Philipsburg-Osceola wrestling takes different approach in preparing for PIAA Southwest Regional
While Centre County’s Class 2A wrestling teams are busy preparing for this weekend’s PIAA Southwest Regional tournament, Philipsburg-Osceola coach Brad Pataky is taking a bit of a different approach.
Instead of putting his team through rigorous workouts, he’s taking a step back and focusing more on the little things — something he learned from Penn State coaches Cael Sanderson, Casey Cunningham and Cody Sanderson during his time with the Nittany Lions.
“At this time of the year, it is very simple,” Pataky said after practice Monday. “There is not a whole lot more you can really do to be prepared than you already are. It’s just about fine-tuning and thinking positively.”
Pataky has seven wrestlers in Nick Bryan (120 pounds), Chase Chapman (138), Austin Foster (145), Hunter Weitoish (160), Parker Moore (195), Tyler Anderson (220) and Chase Klinger (285) set to compete along with six others from Bald Eagle Area and five apiece from Penns Valley and St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy on Friday and Saturday. The Mounties, Eagles, Rams and Wolves wrestlers need to finish in the top six of their weight classes to secure a spot in the PIAA Championships in Hershey.
For P-O, Tuesday was an optional practice. Wednesday was like Monday’s, focusing on tweaking things here and there to get a little bit better with drilling and with 8-10 minutes of live wrestling. Thursday again focused on fine-tuning things and a little bit of live wrestling to be fresh for Friday.
“A lot of times, when it comes to practice, not many people want to go through the long extended part of practice at the end of the year,” Pataky said. “(We are) just making sure the kids are feeling good and having a healthy mindset. A healthy mindset goes a long way, compared to trying to beat them down. They are already tough enough. They aren’t going to get much tougher than they already are. The conditioning is not going to get much better than they already are. It’s just about fine-tuning and having a healthy mindset.”
Six of the seven qualifiers for P-O were at regionals last year, just in different capacities. Bryan, Chapman, Foster, Weitoish and Anderson competed in the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex on the campus of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Moore was there as a practice partner for Anderson.
Pataky and his wrestlers know that experience pays dividends.
“Being there really gives you a clearer understanding of the environment,” he said. “When you see it or watch it on TV, it doesn’t have the same value to you as it does when you are physically there in the arena. Even the smell of the arena can make a big difference in being prepared for that level of competition.”
Chapman and Moore echoed their coach’s words, on the different ends of the spectrum.
“It adds some experience,” Chapman said. “You’re not as nervous because you’ve wrestled in a big tournament before.”
Added Moore, who’s competing in his first regional tournament: “Once I get there, I’m probably going to be a little starstruck. Being there as a fan and being there as a competitor is a lot different.”
Usually at this point in the season, some kids don’t show up for practices if they aren’t competing anymore. For the Mounties, who have 15 wrestlers on their roster, 11 were at that Monday practice.
That is a great sign for the future of the program and continued growth. Pataky knows that it is better to have a shared message for the team rather than pulling the seven regional qualifiers aside.
“I think for our younger guys to be able to hear the same message that these guys are hearing, it’s going to help them in the future of what to expect next year,” he said. “They’ve been to the district tournament already. Their next step is getting to that regional tournament.”
So, what does it take to make the PIAA Championships?
Pataky gave a one-word answer: mindset.
“I think every wrestler needs to understand that anybody can be beat on any given day,” he said. “If you push that guy just a little bit more, there is no telling how fragile that guy’s mind is. At this time of the year, a lot of guys are willing to give up (rather) than fight for that extra escape, takedown or mat return.”
Just as Cael Sanderson had a direct impact on Pataky and his wrestling — and later coaching — career, Pataky is hoping to do the same for his wrestlers.
Right now, it’s helping them have the right mindsets going into the weekend.
For Weitoish, who suffered a heartbreaking 9-7 sudden victory loss in the District 6 Class 2A finals after leading 7-2 late in the third period, Pataky had a clear message.
“Pretty much not to let up,” Weitoish said. “Not to get too cocky and finish the match. Push the pace until the last whistle blows.”
Foster, who’s up at 145 pounds after being at 120 last year, is a little uneasy going into the regional tournament. But while his confidence isn’t as high as last season, his outlook is still positive.
“I’m giving up a lot of weight this year, so I’m not really sure how it’s going to go,” he said. “I feel good. I’m more satisfied than I was expecting to be this weekend.”
Going into his first regional tournament, Moore has one specific improvement to make.
“I feel like I lost focus in districts a little bit and slipped up,” he said. “I can’t do that if I want to make it to the next level, so I just have to stay focused.”
Regional Qualifiers
Bald Eagle Area: Coen Bainey (106 pounds), Cooper Gilham (120), Gage McClenahan (145), Drew Koleno (152), Noah Foltz (160) and David Close (220)
Penns Valley: Chase Fleshman (106), Nate Long (126), Clayton Royer (138), Malachi DuVall (152) and Andrew Sharer (182)
St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy: Amonn Ohl (132), Zack Witmer (138), Caleb Dowling (152), Keegan Rothrock (160) and Tyler Stoltzfus (170)
PIAA Southwest Regional Championships
When: 1 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday
Where: Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pa.
Tickets: Friday and Saturday morning: Adults $6, Students $3; Saturday night: Adults $8, Students $4; All-day Saturday pass: Adults $14, Students $7; All session pass: Adults $20, Students $10
Brackets: FloWrestling.com
This story was originally published February 20, 2020 at 11:45 AM.
