close

Tarr elevating enthusiasm for wrestling at Upper St. Clair

By Eleanor Bailey almanac Sports Editor ebailey@thealmanac.Net 4 min read
article image -

In just a few months, Chris Tarr has revitalized the wrestling program at Upper St. Clair High School.

With the cooperation of administration and teachers, wrestling was introduced and demonstrated during all of the high school physical education classes this fall. Additionally, an “Intro to Wrestling” course was offered after school for three weeks.

“When I was hired in August, I was given 11 names of potential wrestlers, eight of those were returners but due to our efforts we have added 16 to the roster this year. We will be able to adequately fill all 13 weight classes.

“The vast majority of our team is very young and relatively new to the sport of wrestling,” Tarr continued. “Therefore, our main goal for these kids is to improve their skills on a daily basis.”

The Panthers don’t have to improve upon attitude. Because the vast majority of the wrestlers are young and new to the sport, enthusiasm is the team’s biggest asset.

“Our greatest strengths are our positive attitudes and work ethic,” Tarr said. “We come to practice every day with a renewed energy.

“(The wrestlers) have all accepted the challenges that the coaches have placed on them and they remain positive. There is an excitement and energy that the kids are creating around the program. Our main goal is to encourage the kids to remain positive and focus on getting better at the sport throughout the entire season.”

The Panthers will rely upon veterans like Ben Cedar, Tyler Shields and Ryan Wells to monitor the mood and pace the progress of the younger members of the squad.

Despite an injury-plagued career, Cedar battled back and enjoyed a 17-9 record last winter. A section runner-up at 152, he has set his sights on qualifying for the PIAA tournament.

“Ben is truly committed to the sport,” Tarr said. “He is a true leader in our program.”

A senior, Shields was 22-15 last year. He placed fifth at 172 at the sectionals and also has set a goal for qualifying for states. A naturally talented athlete, Shields provides experience and leadership, especially at the upper weights, says Tarr.

USC wrestlers at the heavier weights will be Owen Lusk and Noah Stein at 152; Max Biedrzycki and Hasan Badaruddin at 160; Kenneth Davis at 172; Van Hellman and Mason Chambers at 189 and David Mejia at 215.

A 139-pound wrestler, Wells also wants to qualify for the WPIAL/Southwest Regional Tournament.

“As a senior, he has really emerged as a real team leader for our program,” Tarr said.

Among USC’s middleweights are Tyler Holt, Carson Rackley and Nick Marchando at 145; Derek Worstell , Bryce Potter, Alessandro Folino and Amir Alshalani at 133; as well as Liam Dunn, Jacob Artnak and George Drutis at 127.

Alex Tucker at 107, Kurt Baran at 115 and Stefan Engelmann at 121 will be featured at the lightweights.

After participating in back-to-back weekend tournaments at Chartiers-Houston and North Hills to open the season, the Panthers embark on section action when they travel to Canon-McMillan on Dec. 21.

“Our schedule is full of challenging matches,” Tarr said. “Canon-Mac is a perennial powerhouse and it doesn’t get any easier.”

USC will face Bethel Park, Peters Township, Baldwin and Mt. Lebanon in that order before even considering individual section action.

“Our wrestlers will be challenged on a weekly basis,” Tarr said. “Our kids will embrace the challenge.

“It will be interesting and challenging, especially at individuals because then we have to contend with wrestlers from Waynesburg, Trinity, Chartiers Valley, Moon, South Fayette, and West Allegheny. There will be no easy trips to the regionals.

Progress is the main focus, however. Tarr wants his wrestlers to embrace the process that a season presents. He acknowledges there are many stages and USC is just in the beginning phase.

”We are at the stage of generating excitement and interest for the sport of wrestling at USC,” he said. “Therefore, our goal is to focus on improving our skills every day.”

Having been involved in the sport for many years, Tarr relies on his own experiences. One lesson continues to impact his strategy and approach to coaching.

”All kids are different. All kids are motivated in different ways,” he stressed. “Therefore, as a coaching staff, we must initiate and engage in meaningful relationships with each wrestler. We must find out what motivates each athlete.

”If our goal is for all of our athletes to reach their maximum potential then we must adapt our approach to each individual athlete.”

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $/week.

Subscribe Today