Norristown Area High School has the biggest high school mat in the state and perhaps the country. A 60 ft wide circle has a lot of room to run, but not much room to hide. For the past 10 years or so it has been affectionately known as "The Ocean.”
The 2012 Edition of the Eagles is like a group of assassins, always looking for the pin and they usually get what they want. Mix the skills with the vast open area of the “Ocean” and it spells disastrous outcomes for visiting teams.
Plymouth-Whitemarsh visited a couple of weeks ago and found the water in the “Ocean” quite rough. Norristown recorded 6 pins and 3 forfeits on the way to a 54-21 victory. It actually took longer to put the mat away than to wrestle the match. Recording wins were: Zack Fuentes (fall) 113, Mike Springer (fall) 138, Joe Rowland (fall) 152, Brett Harner (fall) 160, Shane Springer (ff) 170, Juan Carbajal (ff) 182, Larry Gordon (ff) 195, Jesse Prante (fall) 220, and Rasheed Lusane (fall) 285.
Norristown took just 8 wrestlers to PowerAde last week, the toughest tournament in Pa. With almost 50 teams including the likes of National Prep Champion Blair Academy, Norristown utilized their pinning abilities to nail down 4th place in the team competition while Brett Harner was awarded the Most Pins Trophy. The team’s performance made the 320 mile return trip go just a little bit faster.
Wrestlers attending the tournament were: Brett Harner (2nd) 160, Shane Springer (3rd) 170, Larry Gordon (4th) 195, Zack Fuentes (4th) 113, Mike Springer (8th) 138, Jesse Prante 220, Juan Carbajal 182, and Joe Rowland 145.
On Jan. 4, Wissahickon came rolling into the friendly confines of Norristown with high hopes. Well, the shark infested waters of the “Ocean” were no friendlier than they were to PW. The match started where Norristown had some young and developing wrestlers. The Trojans built a 19-6 lead before they met the “Meat” of the order. A short time later, the Eagles had recorded 8 pins in a row (giving up a forfeit at 106).
With 9 falls out of the 13 matches wrestled, Norristown defended the “Ocean” with pride and a 54-25 victory. Pins were recorded by: Mike Springer 138, Brett Harner 160, Shane Springer 170, Juan Carbajal 182, Larry Gordon 195, Jesse “The Body” Prante 220, Rasheed Lusane 285, Zack Fuentes 113, and Kelvin Howard 120.
Next up for the Eagles is a trip to Blue Mountain this weekend for a tournament. Next Wednesday is Senior Night and the last home meet. The “Ocean” will be rolled out one more time this year and Upper Moreland is slated to come take a swim. There are a good number of kids out for the team. JV’s will start at 6 p.m. with Varsity activities to kick off at 7 p.m. Come early to get a great seat.
Follow all ages of Norristown Wrestling at www.NorristownPAL.com. There is info about the High School, Middle School, and Youth Programs.
