[February 28, 2010] WPIAL wrestling: Up and down day for South Side ends with silvers COLLIER TWP., Feb 28, 2010 (Beaver County Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- A long day of wrestling ended as Patrick Malcomb limped to the awards podium to receive his medal. When it was handed to him, he was still grimacing in pain. Moments later, though, the 285-pounder from South Side managed a smile as he put his performance in perspective. Last year at the WPIAL Class AA Individual Wrestling Championships, Malcomb finished sixth. Saturday, he finished second. Malcomb was pinned in the second period by Beth-Center's Jeff Tarley moments after spraining his ankle. But before the injury, the 285 title was up for grabs as Malcomb and Tarley were deadlocked 0-0. "I was happy to get to the finals," Malcomb said just after the two-day marathon at Chartiers Valley High School ended. "All in all, I feel good about how I did." Malcomb's experience at the WPIAL tournament pretty much mirrored the performances of other South Side wrestlers who competed. There were highs and lows. At 140 pounds, for example, Colin Checkan had a tough day. A WPIAL runner-up last year as a junior, he lost in the quarterfinals with an injury default. He was still hobbling due to a sprained ankle he suffered last week in the sectionals. Checkan was losing 2-0 to Steel Valley's Mike Pavesko after two periods. But the pain in Checkan's ankle was so severe he couldn't continue. Pavesko went on to lose in 140 final. "That's a shame," South Side coach Bear McCoy said of Checkan. "He probably shouldn't have even wrestled. But he displayed the heart of a champion." Another of South Side's championship hopefuls was Nathan Reckner, a freshman who came to Chartiers Valley with a 33-3 record at 103 pounds. But in the semifinals, Reckner lost 4-2 to Beth-Center's Zach Swarrow, who went on to lose to Mt. Pleasant's Nick Hough. Earlier this year Reckner handled Hough with ease in an 11-0 decision. Reckner recovered and won two matches in the consolation rounds to end third. "I'm a little disappointed right now, but overall, not bad," Reckner said of his weekend. On Friday and Saturday, Reckner (36-4), Halcomb (29-10) and two other South Side wrestlers will compete in the Class AA Southwest Regionals in Johnstown. Also qualifying were Dave Demor (28-5), a junior who was second at 145 pounds, and Justin Martz (31-12), a junior who was sixth at 160. In his bout, Demor was tied 2-2 after two periods to South Fayette's Nick Carr, but wound up losing 7-3. "I didn't wrestle too well in the third period," Demor said. "I think I ran out of gas." Demor has a week to get his stamina back, and Halcomb has a week to allow his sprained ankle to heal. "Overall, it was a good tournament for four kids," McCoy said. "It was a good learning experience. Now they know what they have to do and overcome if they want to get to Hershey (for the PIAA Championships). on March 12-13). "I think we wrestled well. It's a good start leading into next week." To see more of Beaver County Times, Pa., or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.timesonline.com. Copyright (c) 2010, Beaver County Times, Pa. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To the Online Project Management Community's Homepage ]