Bishop McCort adding wrestling

I try to treat the offseason as just that - time off from the blog - but this story is just to big to ignore.
Bishop McCort is looking to add wrestling, sooner rather than later. The Crimson Crushers have been wrestling in a co-op with Westmont Hilltop the past three seasons. They attempted to end that co-op this week, but Westmont is making them live up to the terms of their contract, which runs through the 2015-16 season.
Bishop McCort Principal Tom Fleming said that the Crimson Crushers will be starting a program; it's just a year later than they had hoped. You can read Ron Musselman's story about it in The Tribune-Democrat.
The issue is starting to get contentious, as Westmont folks are upset about Bishop McCort ending the co-op. I can understand both sides of the argument. Three of Westmont's stud freshman - Anthony Walters (160, PIAA-8, SW-4, D6-2), Carnell Andrews (120, SW-4, D6-2) and Josiah Jones (220, D6-2, injury ended season) - attend Bishop McCort. If you're a Bishop McCort person, you're saying why should pay $10,000 to Westmont to wrestle for their team when we can start our own program? Westmont parents and fans, on the other hand, are upset because they feel that the McCort wrestlers are biting the hand that feeds them. Coach Matt Beaujon has helped develop Bishop McCort wrestlers over the past three years, even if the biggest names are only freshmen.
So I don't have strong feelings either way on that argument. Like any breakup, there are going to be hard feelings.
I did however, get into a lengthy Twitter debate about the potential of the Bishop McCort program. The way I see it, this could become a powerhouse program almost from its inaugural season, and I think that it's a scenario that public schools in districts 5 and 6 have long feared.
Don't believe me? Take a look at this:

That shows the area in a 30-mile radius from Johnstown, which seems like a reasonable distance that students might travel to attend a private school if so motivated. It's probably a bit unrealistic to expect anyone to travel from Latrobe or Hollidaysburg on a daily basis, but not so much for Ligonier Valley, Central Cambria or North Star. I know of some students that have attended Bishop McCort in the past few years from those school districts.
I'm not going to get into the "private schools recruit" debate that invariably pops up in these discussions. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that there is no recruiting going on whatsoever in our scenario. I still think that Bishop McCort could easily attract some of the top talent in the area without reaching out to anyone if the right coach is in place.
Imagine if the Crimson Crushers were somehow able to launch a program with Jody Strittmatter of Young Guns at the helm. Wrestlers from at least that 30-mile radius would be lining up to look at Bishop McCort under such a scenario. Not only would you get the guy responsible for the No. 1 club in the nation, but the big names that would follow would make most school practices have the feel of a club practice. That would make the Crimson Crushers a legitimate state contender in no time.
To be clear, I don't expect Strittmatter (or either of his brothers) to become the Bishop McCort coach. That was just a best-case/worst-case scenario (depending on your perspective).
Even without an elite club coach in the mix, Bishop McCort could find a well-respected local coach to give the program instant credibility. Again, without doing anything illegal or immoral, the program could draw interest from local wrestlers. Imagine you're a wrestler (or parent) at a school that doesn't have a very strong team. You are the best in the room and don't get much competition in practice. Now, you have the option of going to a private school (not for athletic intent, of course) where you already have three likely state qualifiers in the room and, potentially, a better coach. Most competitors would at least consider that option.

Here's a list of schools that are within about a 30-minute drive that the program could reasonably draw from:

• Greater Johnstown
• Ferndale
• Conemaugh Valley
• Westmont Hilltop
• Richland
• Windber
• North Star
• Forest Hills
• Blacklick Valley
• Central Cambria
• Conemaugh Township
• Shade
• Somerset
• Chestnut Ridge
• Ligonier Valley
• Blairsville
• United

Think you could come up with a pretty good team by getting one wrestler from even half of those schools? I certainly do. That was the discussion I was having on Twitter - a private school doesn't need to have a feeder system because, fair or not, students can come in from other districts.

Now, if Bishop McCort doesn't hire a well-known and well-respected coach and instead hires a caretaker to collect a few PIAA medals courtesy of the studs already on the roster, it could very well be a middle-of-the-road - or worse - program. It could have the big three and very little after that, in which case that lack of a feeder system would be huge.

That's the feast-or-famine scenario that private schools face in wrestling. Need an example? Look at Shady Side Academy. A few years ago, they were winning regional titles left and right at the War Memorial and competing for state team titles. By 2013, they couldn't field a team.

So will Bishop McCort's program be more like Bethlehem Catholic or St. Joseph's Academy, a fellow District 6 school that started wrestling a few years ago? It's too early to tell. The single most important factor will be who is hired to lead the program.

Who will be top varsity newcomer in region?

I've been planning on taking a look at the top rookies in our area, and since Pa. Power Wrestling just released its Top 50 freshmen, I figured now was as good a time as any.

Districts 5 and 6 are well-represented in the rankings, which include both AA and AAA classes.

A look at some names to know:

Robby Patrick, Ligonier Valley – The younger brother of Josh and Justin, he is the top local wrestler in the rankings, as he checks in at No. 6 statewide. He's bigger than his older brothers, as he projects as a 145-pounder, and he's more accomplished at this point in his career with a FloNationals Middle School championship and two Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling titles to his name. He'll definitely be one to keep an eye on this season, as Pa. Power Wrestling projects him as a state qualifier. Breaking in at 145 as a freshman is much harder than in the lightweights – as he found out going 1-2 at the Super 32 this weekend – but it wouldn't surprise me to see him on the podium in Hershey in March.

The Fab Five, Westmont Hilltop – After a fantastic run in the late 2000s, the Hilltoppers have been relatively quiet in the postseason the past few years. That could change very quickly. The co-op with Bishop McCort should pay huge dividends this year, as Carnell Andrews, No. 7 in Pa. Power Wrestling rankings, is a now a Crimson Crusher instead of a Johnstown Trojan. The same goes for No. 17 Anthony Walters. Westmont's own Josiah Jones is No. 43, giving Matt Beaujon's team a staggering three of the state's top-50 ranked freshmen.

Like Patrick, Andrews has two PJW and one FloNationals Middle School championships to his name. He's projected as a 126-pounder and a state qualifier.

Walters finished third at PJWs last year and won a FloNationals Middle School championship. He's projected as a 170-pounder and state qualifier.

Jones took fourth at PJWs last season and, like Andrews and Walters, was a FloNationals Middle School champ. He suffered a serious knee injury in the summer and won't be in the lineup for the first part of the season. If he can return from the injury and get in shape for the postseason, expect him to be a regional qualifier at 220 pounds.

Westmont's freshmen class has more than just the big three, as Clayton Dorian finished sixth at PJWs at 112 last season. He should give Andrews a great practice partner in the 126 range and give Beaujon plenty of flexibility in creating dual-meet matchups, not to mention another young stud.

Throw in Derrick Christie, a PJW qualifier for Ferndale who will suit up for the Hilltoppers, and Westmont's freshman class has to rank as one of the best in the state. Christie should make an immediate impact at 106. I've been told that he's made big strides over the past few months and could be a darkhorse in the region.

Trent Hidlay, Mifflin County – The younger brother of Hayden Hidlay is a six-time PJW medalist, including a runner-up finish in 2014, when he lost to Ligonier Valley's Robert Patrick. Pa. Power Wrestling projects him as a state qualifier at 138 or 145. He went 2-2 at 145 in the Super 32 this weekend.

Justin McCoy, Chestnut Ridge – Not that the loaded Lions need much help in the lightweights, but this talented freshman should provide it. He's finished third (2014, '12), second ('13) and first ('11) at PJWs and is projected as a 113- or 120-pound state qualifier by Pa. Power Wrestling. My local sources saw him more as a 126-pounder, but that could be just to start the season. Either way, he'll make an immediate impact for coach Greg Lazor and should make a strong postseason run.

Terrell Williams and Austin Barber, Greater Johnstown – Even without Andrews and Walters, new Trojans coach Will Harris will be able to inject some young talent into the lineup. Williams is a sophomore who finished second at 147 at PJWs last year while Barber is a freshman who placed eighth at 157. It will likely be harder for them to reach regionals this season after Johnstown dropped from AAA to AA, but both have the talent to do so.

Campbell twins, Cambria Heights – Mike Eckenrode, who is now sharing the head coaching role with Steve Makin, will get a nice bump in the form of sophomore twins Huntur and Bryce Campbell. Huntur, who likely will be a 106-pounder this season, finished fourth at 92 pounds at PJWs while Bryce, a projected 113-pounder, was a qualifier at 97 pounds.

I'm sure there are some other up-and-coming youngsters that I don't know about, especially in the eastern half of District 6. Who should have been included on my list? Let me know (hopefully in a polite way) in the comments section along with some reasons why.