One final time

Fausey, other seniors shine at all-star meet

By Harold Raker

SUNBURY -- For Jon Fausey, Wednesday night's Northumberland County Recreation Committee all-star wrestling meet was a chance to warm up for yet another high-profile event.

A week and a half after defeating four-time Oklahoma state champion Chris Perry in the Dapper Dan Classic in Pittsburgh, Line Mountain's reigning Class AA state 189-pound state champion got an invitation to wrestle for the U.S.A. Dream team in Saturday night's Dream Team Classic in Stillwater, Okla. The U.S.A. team will wrestle Team Oklahoma.

Fausey, one of five PIAA place-winners, but the only state champion, to wrestle in Wednesday night's event at Shikellamy High School, won by technical fall (18-2 in 5 minutes, 4 seconds) over Shikellamy's Ron Schreffler.

"We worked out a couple times in the wrestling room, but we never wrestled in competition, " Fausey said of Schreffler.

Fausey will wrestle Perry again on Saturday night, this time at Perry's high school in Stillwater.

"I think he's gunning for me. He was pretty upset last time. I think when he found out I was going to the Dream Team, he was pretty excited," he said.

Perry came into the Dapper Dan with a career record of 134-1 and was ranked No. 1 in the country.

Fausey learned of the Oklahoma opportunity on Tuesday night. He said Max Huntley from Blair Academy, who had been picked for the team, was unable to compete. The team was picked before the state tournament and was based on national rankings.

"It's pretty exciting. You want to wrestle against the best guys in the country and when you get two weekends in three weeks to wrestle the No. 1 guy in the country, it's pretty sweet," Fausey said.

Fausey, who was 148-15 in his career and will wrestle at the University of Virginia, said he is not nervous about wrestling Perry in his home school.

"I know he's going to have a bunch of fans in his high school gym rooting for him. One thing that a lot of wrestlers say, especially the Iowa guys, is the most motivating thing in the sport of wrestling is having thousands of fans screaming for you, and the second most motivating thing is having thousands of fans screaming against you.' It's pretty neat, no pressure, I can just have fun and have get good competition.

Against Schreffler, Fausey scored a pair of first-period takedowns and led 4-1, but got things going in the second, with a reversal, a takedown and eight nearfall points for a 16-2 lead. Also winning by technical fall was Bloomsburg's Robert Kresch, 17-2 in 3:56 over Bloomsburg's Josh Struble at 130. Milton's Brock Waughen (112), Shamokin's Matt Marcheski (152) and Shamokin's Nick Domanski (189) had falls.

Waughen, a four-time state qualifier and three-time state place-winner, built a 7-0 lead before pinning Midd-West's Tyler Herb with a half-Nelson in 2:54. Marcheski built an 11-2 lead before pinning Shikellamy's Noah Nowell with a cradle in 5:21. Domanski used a cradle to pin Selinsgrove's Kevin Metz in 3:27 after a scoreless first period.

In one of the more competitive bouts, rivals Sam Shirey of Midd-West and David Snook of Mifflinburg battled intensely at 152. Shirey, a two-time state place-winner, was up 7-1 after two periods, but Snook rallied in the third with a reversal and a takedown. Shirey prevailed 11-6 and Snook had to leave to get stitches for a cut near his right eye.

Warrior Run's Bryson Brooke also had a competitive battle with Shikellamy's Benton Ross at 125. Brooke, a state fifth-place finisher, led 4-3 after two periods. Brooke escaped in the third but Ross took him down to tie it at 5-5. Brooke, who uncharacteristically worked legs throughout the bout, got a reversal and two-point nearfall en route to a 12-7 win.

State sixth-place finisher Eric Hummel of Lewisburg used three takedowns to defeat Line Mountain's Ryan Klinger 6-3 at 160.

Sam Shaheen, a state qualifier from Montoursville, had his hands full with Shikellamy's Eric Winters before winning 8-3 at 171. Winters fought off two deep single-legs in the first period, getting a takedown of his own on the second one for a 2-0 lead. Shaheen reversed Winters late in the period and turned him for three nearfall points to go up 5-2 and never trailed again.

The scheduled 10th bout of the program did not take place because Milton's Ty Sampsell, who was to face Mifflinburg's Derek Wiand, was ill and unable to compete.

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