Bellwood-Antis wrestling coach Ron Wilson developed a tough act to follow as a high school wrestler at Bellwood-Antis. Wilson finished his senior year as a PIAA second place finisher at Hershey, three times won 29 matches or better, including going 31-1 as a senior and 106-14 during his high school career. Wilson is listed on just about all B-A categories in the top three, including topping the list in career win percentage (88%) and three-point nearfalls (54).
In his second stint at Bellwood-Antis, this time as the head wrestling coach, Wilson knew that to rebuild the Blue Devils wrestling program back to a point of respectability, would take some time. Bellwood-Antis in recent years, has had trouble getting numbers out and subsequently was giving up three, four or even more forfeits to other teams every dual meet. That makes it extremely difficult to win dual meets. After recording an 8-7 winning season in his first season, Wilson watched the Blue Devils win just 10 of 45 matches for the next three years.
Slowly however, Bellwood-Antis has began to turn the corner. Numbers have been up in the junior high program for head coach Tim Andrekovich and assistants Darrell Claar, who started the wrestling program at Bellwood in 1969, and Jim Weyant. And with full, or nearly full lineups, wins have ceased to be a rare commodity. In 2005-06, the Bellwood-Antis junior high recorded a 12-3 dual record, losing only to Tyrone, Mount Union and Portage.
The increased numbers are now beginning to filter up to the varsity, where in 2005-06, all weight classes, except 103 were filled.
A lot of inexperience and some of the toughest competition they would wrestle all season, got the Blue Devil varsity off to a slow start, but B-A rebounded to win six of their final eight duals to get on the plus .500 side of the line with an 8-7 record.
Old rivals that often in recent years put the hurt on the Blue Devils by 30 point or more year-after-year, were conquered in 2005-06.
Glendale had defeated the Blue Devils for seven straight years, before a 46-27 B-A win this season. Claysburg-Kimmel hadn’t been beaten since 1996-97, a space of nine years, a 36-26 Blue Devil triumph this year, and West Branch fell 48-24, only the second Bellwood-Antis win in the series since 1993-94.
Chief among the reasons for the success, of course, was simply to have more warm bodies in the lineup than that of several opponents. It was refreshing to be the one to receive more forfeits than they gave.
However, Bellwood-Antis showed marked improvement on the mat as well. Three young athletes-seniors Josh Ervine and Eli Colyer and junior Ricky Shawley-keyed the Blue Devils throughout the 2005-06 campaign.
The Blue Devils largest weakness was a complete lack of experience from 152-up. While veterans, Colyer, Shawley, Brandon Beech, Ervine and Ronnie Wilson, manned the middle, Mike Ballard (160), Garett Wyland (171), Josh Keagy (189), Cody Smith (215) and Kris Morder (275) had to learn on the run, against a lot of tough experienced competition.
Ervine led the team in total wins (28-7) and in two-point nearfalls, total nearfalls (10), pins (17), tournament wins (10-2), district win (4-1) and regional wins (2-2). Ervine, was the 140-pound champion and Outstanding Wrestler at the Conemaugh Township Tournament, became the Blue Devils’ first Tri-County Tournament champion since 1998, and was third at the Zeigler Tournament and third at the District 6-AA tournament, the highest place for a Bellwood-Antis wrestler since his brother Jared Ervine was a runner-up in 2003. Ervine also was second in dual wins (12-2), team points (66), takedowns (16), and was third in match points (64). Josh won all of his first 10 matches and finished the regular season with seven straight wins. In Tri-County League action, Ervine finished 7-1. Three of Josh’s seven losses were to the same wrestler-Justin Berrier of Southern Huntingdon, 1-0, in the Tri-County, 11-2, in the dual meet and finally 10-4, in the consolation round of the Southwest Regional.
Colyer was the team leader in takedowns (17), reversals (7), three-point nearfalls (8), match points (79) and team points (76) and in dual wins (14-1), and tied with Ervine and Shawley in district wins (4-2), and was second in total wins (24-7). Eli was second at the Conemaugh Township Tournament, third at the Zeigler Tournament and fifth at Districts to earn a trip to Regionals. Colyer won his final 12 regular season matches, recorded 11 pins and was a team-best 8-1 in Tri-County duals.
Shawley, the only returning wrestler of the three Blue Devils who qualified for the Regional tournament, tied Ervine for second in takedowns (16), led the team with five major decisions. Ricky was 23-9 overall, including a 12-3 dual meet record 7-2 in tournaments, with a pair of third places at the Conemaugh Township and Zeigler tournaments and was 4-2 at districts, including a fourth place medal to qualify for Regionals. Shawley was second in reversals (6) and three-point nearfalls (7), and in match points (66) and third in team points (53).
The trio of Ervine, Colyer and Shawley was only the second time Bellwood-Antis has sent three wrestlers to a Regional Tournament. The 1976 group of Rod Hamer, Dan Maidl and Miles Endress was the only other B-A squad to send three. Hamer (167) became the Blue Devils’ first Regional champ. Only two-time Regional champ Ron Wilson (1980-119, and 1981-126) has managed to win a Regional title for Bellwood-Antis since.
B-A junior Ronnie Wilson (13-18) tied Ervine with four two-point nearfalls for the team lead, and added 12 takedowns. Sophomore Donnie Partner (13-16) had 10 takedowns, and freshman Tim Collier (11-10) with nine takedowns, 55 match points and 42 team points got off to a good start, despite missing all of preseason practice and the early part of the dual season recovering from a football injury. Brandon Beech finished his high school career with a 14-13 campaign during his senior year.
“We made a lot of strides this year as a team,” said B-A coach Ron Wilson. “Our kids lost matches, but were in most of those matches. If they can take nothing else away from this year, they know that they can compete at this level. These guys have sort of shown the way for the kids who are coming behind them. As far as work ethic, this should help us in the future.
“We took a team that was struggling four or five years ago and have brought it to the point where we have kids who wrestled in the Regional tournament and a junior high that was 12-3, and a varsity team that was over .500 (8-7).
“This group of seniors is the first to go all the way through, since I took over. They have all made a lot of strides and improved as wrestlers, but as people and I am real proud of them.”
Partner, Collier, sophomore Shane Noye (5-3), sophomore Joe DelMastro (1-4), Wilson, junior Mike Ballard (6-16), junior Garett Wyland (8-20), junior Chad Schilling (0-1), freshman Cody Smith (7-19) and sophomore Kris Morder (6-15) all return for the 2006-07 season, plus a large group of ninth graders, who know how to win, comes up from the junior high.
