by posted 04/06/2010
 
Congratulations to Rustin Barrick and Zach Thomson on their selection to the All-Sentinel Wrestling Team.

All-Sentinel Wrestling
First Team
103 - Chris Vassar, fr., Cedar Cliff
112 - Dereck Enders, jr., Big Spring
112 - Jon Brigham, jr., Cumberland Valley
135 - Shawn Greevy, sr., Cumberland Valley
140 - Jared Ross, jr., Northern
145 - Rustin Barrick, so., Mechanicsburg
145 - Zach Thomson, jr., Mechanicsburg
152 - Jayshon Wilson, jr., Carlisle
160 - Luke Etter, sr., Big Spring
171 - Clint Morrison, sr., Cedar Cliff
171 - Tristan Warner, sr., Cumberland Valley
215 - Travis Friend, sr., Cumberland Valley
215 - Zach Nye, sr., East Pennsboro
285 - Tylor Unger, jr., Boiling Springs

    

by posted 04/06/2010
 

Congratulations to Coach Barrick for being selected the Sentinel's Wrestling Coach of the Year! See the article from The Sentinel below:

 

Barrick helps Mechanicsburg wrestling break through in 2009-10

By  , April 6, 2010

Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School wrestling coach Roger Barrick seemingly has an enviable position.

The Wildcats lose only one senior starter from a surprisingly successful team that finished third in the rugged Mid-Penn Colonial Division, won a dual meet in the District 3 Class AAA Team Championships and had two wrestlers, sophomore Rustin Barrick, Roger’s son, and junior Zach Thomson, appear in the PIAA Individual Championships.

Early indications are that this team, which beat Big Spring in the 3-AAA Team Championships and threw a scare into eventual state champion Central Dauphin in a 47-24 quarterfinal loss, will be one of the better squads in the district next winter.

“We still have a long way to go,” said Barrick, who was chosen as The Sentinel’s Wrestling Coach of the Year for his impressive work with the young lineup. “That was a good year for Mechanicsburg, but for some teams that was an average year.”

On the surface, it’s nothing but clear skies ahead for Mechanicsburg. But, as the saying goes, everything is not always as it appears.

The Wildcats, who finished with a 15-4 record in 2009-10, have an issue that will test Barrick’s coaching prowess next year. Because the team was so young this year – of the 14 regular starters, Mechanicsburg boasted seven sophomores, three juniors, three freshmen and one senior – there’s cause for concern that untimely growth spurts, something inevitable in teenage boys, will jam two or more stellar wrestlers into the same weight class.

If that happens, the competition in Mechanicsburg’s room will be intense, but there will surely be holes in the lineup for dual meets.

“There’s really not a whole lot you can do about that,” said Barrick, who will enter his fourth season at Mechanicsburg next year. “That would just be bad luck. Kids will grow, and there’s only so much you can do about it. If someone wants in the lineup, (that wrestler) will have to get (his) weight down and that sort of stuff. On the other hand, some guys might have to move up and give up a few pounds.”

It’s a potentially tough spot for a coach and team to be in. Wrestling is traditionally based on individual goals and the individual postseason. But with the advent of the PIAA Team Championships, there is an added emphasis on team goals, which is why Barrick was careful not to put any pressure on his team.

During the year, he said, there was little mention of qualifying for the district duals. The focus was to improve as a team and let the chips fall where they may.

“It wasn’t until the middle of January that we really thought about (the district duals) or even talked about it,” Barrick said. “It wasn’t brought up until then. We didn’t know what to expect because we were so young. I had no idea what to expect. I figured if we finished above .500 we’d have a good year.”

Barrick, a 1983 graduate of Millersville University, has been around the wrestling scene for awhile.

Before coming to Mechanicsburg, he spent 11 years building a perennial power at Cumberland Valley after beginning his head-coaching career at ELCO and climbing the ladder to Conestoga Valley, Susquenita and finally Cumberland Valley.

Barrick has seen a lot and coached some great wrestlers, but this Mechanicsburg team, he said, was one of his better ones in terms of working hard and being dedicated to the sport.

“At the beginning of the season, our booster club printed up T-shirts that said, ‘Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.’ That was the perfect shirt for our team,” Barrick said. “They didn’t do anything special, they just worked hard.”

    

by posted 03/02/2010
 


Rustin Barrick (3rd at 145) and Zach Thomson (2nd at 152) had a very good showing this past weekend at the District 3/South Central Regional Tournament and have qualified for the state wrestling championships. Their bouts are listed below. For complete brackets or to see the results of our other wrestlers go to http://www.d3wrestling.net/ and follow the "Road to Hershey" link.

---------------- Preliminaries ----------------
Rustin Barrick, Mechanicsburg DEC AJ Sweigard, Central Dauphin 8-1
Zach Thomson, Mechanicsburg DEC Tim Bauer, Reading 9-2
---------------- Quarter-Finals ----------------
Rustin Barrick, Mechanicsburg DEC Matt Flick, Penn Manor 6-5
Zach Thomson, Mechanicsburg DEC Dylan Wisner, Spring Grove 4-3 OT3
---------------- Semi-Finals ----------------
Bo Candelaria, Middletown MAJOR Rustin Barrick, Mechanicsburg 14-0
Zach Thomson, Mechanicsburg DEC Connor Moran, Solanco 7-5
---------------- Consy SF ----------------
Rustin Barrick, Mechanicsburg DEC Woodie Hermann, Hempfield 3-0
---------------- Consy Final ----------------
Rustin Barrick, Mechanicsburg DEC Colin Martucci, Daniel Boone 4-2
---------------- Finals ----------------
Jayshon Wilson, Carlisle DEC Zach Thomson, Mechanicsburg 13-7 






    

by posted 03/02/2010
 

Thomson lives inspired words and advances to District 3-AAA semifinals
JEREMY ELLIOTT, For The Patriot-News, March 01, 2010 9:10 a.m.

Zach Thomson just kept repeating the mantra in his head.

“Believe, believe. You can do this.”

That’s all that went through Thomson’s mind for the last 11 seconds of his 152-pound quarterfinal. If Thomson could scurry around and not get caught, he would have the biggest win of his career.

Tick, tick, tick.

Believing became reality for Thomson. After the clock struck triple zeroes, and the Mechanicsburg junior was awarded a 4-3 triple overtime decision over Spring Grove’s Dylan Wisner, one of the favorites in the weight class, he could hardly believe he was a district semifinalist.

“I don’t like to wrestle the name; I just go out and wrestle,” Thomson said. “It‘s just another guy in a singlet.

“When it was over, I was in shock. I was like ‘I did this‘. This win is all I can think about right now.”

Apparently so.

Thomson is no stranger to the district wrestling scene. A year ago, he competed at the 125-pound weight class, going 1-2 before seeing his season come to an end.

After a significant growth spurt in the offseason, Thomson never expected to compete at such a high level. No way he expected success jumping up five weight classes.

Surprise.

Thomson did that and more, blowing into today’s 9 a.m. semifinal round, where he will face Solanco’s Connor Moran.

“I would have probably laughed at you if you would have told me this earlier in the season,” Thomson said. “I gained so much weight. I thought I would be out-muscled by these other guys, but I think wrestling at 160 earlier this year really helped me.”

It did against Wisner.

The Rockets senior, who entered the match with a pretty impressive 39-4 mark, held a 3-2 lead late in the third but was hit with a stalling call with eight seconds left after he kept backing away from locking up.

Neither wrestler could score in the first overtime. Wisner chose down in the second, and Thomson held on with all his might until he heard the sweet sound of the buzzer.

“I attribute that to Rustin Barrick,” said Thomson of his 145-pound teammate, who will face Middletown‘s Bo Candelaria in the semis. “He is so hard to keep down in the room.”

Thomson was able to escape in the third overtime period. From there, he circled and was able to stay out of Wisner’s clutches.

“I almost got taken down at the end, but I was able to stay away,” Thomson said. “It was a great feeling.”

 

    

by posted 02/25/2010
 
Six wrestler's have qualified for the Districts after a very competitive sectional tournament that saw the Wildcats finish second overall as a team. The six, led by Rustin Barrick's championship at 145, are listed below. Two others, Mitch Ramsey and Luke Weaver, just missed out by finishing 4th. Complete results for the team can be found on the results page.

1st Place:
    145 - Rustin Barrick

2nd Place:

    130 - Josh Thomson

    152 - Zach Thomson

    171 - Townsend Mundorf

    189 - Brighton Barr
 

3rd Place:

    140 - Joey Krulock

 

 

    

by posted 01/02/2010
 

In their first visit to the Blue Mountain Invitational the Jr. High team pulled off a 5th place finish out of a 20 team field. This was achieved due to another very good team effort with 8 placewinners. 

    

by posted 01/02/2010
 
The high school team made the annual trip over the holiday break to Lancaster for Conestoga Valley's Buckskin Classic. This year was very successful with our young team bringing home a 7th place finish out of a field of 27 teams. Placewinners were:

6th - 130 Josh Thomson
2nd - 152 Rustin Barrick
4th - 160 Zach Thomson
5th - 171 Town Mundorf
7th - 215 Luke Weaver
7th - 285 Sawyer Mundorf

    

by posted 12/30/2009
 

    

by posted 12/13/2009
 

The varsity finished 8th in their first visit to the Top Hat Tournament in Williamsport with 8 placewinners (complete brackets):

3rd - 130 Josh Thomson
6th - 135 Mitchell Ramsey
7th - 140 Joey Krulock
2nd - 152 Rustin Barrick
2nd - 160 Zach Thomson
6th - 171 Town Mundorf
7th - 215 Luke Weaver
6th - 285 Sawyer Mundorf

    

by posted 11/13/2009
 
We are conducting 2 fundraisers that we ask everyone to participate in, Giant Gift Cards and Lottery Tickets.

• The Giant Card program allows us to purchase cards at a 5% discount and resell them at face value. These cards can be used for in store purchases or gas. All profits from your gift card purchases will be credited to your child for use in the off-season in accordance with our re-imbursement policy below.

• The Lottery Ticket fundraiser is based on the Pennsylvania Lottery Daily Number (evening). Each ticket has a number which is good for the entire month of January. If the Daily Number drawn matches your ticket number you win the prize indicated for that day. Tickets are $5 each and we ask that each family sell at least 1 book (10 tickets) or more. For every ticket sold $1 will be credited to your child for off-season use.

Off-Season Reimbursement Policy:

Profits from the Giant Gift Cards sold and $1 per lottery ticket sold by wrestlers will be credited to them for off-season use. The use will be limited to our designated team camp fees, Mechanicsburg Wildcat Wrestling Club fees or other Head Coach approved camps, clubs or tournaments and must occur prior to the next school year. The funds must be requested as a re-imbursement once the approved use has been paid for and attended. Receipts will be required.


    

by posted 12/11/2007