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From the Meadville Tribune HERSHEY — Left, right, left, right, left, right, turn. Repeat. |
Scharrer places sixth for only AAA medal
March 11, 2007 — Some wrestlers sit alone; some listen to music, run or pound on their bodies. General McLane senior 103-pounder Keith Scharrer likes to pace before his matches. In his first appearance at the PIAA Class AAA tournament, the Lancer little guy walked himself right into a 3-3 record and a sixth-place medal on Saturday at the Giant Center in Hershey. Ironically, his fifth-place consolation opponent, Mitchell Port of Bellefonte, was also his friend and drilling partner for the weekend, as well as his first and last opponent in 2006-07. Port won a 6-3 decision in a dual meet at General McLane High School in December, and he took a 1-0 decision to close the season. . “He was someone to work out with and talk to,” Scharrer said of Port. “I don’t have any teammates here, so he was like my teammate.” The two began talking at the Northwest Regional Tournament in Altoona, where Port placed first and Scharrer third. Scharrer started the day with a 4-3 decision win over North Allegheny’s Nick Rodgers. He fell to Easton’s Desmond Moore in a two-minute, 58-second fall in the consolation semifinals, ending a three-match win streak after losing to eventual runner-up Mark Rappo of Council Rock South in the preliminary round. Against Port, Scharrer allowed an escape in the second period and could not make his way out from the bottom in the third. He did, however, find a way to stop Port’s tough series of tilts. The referee counted once on three different occasions, but Scharrer managed to roll away without any near-fall points. “He’s really good,” Scharrer said of the Red Raider freshman. “He’s quick on his feet. I really just didn’t want to give up any major points.” Despite ending with a loss, Scharrer finished the year 34-10 and can claim he was the district’s only Class AAA place-winner. “It’s exciting,” Scharrer said of receiving a medal at states. “It’s just unbelievable to be down here and placing makes it that much better.” Because the Giant Center can be unnerving in its overwhelming size and capacity, GM head coach Ryan Cook and assistant coach Bill Frick took Scharrer bowling Thursday and to Bass Pro Shops on Friday to take his mind off of the pressure. “My coaches did a good job making sure I was calm and focused,” Scharrer said. “They gave me pep talks all week, too.” “I am looking at Mercyhurst-North East,” he said. “I talked to the coach up there, possibly to wrestle also.”
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