Phoenix Grapplers Ready For New Season
By Joe Walker
LOGANTON-The Sugar Valley Rural Charter School Phoenix varsity boys wrestling squad open their 2024-25 season on Wednesday evening when they host the Green Hornets of Wellsboro. The Phoenix under fifth year head coach Jason Bilbay will be looking to improve on last season’s 11-16 mark.
The Phoenix 12-man roster has a mixture of veterans and newcomers, as senior Jarren McCloskey leads the returnees after posting a 27-12 record last season and has 58 career wins. Junior Wyatt Conoway is back after posting a sophomore mark of 18-11 and sophomore Leroy Culvey is back after going 9-11 as a freshman. Other returnees are a trio of seniors in Koda Mincer (5-2), Connor Ohl (6-3) and Brandon Galentine (5-19) are back.
The new faces on the Phoenix roster are juniors Dakota Jodun and Layden Bryan, while sophomores Hunter Berry, Tylor Cantolina, Logan Leland and freshman Tobias Conoway are up from the Junior High squad of head coach Craig “Buzzy” Buskirk, who also serves as a varsity assistant.
The weight by weight breakdown for the Phoenix in the early season are as follows: 114 – Leroy Culvey or Hunter Berry; 121 – Tobias Conoway or Tyler Cantolina; 133 – Jarren McCloskey; 139 – Wyatt Conoway; 152 – Dakota Jodun; 160 – Logan Leland or Connor Ohl; 172 – Leydenb Bryan; 189 – Brandon Galentine; 285 – Kota Mincer.
“We are low on overall numbers again this season, but we are separated enough that we may be able to fill most of the weights with some bumping around. We lost some good seniors from last season, but a couple of our new faces this season are showing really good promise” commented head coach Bilbay.
“We had a practice with Penns Valley and coach Brinker is going to have another really good team this season. Getting to practice with them gave our boys a good chance to see where they are in the early going and things they are going to have to work on.” added Bilbay. Veteran Rams head coach Joel Brinker and Bilbay were teammates on the unbeaten BEN Panther squad of 1992-93 and both were in the 1993 Class AA state tournament.
“We have four dual meets, along with the Klingerman Tournament at Bloomsburg and the Duals Tournament at Blue Mountain High School in December. But we do have a break after the December 18 dual meet with Sullivan County and the January 4 Duals Tournament at South Williamsport. That is the time the kids will have to watch their weight over the holiday break, but our practice sessions will hopefully keep things in check”, continued Bilbay.
The Phoenix open with Wellsboro on Dec 4 at home and then travel to Bloomsburg on December 6-7 for the Darren Klingerman Duals Tournament. They will return home on December 11 to host Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech. On December 13 they will be at the Gauntlet Duals at Blue Mountain High School and then go to Mifflintown to have a dual meet with Juniata. They will conclude the month of December by hosting Sullivan County on December 18th.
There are a lot of changes this season in scoring, as takedowns are worth three points and nearfall points are based on the referee counting, 2 count (2 pts), 3 count (3 pts) and four count (4 pts). A wrestler can get five nearfall points if he takes a wrestler to their back by takedown or reversal and an injury happens or the bottom wrestler says they are hurt. But the referee must have made a four count before the fifth back point can be awarded.
If a wrestler puts a wrestler over on his back and even though it would be a 15-point tech fall, the bout will not be stopped until the referee gives back points or a fall occurs. Wrestlers will still be ruled inbounds if either wrestler still has just one supporting point touching the inbounds part of the mat. The 10-foot center circle is now an option to be on the mat.
