ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Boyertown’s Jordan Wood and Spring-Ford’s Courtney Hinnant

Boyertown's Jordan Wood

Spring-Ford's Courtney Hinnant.

By Mercury Staff
sports@pottsmerc.com

BOYS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Jordan Wood
Boyertown
Wrestling

What he has done
Freshman 220-pounder advanced to the title bout of the PIAA-AAA Championships at Hershey’s Giant Center Saturday before falling to Solacno’s Thomas Haines via 7-2 decision. Wood, who finished 46-2 on the year, had won 32 straight bouts heading into the state final, including a 7-4 semifinal decision over Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s Zach DeLucia.

What he says
“I knew about him and I went out knowing I had to wrestle a two-time defending state champion in my head. I’m not mad about losing, I’m just mad about the way I wrestled. (Haines) wrestled a lot better. I wrestled defensively, and that can’t be your mindset when you go out there for any match.”

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WRESTLING: Unparalleled season doesn’t lessen pain of Wood missing golden dream

Solanco’s Thomas Haines, left, wrestles Boyertown’s Jordan Wood in the 220-pound final at the PIAA Class AAA high school wrestling championships Saturday, March 9, 2013, in Hershey. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

By Don Seeley
sports@pottsmerc.com

If there’s one thing each and every little fella or gal involved in sports has in common it’s dreams … dreams of hitting that game-winning home run, dreams of swishing the game-winning shot; dreams of catching the game-winning pass.
Dreams of being in the headlines.
Dreams of being in the spotlight.
Dreams of being the best there is.
No one knows for sure when Jordan Wood first dreamt of winning a state wrestling title … when he imagined jumping into his coaches’ arms, stepping up onto the top step of the awards podium with a gold medal around his neck, then being mobbed by youngsters begging for his autograph.
Last Saturday night during the PIAA Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey, in front of 8,000-plus fans watching his every move in what is arguably the most challenging state tournament of its kind in the entire nation, the Boyertown freshman nearly got to live his dream.
Few do, of course. Even fewer come as close as Wood did with his second-place finish.

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WRESTLING: Boyertown’s Jordan Wood finishes second at states

Photo by Nate Heckenberger Boyertown’s Jordan Wood battles with Solanco’s Thomas Haines in the 220-pound final on Saturday at the Giant Center in Hershey.

By Don Seeley
dseeley@pottsmerc.com

HERSHEY — Jordan Wood came oh so close to being where Thomas Haines was two years ago.
The Boyertown 220-pounder, arguably the best freshman upperweight in the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s 27-year history and absolutely one of the best upperweights in District 1’s eightysome-year history, lost a 7-2 decision to Haines during Saturday night’s final round of the PIAA-Class AAA Championships ... and that’s the same Thomas Haines who was touted as one of the best freshman upperweights in the Lancaster-Lebanon League and in all of District 3 when he won his first state title in 2011.

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WRESTLING: Wood wins his way into semifinals at PIAA Championships; four others make final day

Boyertown's Jordan Wood nears a first-period takedown against Parkland's Shaun Heist in a 6-1 victory in the 220-pound quarterfinals Friday at the PIAA Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. Wood was the lone PAC-10 wrestler to advance to the semifinals. (Photo by Nate Heckenberger)

By Don Seeley
sports@pottsmerc.com

HERSHEY — Jordan Wood is becoming a perfectionist ... at 14 years of age.
The Boyertown freshman wasn’t at all happy with his debut in Thursday’s opening round of the PIAA-Class AAA Wrestling Championships here at the Giant Center. He won, mind you, but beating a returning state qualifier two years his elder with over 100 career wins wasn’t good enough.
But his 6-1 win over Parkland’s Shaun Heist in Friday afternoon’s quarterfinals was a bit more acceptable for the brawling, baby-faced 220-pounder.
“I didn’t like (Thursday’s win) at all,” Wood said after his otherwise dominating performance with Heist earned him a berth in this morning’s semifinals against Southwest Regional champion Zach DeLuca (40-7) and, regardless of the outcome, clinched a medal.
Owen J. Roberts’ Derek Gulotta (113), Colby Frank (126) and Gordon Bolig (182) all lost in Friday’s quarterfinals, as did Methacton’s Tracey Green (285). But all four regrouped in a hurry and came back with wins during the second round of consolations to clinch medals as well.
Boyertown 126-pounder Eddie Kriczky, who offset an opening round loss with a stunner over a regional champion and medal favorite on opening day, was eliminated one win shy of the medal rounds.

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AAA REGIONAL WRESTLING: Frank, Giangiulio, Wood, Green grab golds as PAC-10 advances 9

Boyertown's Jordan Wood points to his supporters in celebration after topping Coatesville's Mike Boykin 4-3 in the 220-pound championship final Saturday at the AAA Southeast Regional at Pottstown High School.
(Photo by Nate Heckenberger)

VIDEO:  PAC-10 competitors in the finals and consolation finals at the Southeast Regional

By Don Seeley
sports@pottsmerc.com

POTTSTOWN — Colby Frank, Nick Giangiulio, Jordan Wood and Tracey Green sure measured up to their own expectations … and, not surprising, beyond what a whole lot of others had of them.
That, and that alone, helped make Saturday night’s final rounds of the Class AAA Southeast Regional one of the most dynamic, most competitive and, of course, most thrilling since the inaugural event back in 1951.
Frank, a junior from Owen J. Roberts, wasn’t often mentioned among the leaders of the pack at 126 pounds this year. Giangiulio, a junior from Perkiomen Valley, saw his stock nearly bottom out after finishing third at 152 pounds at districts last week. Wood, the 220-pound freshman phenom from Boyertown everyone had heard of and heralded all year, was well aware of how the critics suddenly split ranks on him this weekend. And Green, a junior from Methacton who gives up nearly 50 pounds and close to a foot if not more to his 285-pound rivals, certainly got an earful of not being able to match up the big boys because of his stature.
Funny thing is, when all was said and done, all were golden … regional champions.

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WRESTLING: Boyertown freshman Wood living up to the hype

Boyertown freshman Jordan Wood entered the season to a great deal of expectation, expectation that he’s lived up to en route to a 40-1 record and titles at the PAC-10 Championships and District 1-AAA West Tournament. (John Strickler/The Mercury)

By Don Seeley
sports@pottsmerc.com

There didn’t seem to be a wrestling soul anywhere in the area, or around the state for that matter, who hadn’t heard of Jordan Wood before he strolled into Boyertown’s practice room for the first time last November.
In other words, the 14-year-old freshman’s reputation preceded him… as did some rather lofty expectations, the result of his success in youth and junior high school wrestling.
Wood hasn’t disappointed anyone since, either.
Going into tonight’s opening round of the Class AAA Southeast Regional at Pottstown High School, the 220-pound phenom has proven time and time again there’s no noticeable chink in his wrestling armor. He has won 26 in a row since his only loss to Wyoming Seminary’s highly regarded Garrett Ryan during the Hurricane Classic at Bethlehem Liberty four days after Christmas. And that was no upset, mind you, not when considering InterMat’s No. 11 ranked Ryan was a state prep champion two weeks ago and the national prep runner-up to the almighty Kyle Snyder of Good Counsel (Md.) last weekend.

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