Cheap Tilts - Sherlock hitting his stride

   Wrestling is as much mental as it is anything else.
   Ian Sherlock is staying focused on that side of the sport. And his physical aspect of wrestling hasn't been too bad, either, as the Northern Bedford junior is rolling into the new year on a wave of momentum.
   His latest result was last night's 8-6 overtime win at 138 pounds over Tussey Mountain's Brady Villa in the headline bout of the dual between the county rivals.
   Sherlock had lost to Villa twice before in varsity competition, and neither bout was all that close. Two years ago, Villa won by a 9-1 major decision in the third place bout at the District 5 Tournament, which ended Sherlock's season. In last year's dual meet, Villa was victorious by a 9-2 decision. The Tussey Mountain wrestler went on to reach the state tournament, while Sherlock had his season end early due to injury.
   This latest one was hard-fought on both wrestlers' parts. Villa's double leg shot moments into the sudden victory period appeared like it might be the winning move, but Sherlock quickly got into a funk and won the scramble to claim the two points.
   "I just tried to stay calm the whole match, and not lose myself and stay focused," said Sherlock. "I wanted to go out and win the match, and that's what I tried to do."
   That focus has produced 12 wins in his last 13 bouts after an opening night loss. Of those dozen victories, he has 10 pins, which included one over Ellwood City's Donavin Chambers in the semifinals of the Southmoreland Holiday Classic last Friday. Starting the second period in the top position, Sherlock locked up a tight cradle and decked Chambers, who was the Southwest Regional runner-up at 132 last winter.
   "His confidence level is definitely on the way up," Northern Bedford coach Brian Dutchcot said of Sherlock. "He had a huge win against Chambers, and followed that up with a win over Villa. He's getting more confident on his feet — that opening takedown tonight was huge. He battled back to force overtime and won the scramble. That's showing a lot of heart."
   Sherlock is also coming off a strong cross country season in the fall. He was an individual state qualifier and was one of the key runners that led the Black Panthers to an unbeaten record in duals and a district team championship.
   "It helped build up good endurance and mental toughness," he said. "It helps a lot with being on the wrestling mat by yourself, because you're out on the (cross country) course by yourself. It's whether you want it or not — that's what it comes down to."

Lights, Camera, Action
   Last night's match at Northern Bedford provided a fun and exciting atmosphere. Just about any time that these two schools get together in any sport, both fan bases come out in numbers. But the addition of Northern Bedford taking the mat through a smoke machine with the lights out and music blaring ramped the electricity up.
   I knew that Tussey Mountain had the edge on paper given three forfeits, but I also wasn't sure if the pro-Panther additions to the atmosphere might affect the Titans, who start a number of sophomores and freshmen. That wasn't the case for Mason Replogle's team. Replogle should know, as he once competed well in the Northern Bedford colors. He told me afterward, which you can read in today's Bedford Gazette, that he made sure to have his group focused on the wrestling match and not the extra-curricular activities surrounding it. That's surely what occurred in Tussey's 58-18 victory.