Wrestlers overcome scheduling scramble

La Salle, George Washington and Council Rock South all scored victories off the mat Tuesday by beating their most imposing common opponent - the snow.

In a flurry of phone calls and announcements between noon and 2 p.m. Tuesday, athletic directors, coaches and district officials scrambled to relocate and hold the wrestling double-feature before an impending storm forced further postponement.

"This has been just a hassle," said Denis Kellon, chairman of the District 1 wrestling steering committee. "I'm glad everybody was able to get here."

Kellon and District 12 wrestling chairman Lou Moyerman moved quickly once Methacton High School, the original site, announced around noon it would close at the end of the day due to forecasted icy conditions.

"I called [La Salle coach] Vic [Stanley] right away and he said, 'Yeah, we'll see if we can get a mat down," Kellon said.

Though the School District of Philadelphia announced cancellation of extracurricular activities in mid-afternoon, George Washington's wrestlers were already on the buses to Flourtown in a rush to weigh in and hit the mats.

La Salle, a private school not subject to any city order to close, was able to host the playoff double feature.

Meanwhile, the Council Rock South wrestlers were released a period early from school, according to senior 171-pounder Bobby Lavelle.

"We knew we were wrestling somewhere," Golden Hawks coach Brad Silimperi said. "We would have wrestled in the snow if we had to."

All three teams had reason to be anxious about competing before the storm hit.

The District 12 meet between La Salle and George Washington already had been postponed twice due to weather, once on Friday and again Monday.

Since the remainder of the PIAA team championships are scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the Giant Center in Hershey, the three teams were required to schedule both the district and state meets Tuesday to complete their sliver of the bracket in time.

"It's a little distracting. We haven't practiced much," said George Washington 10th-year coach Mike McKinney.

"It's hard. You're wrestling Friday. You're not wrestling Friday. You're wrestling Monday. You're not wrestling Monday. But in the end, my guys didn't care where they wrestled. They think like all wrestlers: a mat's a mat."

Stanley, in his 42d year coaching high school wrestling, said he knew of no precedent for teams failing to complete the state bracket heading into the quarterfinals in Hershey. Thanks to La Salle, there still isn't.

The hustle of Tuesday's rescheduling, however, made for a unique atmosphere at the Explorers' gym.

Chuck Burns, the father of La Salle wrestlers Nick and C.J. Burns, doubles as the Explorers' scorekeeper. Tuesday, his typically behind-the-scenes role took center stage when he received a phone call from Stanley.

"I thought the match started at four o'clock," said Burns, who was near winded after a hurried trip from Trevose. "But they called and said we're going to start as soon as you get here."

Burns was correct. The match was actually scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. at Methacton. But officials moved it up an hour in addition to relocating the meet, and Burns arrived in time for the national anthem to begin playing at 3:32 p.m.

"We survived," La Salle athletic director Tony Resch said afterwards.

The lesson here, of course, is before letting it snow, let them wrestle.