By ERIC KNOPSNYDER
JOHNSTOWN — Regional championships used to be almost a given for the Pitt-Johnstown wrestling team.
Pat Pecora’s Mountain Cats have won 20 in his 33 years as coach, including five in a row from 2003-07.
Newberry ended that streak in 2008.
The South Carolina school repeated the feat last season and followed it up with a second-place finish at the Division II national tournament.
“They’re it,” Pecora said. “There’s no doubt about it. They’ve won it the past two years. That doesn’t sit well with me. We want that regional title. Maybe we took it for granted that we would be regional champions in the past, and that’s not the case right now.”
UPJ has six returning national qualifiers, including two All-Americans, back from last season, but dethroning Newberry – which has nine returning starters out of 10 – won’t be easy.
“If a team can do it, this team can do it,” Pecora said. “We’re still ranked behind them regionally and nationally, but this team can do it. We have regionals at home this year. Hopefully we can win it in our back yard. They have everybody back except their heavyweight. They’ve raised the marker.”
UPJ will face a difficult test tonight when West Liberty visits the Sports Center at 7 p.m. for the Mountain Cats’ first dual meet of the season.
“(Tonight is) our first step,” Pecora said. “This region is tough. We’re doing all the right things. We’ve been so close the last two years.”
So has Shane Valko. The Forest Hills graduate came tantalizingly close to winning a national title at 133 pounds last year before losing to Kutztown’s Joe Kemmerer in double-overtime rideout.
The senior was also an All-American as a sophomore, when he placed fourth.
Kemmerer was a senior last year, so Valko won’t have to worry about him, but Cody Garcia of Nebraska-Omaha presents another challenge. Garcia was a two-time national champion at 125 pounds and lost to Kemmerer at nationals last year.
“There’s the matchup when those two bulls collide,” Pecora said. “He’s a good one, there’s no doubt about it. That’s somewhat in the path of Valko’s national title.”
There was some talk of Valko dropping to 125 pounds this season, but Pecora doesn’t see that happening.
“His thighs are so big,” Pecora said. “He’s a natural 133-pounder. That’s a weight class he doesn’t have to think about making weight, he makes it. The emphasis is on getting better.”
One of Pecora’s returning national qualifiers has decided to drop down a weight class. Patrick Walsh is a two-time qualifier at 197, but the senior will be wrestling 184 this season.
“It was something he wanted to do,” Pecora said. “He came to me last year after the season and said ‘I want to drop to 4.’ I have one chance left to be an All-American, and I think I have a better chance at 84.’ He did his work all summer. He’s not cutting. He did it the right way and brought his body weight down the right way.”
In addition to Valko and Walsh, Pecora has returning national qualifiers in Adam Whetstone (141), Ryan McIntyre (149), Kyle Keane (165) and Chris Dempsey (285).
Whetstone was an All-American last year, placing fifth at nationals, while Keane finished fourth as a sophomore but did not place last year.
Penn Cambria graduate Ryan Link is expected to take over at 125 pounds after a strong showing at the Washington & Jefferson Open earlier this month.
Zach Lundgren started looked to be the front-runner at 157 pounds but is nursing an injury, so Laurel Valley graduate Myers Miller will likely fill the spot tonight.
Central Cambria graduate Steve Makin returns at 174 pounds after a knee injury wiped out the end of his sophomore season, and A.J. Brentzel, a transfer from Pitt, should be the starter at 197.
Pecora also has an influx of talent, with former PIAA champion Donnie Ament transferring to UPJ from Lock Haven and competing for time at 141. He also has a strong freshman class that includes Jack Bachman (149), David Cawley (141/149), Tyler Chesney (133), Tim DeFrances (184/197), Forest Hills’ David Fogle (125), Joe Harper (157), Bedford’s Josh Krupa (285), Gary Lantz (165), Logan Shirey (174) and Mitch Spencer (133/141).
“I’m always looking at two things – now and the future,” Pecora said. “How do we look now and how do we look in the future? Right now, we look good. When I start looking at guys like Fogle, Chesney, Cawley, Spencer, Bachman, Harper, Lantz, Shirey, DeFrances, Krupa – I feel good about the future. I feel real good about where the program’s at and where we’re going.”
