This column was originally published in the Feb. 16 edition of The Mercury.

The mathematics of wrestling is pretty simple. Getting the upper hand in least seven of the individual bouts (with a few bonus-point wins among them) often adds up to a team victory.

Often, not always, that is.

The problem is very few teams anywhere have seven guarantees every time they line up for a match. That means at least half of the lineup must step up on occasion. That’s step up as in winning. That’s step up as in staying off one’s back and losing by a decision instead of a major or more, surrendering the minimum team points.

If anyone this season has learned just how important that is, to salvage a split or more, it was Boyertown.

The Bears lost seven duals – all to state-ranked opponents – this winter. On Day One, they came up three points short against Bethlehem Liberty and one point short of Council Rock North. In the finals of the Cedar Cliff Duals, they came up two points short of Parkland. At the Cumberland Valley Duals, they were beaten by both the host Eagles and Central Dauphin by misleading spreads of 11 and 15 points, respectively. And during last weekend’s state duals, they came up four points short against Parkland again before their worst loss of the entire season, a 20-point shellacking by Council Rock South – the same Council Rock South they defeated earlier in the week for the District 1 team title.

Against Central Dauphin – hands down the best team in Pennsylvania (with six straight state titles now – three

each in the duals and individual tournaments) – the Bears won only five bouts, getting pinned in three and losing three decisions by three points or loss. Against Council Rock South late Friday night, the Bears discovered their adrenaline engines had stalled after the narrow loss to Parkland.

In those five other setbacks, Boyertown won six of the individual bouts. Six, remember, not seven or more.

The difference in them was dropping two bouts by two points or less against both Liberty and Council Rock North; losing one bout in overtime and another by three points against Parkland; getting pinned four times against Cumberland Valley; and losing three one-point decisions in the rematch against Parkland.

Oh, so close.

This isn’t horseshoes or quoits, though.

Yes, the Bears more than earned their share of props in recent years, even more this year. They have already clinched their fourth straight Pioneer Athletic Conference title, and should win it outright following Wednesday night’s visit to St. Pius X. They also avenged – in a very convincing manner – that earlier loss to Council Rock North en route to the district team championship, quite an achievement considering just how good they wrestled against the district’s elite.

But head coach Pete Ventresca and his staff, as well as many of the Bears themselves, knew there could’ve been more … much, much more than their two-match cameo at the Giant Center in Hershey last Friday.

No one had to ask them, either. They voluntarily confessed to not wrestling up to their collective ability.

If it’s any consolation, every wrestling team will have an off-day or off-night, just like every other high school team will, from baseball, basketball and football to hockey, lacrosse and volleyball.

The Bears didn’t need anyone to remind them their latest off-day was ill-timed. And they didn’t need anyone to remind them about the math, either.

In time, what happened in Hershey will stay in Hershey, and this season will be remembered as one of the best – if not the best – at Boyertown since the program began back in 1965.

* * *

Central Dauphin, after surviving a 35-34 semifinal thriller against Central Mountain, swept its third straight team title with a 41-28 win over Parkland in Saturday’s AAA championship. … The surprise of the weekend in Hershey had to be Fort LeBoeuf, which avenged two earlier losses to Reynolds with an exciting 32-29 victory in the Class AA final. Reynolds, which had won three of the last four AA titles, defeated the Bison 39-23 in the regular season and 35-18 in last week’s District 10 final and was undefeated (20-0) going into Saturday’s showdown. Snowstorms delayed Fort LeBoeuf’s state-opener until Thursday afternoon. But the Bison buried Shadyside Academy, made their way to Hershey right after the match, got a good night’s sleep, then bombed Benton, shocked unbeaten Schuylkill Valley and, of course, finished off the memorable week with the victory over Reynolds. … The best individual bout, at least for area fans, was the 135-pound feature between Boyertown’s Alex Pellicciotti and Council Rock South’s Josh Dziewa. Pellicciotti nearly had a takedown and back points, but the Iowa-bound Dziewa worked out of it and won, 4-1. It’s a shame a few fans didn’t show the class both Pellicciotti and Dziewa showed before, during and after their match.

PAC WRAP

For the first time in 14 years, the top two spots in the Pioneer Athletic Conference wrestling standings will not include a combination of Boyertown, Spring-Ford or Upper Perkiomen. The last time two of the three didn’t finish one-two was in 1996, when Spring-ford went 9-0 and Great Valley went 8-1. Barring any major upsets (like Phoenixville over Owen J. Roberts on Tuesday or St. Pius X over Boyertown on Wednesday), it will be the Bears and Wildcats finishing one-two this season. This winter was the first time Owen J. Roberts had beaten both Spring-Ford and Upper Perkiomen in the same season. From 1997 through 2002, Spring-Ford and Upper Perkiomen were first or second (and vice versa), and from 2003 through last year it was the Rams, Indians or Boyertown occupying the top two spots.

*

Spring-Ford clinched its 24th straight winning season in the Pioneer Athletic Conference earlier this month. The Rams haven’t had a losing season since the league began in 1986-87. Neither has Boyertown, which owns the next longest streak at eight since coming into the league in 2002-03.

*

Boyertown (3-0), Owen J. Roberts (1-1), Spring-Ford (0-1), St. Pius X (0-1) and Upper Perkiomen (1-1) all qualified for the district’s AAA and AA duals and went a combined 5-4, improving the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s overall record in district duals competition to 71-61. Upper Perkiomen (30-11) and Boyertown (17-9) headline the PAC-10’s win chart. … The league’s overall record in state duals is now 14-17.

FEELING THE BLUES

The Hill School won just one of four matches in last Saturday’s Mid-Atlantic Prep League championships. The Blues lost to national power Blair (69-9) and Peddie (54-22), rebounded with a win over rival Lawrenceville (43-33), then dropped its last match to Mercersburg (45-29).

Head coach Jesse Young got an outstanding performance from freshman Aaron Harris, who was 4-0 at 125. Teammates Jack Sullivan and Colin Saunders each went 3-1 at 130 and 135, respectively, while heavyweight Jay Knighton split his four bouts.

Young and the Blues were a bit short-handed. Karl Wiszumerski (140), Nate Mueller (160) and Jack Hutchinson (215) are injured and didn’t compete. Hutchinson is out for the remainder of the season, which includes this week’s state prep feature at Westtown and the following week’s National Prep Championships at Lehigh University.

THE NUMBERS

Pellicciotti last week passed Upper Perkiomen graduate and former state runner-up Darren Kern in career wins, moving into seventh place on The Mercury area’s chart with 157 victories. Pellicciotti, who has won more than half his bouts (82) with pins, is two away from Upper Perkiomen’s Derek Zinck and four away from moving into the Top Five alongside Upper Perkiomen’s Mark Smith. … Boyertown teammate Matt Malfaro (137) is currently tied with Methacton graduate Jeff Albano for 15th place.

Daniel Boone senior Eddie Lockowitz, who earlier this season became just the second Blazer to reach 100 career wins, will run out of bouts – regardless of what unfolds in the postseason – in his attempt to erase Tyler Swartz’s school-record 116.

Closing in on the 100-win mark are Owen J. Roberts’ Scott Syrek (95), Boyertown’s Jeremy Minich (94), Pottsgrove’s Zach Robinson (91), and Methacton’s Brandan Clark (90) – all juniors. Syrek and Minich could get their milestone wins in two weeks at districts, while Robinson and Clark will likely have to wrestle their way deep into the regional or states to reach the 100-win mark.

Originally published in the Feb. 12 edition of The Mercury.

HERSHEY — It was mentioned, and it doesn’t really matter by whom or how many (or where they said it), that Boyertown was on the “easy side of the bracket“ for this weekend’s PIAA-Class AAA Team Duals Championships.

Right…

Just like there haven’t been any measurable snowstorms this winter.

The mighty matheads must have drifted off for a moment, or gotten stuck in a drift long enough to suffer a brief brain-freeze. Either way, they forgot this is Pennsylvania, where there are absolutely no easy sides in any bracket if you’re wrestling here at the Giant Center in February or March.

Yes, the Bears will see either Parkland or Connellsville in this afternoon’s quarterfinals. Yes, should they survive whoever provides that challenge, they’ll likely get Canon-McMillan in Saturday morning’s semifinals. Yes, those three teams don’t exactly carry the statewide weight or power appeal as a few situated in the other half of the bracket (namely Central Dauphin, Central Mountain and Easton). But Parkland — which beat Boyertown last month — as well as Connellsville and Canon-McMillan, are all ranked among the Top 25 this season.

That may be one reason why Bears head coach Pete Ventresca changed gears a bit moments after the dramatic, come-from-behind win over Council Rock South in the district duals final last Monday night.

“Our kids worked hard for this (district title), and they know they’re going to have to keep working hard with what’s ahead,” Ventresca said.

What’s ahead is being part of arguably the most talented collection of teams ever to assemble in the state duals since they began back in 1999.

Two-time defending champion Central Dauphin is ranked No. 1 in Pennsylvania, No. 6 in the nation. Central Mountain is ranked No. 2 in Pennsylvania, No. 7 in the nation. And you best believe both are every bit as good as those polls indicate. So are the others, like Parkland; Easton — owner of a Class AAA record four state duals titles; Canon-McMillan, Kiski Area and Connellsville, the top three teams out of District 7 with only a daring move or two separating them on any given night; as well as Erie Cathedral Prep; and don’t forget District 1 neighbors Council Rock South and Council Rock North, who finished right behind Boyertown earlier this week.

In other words, the Bears are one of a dozen teams loaded for bear.

Boyertown is making its third appearance in the state duals since returning to District 1. Their avid fans would rather forget the first one back in 2005, a one-and-done show following a 37-15 loss to Nazareth. Those same fans, along with a good number of Bears in this afternoon’s lineup, wouldn’t mind improving a bit on the second one — last year, that is — when they went 3-2, just missed getting into the third-place final and settled for a Top Six finish.

Wrestling their way into the Final Four — whether through the championship or consolation final portion of the bracket — will be difficult even though the Bears are a significantly better team than they were a year ago.

Ventresca has very few noticeable holes in his lineup. The Bears (22-5 overall) pack a punch in the lightweights with Adam Kolb, Matt Malfaro, Jeremy Minich and Peter Jones going from 112 through 130, respectively. Alex Pellicciotti is far and away one of the best 135-pounders in the state, not only capable of going with nearly everyone but producing bonus points as well. Jon Neiman, who has ironed out the football kinks the past month, Adam Benfield, and an improving Luke Hoffman add strength through the middle. And up top, Ventresca has a lot of flexibility with Brock Hallman and Tyler Mauger at either 171 or 189, and with Zach Heffner and Ryan Schwager at either 215 or 285.

Problem is, neither Parkland nor Connellsville have many noticeable holes in their lineups, either.

Parkland (21-2) proved that up close with its 32-30 decision of Boyertown during the Cedar Cliff Duals back on Jan. 2. Mike Fake, who outlasted Malfaro in overtime to provide the decisive points in the last bout, is down at 112; Brandon Davis, who gave Minich a tussle, is down at 119; and teammates Justin Heller, Mike Kistler, Mike Ottinger, Andrew Moore and Wade Rivera – who accounted for five of six straight wins through the belly of the Bears’ lineup – are all down a weight class, too.

Connellsville (18-1) thumped unbeaten Hempfield for its section team title and dropped its only match this year, 33-27 to Kiski Area, in the district semifinals. The Falcons boast an outstanding 103-pound freshman in Ethan Kenny; two solid middleweights in returning state qualifier Jesse Swink at 140 and Ethan Saylor at 160; and a very formidable one-two closing punch in defending state champion Nate Gaffney (27-1) and Travis Miller at 215 and 285, respectively.

“Everyone needed to step up,” Pellicciotti during Monday night’s celebration. “We’ll need everyone to step up again this weekend. Every team point is crucial.”

* * *

Boyertown has the winner of the Parkland-Connellsville brawl in one quarterfinal, while Canon-McMillan has the winner of the Erie Cathedral Prep-Shikellamy match in another.

The top-half of the bracket is a little more interesting. The opening-round bout between Perry and Kiski Area was snowed out twice and scheduled to take place Thursday afternoon at Fox Chapel High School. The winner will then motor here to take on Council Rock North, and whoever survives that gets the honor of taking on Central Dauphin, heavily favored to capture its third straight team title. Meanwhile, Council Rock South has to deal with Central Mountain – and those Alton fellas – with the winner getting Easton in the remaining quarterfinal.

The second round gets under way at 11 this morning, followed by the quarterfinals at 3 p.m. Wrestle-backs are set for 7 p.m., and pick up again 9 a.m. Saturday. The championship semifinals and final in the AAA bracket are 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, on Saturday.

NOTES

Connellsville is the only team in WPIAL history to qualify for every District 7 team duals tournament since the event began back in 1979 – that’s an amazing 32 straight years. … Gaffney blanked Owen J. Roberts’ Scott Syrek, 4-0, during last year’s 215-pound state semifinals. … Council Rock South’s opening-round rout of La Salle on Tuesday night was its 10th win in state duals competition, tying Upper Perkiomen’s total-win mark for District 1 schools. The Golden Hawks are 10-5, Council Rock North is 4-7, and Boyertown is 3-3 overall since the state duals began in 1999.

Unless your headgear has been on a bit too long (and snapped up a little too tight), or you have been traipsing through the malls in a week-long trance because of Black Friday’s hypnotizing sales pitches and prices, you’ve likely heard by now that Boyertown will be the class of the Pioneer Athletic Conference this season.

Boyertown … no one else, just Boyertown.

That’s a first, too.

The first time there’s been no mention of those two others — Upper Perkiomen and Spring-Ford — who along with Boyertown have either won or shared all but three of the league’s 22 championships.

And after one week, or shall we say one weekend, it sure does appear as though Boyertown may be the high-and-mighty of the PAC-10 … unquestionably one of the area’s best teams, and perhaps even one of the better teams in all of District 1.

The Bears swept four of five matches in their own Bear Duals last Saturday, losing only a nine-point decision to St. Mark’s, Del., which was No. 18 in Amateur Wrestling News’ preseason national rankings. They got a little bit of a test from Council Rock North, but when they met again in the third-place final, the earlier six-point differential ballooned to 18 points.

Pete Ventresca, who has lost just two league matches (one each to Upper Perkiomen and Spring-Ford, naturally) in his first three seasons as Boyertown’s head coach, has heard how the Bears should run the PAC-10 table this winter. He prefers to let all that talk fall on deaf ears, too.

And one weekend a season does not make.

“We’ve heard it all,” Ventresca admitted. “Our goal every year is to win the PAC-10. However, there are still a lot of tough teams again this year, and we will never underestimate anybody.

“(People) can say what they want, but Upper Perkiomen will be tough again; Spring-Ford is always good; Owen J. Roberts looks very good; and a few other teams could present some problems. I do feel good about our team, absolutely. But after last year, with all those twists and turns, you realize nothing is ever written in stone.”

The one thing Ventresca does have this season is depth, or flexibility. The inability to move people up, down, and around to get favorable match-ups hurt the Bears since teaming up in the PAC-10 six years ago. It was never more evident than in those showdowns with Upper Perkiomen and Spring-Ford, the only teams to have beaten the Bears — an otherwise impressive 44-5 against league rivals.

“We do have a lot of balance,” Ventresca said. “That’s something we haven’t had in years past. But this year, we seem to have decent kids and decent back-ups, the kind of balance that gives us a lot of options when it comes to moving kids around to get the best match-ups.”

Boyertown exposed that last Saturday.

“I definitely think we came out of (the duals) well,” Ventresca said. “The kids performed well. I was happy with their performance.

“But what really pleased us was how the team stepped up. If one kid went down, the next kid picked him up. Everyone was just pulling for one another, and that’s a good thing to see.”

NEW-LOOK DUALS

The District 1 Steering Committee has approved a major change in the district’s Class AAA Team Duals, expanding the field to 24 teams.

According to Dennis Kellon, chairman of the committee, the first through eighth seeds will draw byes in the first round. And except for the losers of the first-round pigtail matches — who are eliminated — the tournament will feature complete wrestlebacks.

The first two rounds will be held Thursday, Jan. 22. The survivors return for the final two days, Friday and Saturday, Jan. 30-31, with the AAA championship and third-place final, along with the Class AA final, set for 4 p.m. that Saturday.

The first round sits will be Upper Perkiomen, Radnor, Hatboro-Horsham, and Pennsbury, with the final two days of the duals held at Council Rock South.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The 23rd season of PAC-10 wrestling opens Wednesday night with Boyertown traveling to Perkiomen Valley and Phoenixville visiting Upper Perkiomen.

Fans bringing four canned goods to the Upper Perkiomen match will be admitted free. The canned goods will be accepted by representatives of the Upper Perkiomen National Honor Society, which will deliver the donations to the Open Line Food Drive just before Christmas.

Sure sounds like a great reason to take in the Phantoms-Indians match … and to give a little back to those less fortunate to brighten their holidays.

MOVING ON UP

OJR’s Nick Fuschino upped his career win total to 97 with a perfect 5-for-5 last weekend. Pottstown’s Eric Daniels will begin his season Saturday at the West Chester Tournament with 83. Boyertown teammates Alex Pellicciotti (82) and Tim Feroe (80) pushed their totals up by five each last weekend, too. Upper Perkiomen heavyweight Jared Bennett debuts Wednesday night with 79.

Among active coaches, Ridley’s ageless Carl Schnellenbach is back for his 49th season and owns a state-record 663 wins. Danville’s Ron Kanaskie is a distant second with 601. … District 1’s only other active coaches with more than 300 wins entering this season are Oxford’s Scott Gold (384) and Pennsbury’s Joe Kiefer (357).

Around the state, Waynesburg (793) and Easton (786) are both expected to move of the 800-win mark this season. Canon-McMillan is the state’s all-time leader with 922 wins in the history of its program. … Easton head coach Steve Powell, a graduate of West Chester Henderson, owned 395 of Easton’s victories before beginning his 25th season last weekend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Lehigh University, which features Andy Knerr (Norristown) and Brian Tanen (Souderton) on its roster, is celebrating its 100th year of wrestling this season. … The University of Pennsylvania, which features four former District 1 standouts – Harriton’s Marty Borowsky, Upper Perkiomen’s Zack Kemmerer, and Council Rock South brothers Mark and Rick Rappo – owns the nation’s oldest college program and is already into its 105th season.

IRONMAN RECAP

It’s generally regarded today that the Walsh Ironman is No. 1 or No. 1A when ranking high school wrestling tournaments. Last weekend, Blair Academy (N.J.) won the team title with a 282.5-234 edge over runner-up St. Paris Graham (Ohio). The teams are ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, by Amateur Wrestling News. Pennsylvania’s Central Mountain (third), Blue Mountain (sixth), Reynolds (seventh) and Wyoming Seminary (eighth) all had Top 10 finishes, while Shadyside Academy was 11th.