; Kaleb Witherite (*), 170.
Juniors – Steven McClure (*), 220; Dylan Meyers (*), 120; Nick Stewart, 195; Anthony Winebold (*), 126.
Sophomores – Cole Bressler, 138; Mason Gasper, 120; Blake Passarelli (*), 113.
Freshman – Zach Holland, 106.
The schedule, with dual meets beginning at 7 p.m. or immediately following junior high meets:
December
10 – at Philipsburg-Osceola Mountaineer Tournament, 9 a.m.; 13 – at Redbank Valley; 17 – at Redbank Valley Tournament; 22 – at Ridgway.
January
4 – at Punxsutawney; 7 – at Indiana Bo Wood Tournament; 12 – at West Branch; 19 – Johnsonburg; 24 – Brookville; 26 – Moshannon Valley; 27-28 – Fred Bell Tournament at Grove City; 31 – Clarion.
February
2 – Glendale; 14 – Indiana; 16 – Brockway.