Berchick commits to UPJ

Conemaugh Township's Cory Berchick poses for a photo
during a signing ceremony at the school. Standing behind
him are his brother Casey, parents Shawn and Rachel and
coach Jarod Feathers.

Jarod Feathers knew that Cory Berchick had the talent to be a state placewinner during his junior season. But the Conemaugh Township wrestler got sick before the District 5 tournament.and finished a disappointing third.
Wrestling what eventually was diagnosed as mononucleosis, Berchick didn't make it out of the Southwestern Regional tournament.
His 32-6 record was impressive, but without an appearance in Hershey to back it up, it wasn't enough to draw the attention of many college coaches.
Luckily for Berchick, he had another season remaining, and he made it count. He won District 5 and Southwest Regional titles at 152 pounds this season and placed sixth in the state tournament.
That was enough to get him noticed by Pitt-Johnstown's Pat Pecora, and Berchick signed a letter of intent to wrestle for the Mountain Cats on Monday.
"More and more calls came along and more and more things happened," Berchick said. "(Pecora) called me a lot of times."
Berchick, who said he plans to major in pre-physical therapy, chose UPJ over Waynesburg.

"It's local," Berchick said of why he picked Pitt-Johnstown. "I've always been looking up to UPJ, going to matches and seeing local kids wrestling there. I know what it's like."
Berchick finished with a career record of 132-24 and has the most wins in school history.

"We thought last year he was going to make a good run for us, but that mono really set in," Conemaugh Township coach Jarod Feathers said. "He was on a mission this year. He had a goal all year. That was to get on podium at states. It was a great experience and he did great. He accomplished his goal."