HAMBURG >> David Kline knew he’d have big shoes to fill when he assumed the wrestling head coaching position at Hamburg following the resignation of Derek Sola – a program legacy and seven-year veteran at the helm of the Hawks who left in July to start a program at Berks Catholic.
Kline’s new approach is paying dividends. The host Hawks placed seven wrestlers into District 3’s meet next week with success at Saturday’s 2A Section 1 tournament. They also claimed the team trophy, with 128 points.
Upon accepting the gig, Kline filled his coaching staff with two new faces and a corresponding fresh approach.
“We brought in two great assistants,” Kline said, “Justin Wherley, a buddy of mine from high school who I wrestled with, and Tom Hutchinson, the former head coach at Lehigh University. Coach Hutch has an awesome approach to wrestling. As soon as I talked to him, I bought into the same philosophy and I knew he was a guy I wanted to bring with.
“We’re emphasizing high-level techniques, the Olympic-level, because that’s what Coach Hutch’s background is in. And so we are focusing on advanced techniques. … Now we’re making it more of a priority, for referees’ position — top, bottom, riding, and you’re starting to see it here. Some of the rides are different from what we’ve done in the past. Now, with a whole season of practice under our belts, we’re starting to click at the right time.”
Tyler Reimert at 106 pounds and Reese Mason at 182 won titles for Hamburg. Five other Hawks made it through with either finals appearances or by capturing the consolation final.
Reimert seemed to set an intensity tone for his teammates all afternoon: He pinned Rowan Badler of Wyomissing in the 106 title bout in 52 seconds. In fact, he did that twice – Reimert pinned Brennan Troutman of Elco in a scant 16 seconds in the first match of the day.
In all, the diminutive junior machine spent a grand total of 1:08 on the mat.
“Tyler is the embodiment of what we’ve been doing since Day One,” Kline said, “and I think it’s been showing. Early in the year, he was doing everything he could for the team. He was wrestling 120 a lot of times, weighing it at 113 but wrestling 120. A lot of his losses came at 120. Now he’s down to 106 and he looks much better.”
Mason, who decisioned Kutztown’s Logan Bachman 8-3 in his final, received praise from Kline for as much what he does in the locker room as on the mat.
“Reese has been a great team leader for us all year,” Kline said. “One of the priorities when I took the job was that I told the kids we were gonna make the right decisions off the mat. We’re not going to have any discipline problems and we’re going to achieve academically. And Reese has been the epitome and the example of that. He’s done a great job of sort of shifting the culture in the direction I want it.”
Shane Strausser reached his final at 120 before settling for silver following a 6-2 setback to Elco’s Alex Puglio; Brandon Kessler decked his first two opponents at 285 to reach the final before having the favor returned by Brandywine Heights’ Michael Hubble, at 1:44 in his final.
Zach Scheffler (160), Ben Weidenhammer (170) and Austin Strunk (195) all won their third-place matches to round out the Hamburg lineup headed the districts.
The Schuylkill Valley Panthers, overall, had the most successful day by sending eight of its wrestlers onward. The lone gold medal came at 160, with Teddy Limberiou’s fall of Wyomissing’s Tanner Vogel at 3:46.
Jethro Solomon, at 126, was pinned in his final by Tanner Ball of Pequea Valley with eight seconds to spare, a match that Ball led comfortably. It took more than 20 minutes to complete, however, as Solomon suffered from a repeated bloody nose that forced injury stoppage on three separate occasions. Solomon’s accumulated injury time exceeded four minutes by did not come perilously close to automatic DQ threshold of five, according to the official who worked the match.
Hunter Williams (132), Jack Bennett (138) and Carlos Altamirano (145) all notched silvers. Ethan Paey (106), Aaron Geisinger (120) and Joel Orlando at 152 all claimed matches at the consy final level to qualify.
Tulpehocken freshman Zach Ruffner let a late lead slip from his hands in the 195 final in a 5-4 loss to Kutztown’s Jarryd Kase, whom Ruffner had edged 1-0 during the regular season.
Ruffner will join fellow Trojan, senior Josh Daub, at districts. Daub decisioned 24-win George Limberiou of SV by a 6-3 score in a tough semifinal at 220, before bowing to Pequea’s Joe Coblentz in the final with a fall at 2:33.
3-AA Sectional
At HamburgFinals106 Tyler Reimert (Hamburg) F Rowan Badler (Wyomissing), 1:08
113 Anthony Gust (Wyomissing) F Jake Sharadin (Kutztown), 2:15
120 Alex Puglio (Elco) DEC Shane Strausser (Hamburg), 6-2
126 Tanner Ball (Pequea Valley) F Jethro Solomon (Schuylkill Valley), 5:52
132 Gabe Miller (Pequea Valley) F Hunter Williams (Schuylkill Valley), 2:53
138 Trevor Gimbor (Brandywine) MD Jack Bennett (Schuylkill Valley), 14-6
145 Dylan Jackson (Pequea Valley) DEC Carlos Altamirano (Schuylkill Valley), 5-3
152 Daniel Wanner (Pequea Valley) DEC Jakob Naylor (Wyomissing), 3-1
160 Teddy Limberiou (Schuylkill Valley) F Tanner Vogel (Wyomissing), 3:46
170 Tyler Fisher (Kutztown) DEC Strat Yost (Wyomissing), 7-2
182 Reese Mason (Hamburg) DEC Logan Bachman (Kutztown), 8-3
195 Jarryd Kase (Kutztown) DEC Zach Ruffner (Tulpehocken), 5-4
220 Joe Coblentz (Pequea Valley) F Josh Daub (Tulpehocken), 2:33
285 Michael Hubble (Brandywine) F Brandon Kessler (Hamburg), 1:44
Third-place106 Ethan Paey (Schuylkill Valley) F Brenna Troutman (Elco), 1:14
113 Zane Deeter (Brandywine) DEC Ayden Kauffman (Hamburg), 4-3
120 Aaron Geisinger (Schuylkill Valley) F Klint Harpel (Brandywine), 2:00
126 Jake Caskie (Brandywine) DEC Owen Deturk (Hamburg), 4-1
132 Noah Reasoner (Kutztown) DEC Payton Gonzalez (Wyomissing), 8-3
138 Owen Nell (Elco) FMC Clayton Frymoyer (Wyomissing)
145 Cam Krow (Elco) DEC Dylan Miller (Brandywine), 3-2
152 Joel Orlando (Schuylkill Valley) MD Brendan Hamilton (Hamburg), 13-5
160 Zach Scheffler (Hamburg) F Dominic Matrone (Kutztown), 3:45
170 Ben Weidenhammer (Hamburg) F Adam Firestine (Elco), 2:00
182 Canaan Naylor (Wyomissing) DEC Kyle Knight (Elco), 3-2
195 Austin Strunk (Hamburg) F Quinn Hogue (Wyomissing), 1:53
220 Quinten Weaver (Elco) DEC George Limberiou (Schuylkill Valley), 5-0
285 Deion Adams (Wyomissing) DEC Tyler Horst (Elco), 7-3
Semifinals106 Tyler Reimert (Hamburg) F Brenna Troutman (Elco), 0:16
106 Rowan Badler (Wyomissing) MD Ethan Paey (Schuylkill Valley), 9-1
113 Anthony Gust (Wyomissing) F Zane Deeter (Brandywine), 2:48
113 Jake Sharadin (Kutztown) F Ayden Kauffman (Hamburg), 2:35
120 Alex Puglio (Elco) MD Aaron Geisinger (Schuylkill Valley), 14-2
120 Shane Strausser (Hamburg) F Klint Harpel (Brandywine), 4:00
126 Tanner Ball (Pequea Valley) F Fabian Adames (Wyomissing), 0:40
126 Jethro Solomon (Schuylkill Valley) MD Jake Caskie (Brandywine), 10-1
132 Gabe Miller (Pequea Valley) F Noah Reasoner (Kutztown), 3:35
132 Hunter Williams (Schuylkill Valley) MD Payton Gonzalez (Wyomissing), 17-4
138 Jack Bennett (Schuylkill Valley) MD Clayton Frymoyer (Wyomissing), 16-8
138 Trevor Gimbor (Brandywine) F Owen Nell (Elco), 1:33
145 Dylan Jackson (Pequea Valley) MD Dylan Miller (Brandywine), 9-0
145 Carlos Altamirano (Schuylkill Valley) F Cam Krow (Elco), 2:54
152 Daniel Wanner (Pequea Valley) F Brendan Hamilton (Hamburg), 4:37
152 Jakob Naylor (Wyomissing) DEC Joel Orlando (Schuylkill Valley), 6-3
160 Tanner Vogel (Wyomissing) TF Dominic Matrone (Kutztown), 19-4 3:40
160 Teddy Limberiou (Schuylkill Valley) DEC Zach Scheffler (Hamburg), 9-3
170 Tyler Fisher (Kutztown) F Adam Firestine (Elco), 2:31
170 Strat Yost (Wyomissing) F Ben Weidenhammer (Hamburg), 2:54
182 Reese Mason (Hamburg) F Kyle Knight (Elco), 4:19
182 Logan Bachman (Kutztown) DEC Canaan Naylor (Wyomissing), 4-1
195 Zach Ruffner (Tulpehocken) F Quinn Hogue (Wyomissing), 0:52
195 Jarryd Kase (Kutztown) DEC Austin Strunk (Hamburg), 10-5
220 Josh Daub (Tulpehocken) DEC George Limberiou (Schuylkill Valley), 6-3
220 Joe Coblentz (Pequea Valley) F Quinten Weaver (Elco), 1:21
285 Brandon Kessler (Hamburg) F Tyler Horst (Elco), 2:40
285 Michael Hubble (Brandywine) DEC Deion Adams (Wyomissing), 4-0
