Ben Smith Wrestles Well At Junior Olympics State Junior High Tournament (03/07/16)

(By Coach Lee Weber)

Ben participated at Johnstown, PA in this year’s JH Junior Olympics State tournament. Since Ben was the Area V Champion, he received a first round bye. In the second round, he faced Area 3 runner-up, Jon Ireland of Norwin, and lost a grueling match 2-0. Ben gave up a reversal late in the match to provide the only scoring in the match. In the 3rd round, he faced Area 11 Champ Frankie Regalis of Bristol, and lost a heart breaking 5-3 overtime match. Ben had his opponent going to his back in overtime but his opponent was able arch through and rolled Ben for the winning takedown.

Even though he was 0-2, Ben was toe to toe with opponents from much bigger wrestling programs. This will help him for next year since Ben is only in 8th grade and has another year of eligibility for JH. Ben finished 22-4 for the season! Great job Ben!