Wins 11 of 13 bouts for 5th win in a row
By Ken Wunderley, Tri-State Sports & News Service
With a lineup that featured eight wrestlers who had won four or more titles, it was no surprise that the United States All-Star team dominated the 31st annual Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic last night at the University of Pittsburgh’s Fitzgerald Field House.
The United States squad won 11 of the 13 bouts and rolled to an easy 39-6 victory against the Pennsylvania All-Stars in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 5,825. It was the fifth consecutive win for the U.S. squad and the eighth in 10 years.
Trinity’s Dan Burkholder, one of four WPIAL wrestlers on the Pennsylvania squad, faced four-time West Virginia champion Brandon Rader and dropped a 1-0 decision in the 135-pound bout.
“I watched him at the Powerade Christmas tournament and knew he could ride, “said Burkholder, who was rode out in the third period. “I couldn’t get out from the bottom. That was only the second time that happened to me this year.”
Burkholder won the PIAA Class AAA title at 140 pounds, despite an injured knee that will eventually require surgery, but moved down to 135 for the Classic.
The Classic committee juggled the order in which the weight classes were wrestled to feature the WPIAL’s four entries in the second half of the match.
Brad Pataky, a PIAA Class AAA champion from Clearfield, opened the match with a 3-1 victory against Franklin Gomez, a Florida champion, at 119.
Two four-time state champions — Patrick Bond and Brett Metcalf — followed with victories that gave the U.S. team a 6-3 advantage. Bond, a four-time Virginia champion, posted a 3-1 victory against Josh Arnone, a PIAA Class AAA champion from Honesdale, in the 189-pound bout. Metcalf, a four-time Michigan champion who compiled a 228-0 career record, registered an 8-7 victory against Lake-Lehman’s Matt Dragon, the PIAA Class AAA champion, at 145 pounds.
Bryan Reiss, a PIAA Class AAA champion from Emmaus, evened the score at 6-6 with a 3-2 win against Drake McCoy, a two-time Georgia champion, at 275 pounds. That was the Pennsylvania team’s last victory, as the U.S. team won the next nine bouts.
Cyler Sanderson, a four-time Utah champion, recorded a 13-4 major decision in the 140-pound bout with Joe Caramanica, a two-time PIAA Class AAA champion from Nazareth. Troy Nickerson, a five-time New York champion, followed with a 2-1 victory against Matt Fisk, a two-time PIAA Class AA champion from Wyalusing, at 125.
Rollie Peterkin, a four-time National Prep champion from New Jersey, posted a 4-0 victory against Rick Rappo, a two-time PIAA Class AAA finalist from Council Rock South, at 112. Jared Rosholt, a four-time Oklahoma champion, recorded a 10-2 major decision against Curwensville’s Nate Sipes at 215.
Greensburg Salem’s Donnie Jones followed at 160 pounds, but was defeated, 14-6, by David Erwin, a two-time Ohio champion. Jones is a three-time PIAA Class AAA finalist and two-time champion who competed at 152 during the regular season.
“His weight advantage was a big difference, “said Jones, who was certified at 145 pounds at the start of the season. “I can scramble with just about anybody. Scrambling with him took a lot out of me. It was a challenge I wanted to take.”
Waynesburg’s Corbin Semple and Connellsville’s Steve Bell also wrestled for the Pennsylvania All-Stars and were defeated.
Semple, a PIAA Class AAA champion, dropped an 8-5 decision to Ricky Scott, a two-time New York champion, at 171 pounds. Bell, a PIAA Class AAA champion, was pinned at 4:55 of the 130-pound bout by Adam Frey, a two-time National Prep champion from New Jersey.
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