The Tyrone wrestling program continued their storied tradition in 2005-06. Following up with a record 16-5 season a year ago, the Golden Eagles compiled a 14-6 mark in 2005-06. Few high schools in the entire region can boast of 30 dual wins over the last two years. Few can claim having two 100-career win wrestlers in their history, yet Tyrone finished the year with two.
If you take a look at the starting lineup of the 2003-04 Eagle squad, an incredible six wrestlers would total better than 100 wins by the time their high school careers were over.
When the late Bruce Wallace, a Tyrone and Pennsylvania state wrestling legend, and a two-time PIAA state champion, won 111 matches by his graduation in 1985, his record would stand for 20 years. No other Tyrone wrestler would reach the coveted 100-win mark.
Suddenly that 2003-04 team featured a half-dozen athletes who would smash the century mark as easily as a Terry Tate pin., before their career ended
First, it was Thadd Westley falling just a bit short in his bid for PIAA gold, but finishing with a 127-32 career school record in 2004. Then Terry Tate caught and passed Westley finishing his high school career at 149-24 in 2005 on his way to PIAA gold, in 2005. Tate, who holds the Tyrone record for wins, also has the Eagles’ mark for pins with 91, more than all but the most talented few wrestlers ever get in wins, was also joined by classmates David Miller (116-44) and Brice Mertiff (101-47) on the 100-win list.
The staggering totals continued this past season, when senior Robert Waite and junior T. J. Albright joined the 100-win cast at Tyrone. Waite finishes his senior year with a 112-48 record, while Albright, with another year to wrestle, will begin his senior season at Tyrone with a 101-32 mark over his first three seasons.
That brings to a grand total of six wrestlers in that 2003-04 lineup for the Eagles, who have attained 100 career wins.
With the 2005-06 Tyrone wrestlers joining such a select crowd, the Golden Eagles repeated a win at the Snacktown Duals in Hanover, with Albright and Waite each going a perfect 5-0, won the Zeigler Chevrolet Blair/Huntingdon County Tournament at Altoona, by 35 points, with Waite and Justin Schopp winning championships, and finished third out of 23 schools in the Orange and Black’s first participation in the Thomas Chevrolet Tournament at Bedford, with two champions-Waite and Sam McCloskey.
In dual meet competition, after a season-opening loss to Indian Valley, Tyrone ran off 10 straight dual wins, including going 5-0 in the Snacktown Tournament, which was wrestled as a team tournament, along the way to a 14-6 overall mark. Four of the six losses were to Class-AAA schools-Indian Valley, Lewistown, Hollidaysburg and Bald Eagle Area.
The Golden Eagles were minus senior veteran Heath Walk (8-6) for most of the season, after the much-injured Walk suffered another injury at the King of the Mountain Tournament in mid December.
Robert Waite led the team in wins with a 40-7 mark, T. J. Albright was 31-6 and Sam McCloskey was 27-9. Waite led the squad in takedowns with 77, followed by Albright and James Updike with 41. Justin Schopp led the team in reversals with 20 followed by J. P. VanAllman with 17 and Waite with 14. Waite led in nearfalls by a large margin, with 37 three-point nearfalls and 16 two-point nearfalls, for a total of 53.
A team that has scored a lot of points over the past few years by getting a multitude of pins, Tyrone was led by Albright last year with 16 pins, McCloskey pinned 14, followed by Waite, VanAllman and Cody Weaver with a dozen each.
Albright and Waite won district championships, and Waite was third, and Albright second at regionals to qualify for states, where each was 0-2.
“I congratulate all our kids on a job well done all season long.” said Tyrone wrestling coach Blair Packer. “We had two 100-match winners this year. But more than the wins, I think, what they got in terms of learning some lessons of life, coming through the wrestling season, all the dedication and focusing and hard work will enable each of them, as they go on beyond high school to help make a success in life.”
T. J. Albright (112), Jacob Smerekar (140) and Sam McCloskey (145) were selected to the Mountain Athletic Conference Division 2 First Team All-Stars at the end of the season, and Cody Weaver (103) and Robert Waite (119) were named to the CWC First Team All-Stars, while Albright, McCloskey and Heath Walk (215) were chosen for the CWC Second Team All-stars.
Waite moved up from a Second team CWC selection in 2005, while Albright was also a Second team choice and Walk First Team selection last year. Albright and Walk were both 2005 First Team picks in the MAC.
Freshman Cody Weaver started the season by dropping three of his first four, but came back to win 13 of his next 16 matches on the way to a 20-15 mark in his first varsity experience…. Albright was a perfect 13-0 in dual meets. Waite went 19-2 in tournament action during the season…. Josh Hunter was only able to compile an 8-17 senior season, but was able to win each of his final three dual meet matches by fall….after back-to-back District 6 Team Championships, the Eagles defeated Mount Union for third place in the 2006 Duals….In family reunions and get-togethers, Robert Waite has established bragging rights as the all-time career winner in the family. Robert, who is a cousin of the late Bruce Wallace has one more career win 112-111 than Bruce compiled.
