Burrell's Chris Como

You think Pennsylvania was a battleground for the Presidential race? You think battlegrounds here are over for a while? Nope. A new one is just starting, and we have exclusive video interviews with the commanders in the field. Wrestling teams from local schools have now opened up new fronts in the Battle to see who is The Best among hometown favorites. Section realignments have moved Burrell, Valley, Riverview and Highlands into the same section. Fox Chapel, Kiski, and Plum are ready to go at it again. Our corner of the world has become a hotbed for wrestling excellence. We’ve interviewed the coaches about their teams and the high quality of success here in the A-K. Their comments: “It's contagious,” "Success breeds success," “It’s an intra-valley flavor for sure this time.” We couldn’t say it any better, and you can watch them, in their own words, talk about their squads and seasons, by clicking here.

Burrell's Chris Como: Competing For Bigger And Better

"Last year was kind of a proving grounds for us. This year those guys have experience under their belt," mentions eight-year Buc coach Chris Como. Six of Como's qualified for States last year; three of the six placed in that tourney. When the dust finally settled, the Buccaneer grapplers captured their second WPIAL team championship in Burrell school history, to claim their spot among the Top Four Teams in PA. When Como says he that this year he has a "strong slate of kids," he ain't kiddin'. From that incredible 2004 team, no less than 12 guys return to take another crack at the title of Numero Uno in the Land. "The bottom line is, our theme is," Coach Como says, "We set the bar real high last year--we can compete for bigger and better things" He tells you what drives this squad and just who makes up this Rogues' Gallery of Wrestling in the video interview .

Fox Chapel's Ron Franks

Fox Chapel's Ron Frank: Floor Plans

The Foxes went 18 and 5 as a team last year, a nice record in any sport anytime. Coach Ron Frank as a master builder has laid a Firm Foundation of Fox Wrestling in his three-decades of serving as the Foxes' Wrestling Master and Commander. When you're in their 'house', you know you're in a solid program that features a lot of personal time, sweat and investment into these young athletes. Frank's Fox Foundation of Wrestling remains strong this year. The squad lost four seniors from last year's starters, and the Coach still has plenty of building material. "We have a lot of returning veteran wrestlers," Frank says. They'll need every bit of that experience to construct another Power House this season. According to Frank, "this section is one that features many good wrestling teams from the Alle Kiski valley." The coach describes his building process and the wrestling work ethic, gives a glimpse into the Fox Floor Plans and details some of the guys on his work crew in the online video interview.

Highland's Jeff Pollick

Highlands' Jeff Pollick: Running Through A Wall

Last season, "we came off our best season ever in the history of Highlands," stated the Golden Ram's Wrestling Guide and Head Coach, Jeff Pollick. The Rams climbed their way to a 14-7 record, following up on the success of State Champ Bill Spencer two seasons ago and now a volunteer assistant in the elementary wrestling program. The Highlands Herd has migrated out of the section with Kiski Area in it (out of the Fat) and emerged into a AA section this year that has Burrell in it (into the Fire.) The move doesn't faze him. "I'm really excited," Jeff says. To him the competition is all good. "We just have some tough kids…hard-core kids that have technique," he explains. "When I first started here the kids would run through a wall for me." That motivation that drives his kids is the 'wrestlers' mentality' that makes an athlete walk out on that mat all alone. "I think you have a commitment there that most people don't know...." Pollick talks about his wrestlers, the dedication a wrestler has to have and how the squad is shaping up in the online video interview.

Kiski's Chuck Tursky

Kiski Area's Chuck Tursky: To Achieve More And More

Last season’s Cav wrestling squad was in a "rebuilding year," according to Kiski Area Wrestling Coach Chuck Tursky. "We were happy with that... you always want to achieve more and more ...but 15-2 was not too shabby." At face value and in light of the 15-2 record, that may seem like a modest understatement. But it is actually an accurate assessment of the Cavalier Wrestling program, and its’ commitment to being the Best. Tursky, who has coached for 26 years, explains. “If a guy wants to excel, he has in this school district the tools to excel...we are looking for guys with a wrestling mentality, with honor and pride...we're training young men. That's part of the philosophy we teach here. On top of that, we like to win, too.” Kiski is among the top four teams in the WPIAL AAA. This year’s edition features virtually the same team as last year, having lost only three starting seniors. And, the section is just a little bit different now. Chuck Tursky reveals what all that means, as well as the secret of Cavalier Wrestling success, in the video interview.

Plum's Chuck Froelich

Plum's Chuck Froehlich: Guts To Go Out There

You know the man is speaking from personal experience as soon as he says it. "Wrestling is a sport that builds character and brings out the best in people," he states flatly. Plum Wrestling Coach Chuck Froehlich, now in his ninth year as wrestling coach, was a wrestler himself, and he knows what it did. "Basically, the sport helped discipline me,” Froehlich explains, “You gotta have a lot of guts to go out there onto the mat." It is the toughest thing a kid faces when he steps out there: his own limits, versus a competitor‘s limits. Those limits are not much more evident than in the section in which Plum wrestles. The Mustangs face the likes of Kiski, Fox Chapel and Gateway this season. They are on a nice streak, however; Plum only lost two of the last 10 matches last year. "We had a young team last year. The kids pulled together," Froehlich says. “We have a bunch of young kids coming back, it's a good mixture.” He and his staff see to it the kids have what they need, in order to have the guts to step onto the mat. “We make sure they are confident and can do what we ask them to do," says Froehlich, “We come in and just work hard." The Mustangs’ coach outlines who the squad is, what the team faces this winter and what makes them tick, in the online video interview.

Riverview's Mike McNally

Riverview's Mike McNally: Tough, Scrappy Underdogs

"It’s been a building process here at Riverview. [But] we've improved every year," notes Riverview Wrestling Coach Mike McNally. “It was an up and down year last year, a very young team. Even this year we'll only have two seniors on the team.” But make no mistake, McNally is not pessimistic. “This year we have the best team we've ever had since I've been coach...They're the underdogs; they're tough and scrappy.” Good thing too; Riverview--one of the smallest WPIAL schools with wrestling--will have to be tough and scrappy. McNally pointed out, “There is no team in our section we can look past." Realignment took Mt. Pleasant and Derry out of Riverview’s AA section and moved two tough former AAA teams, Valley and Highlands, into it. And of course, the Big Horse is still in the section: Burrell. But McNally believes the Raiders are up to the section battles. “It remains to be seen how well they'll do, but they are really hard-nosed kids,” McNally says. You can take a look at the Raiders’ program and this year’s squad with McNally, as well as find out a little about his own International wrestling experience, in the video interview.

Valley's Steve Ansani

Valley's Steve Ansani: Sticking By and Motivating

It can be the difference between a winning and losing season. For the Valley Vikings wrestlers, it just may be the key to success this year, and they have it. This year’s crew is a “close-knit group, all friends. They hang out together,” says Vikings Ruler and Coach Steve Ansani. The Valley grapplers have developed a solidarity that can galvanize a team into playing above and beyond. “It’s the camaraderie--when something's going bad,” Ansani explains, “your friends can stick there by you and motivate you." Ansani may have developed that camaraderie with these guys. As well as coaching the high school team, he works with the Bones Wrestling Club, an area wrestling club where a lot of Valley wrestlers go (as well as some Burrell and even a few Kiski wrestlers.) Last year’s squad was primarily a young team, but as the team unity grows, that is changing. The Vikings, in practicing one of Ansani’s prime sayings (‘Wrestling is not a sport, it's a way of life‘), may just be living out the coach’s team philosophy: "It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish." No one knows how Valley might finish, but you can hear Steve Ansani tell how the closeness of the group plays into Viking plans this year, in the video interview.