Remembering Jim Clark

   In the sports world, it’s a small group of athletes and coaches who can say they went out on top.

   Chestnut Ridge coaching icon Jim Clark was one member of that club.

   Tonight, the local wrestling community is mourning the loss of Clark, who passed away after a brief battle with cancer.

   Clark put together one of the finest coaching careers Bedford County has seen in any sport, as he guided his Lions’ teams to a dual meet record of 342-158-3 over 31 years. 

   A large number of his wrestlers enjoyed individual success as well, with Clark in the head chair for 56 district champions, six regional champs, and nine state medalists.

   But perhaps Clark’s shining moment came in his final season in 2008, when the late Gary Pfahler captured the school’s first state wrestling championship in the 140-pound weight class. 

   Sitting matside for the Bedford Gazette that afternoon, I can still recall the emotional celebratory reactions of Clark and his longtime assistant coach, Scott McGill, after Pfahler held off a late takedown attempt by Burrell’s Jordan Shields when the final whistle sounded. 

   And when Clark had his arm around Pfahler walking away from the mat, both with big smiles, it was like they were on Cloud Nine, and rightly so. 

   It was the county’s first state wrestling title in 25 years. And it’s my opinion that the Clark/Pfahler combination for that elusive gold medal knocked down the door for what has transpired since on the big stage, as this area has captured four individual state championships and multiple team state medals in the last 13 years.

   Clark retired after that championship match for Pfahler, and he was inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame that spring. I went to that event in State College and in chatting with him, he was still in awe of being able to help win a state title for one of his own in what he knew was going to be his last head coaching assignment. 

   When writing about his retirement, he spoke of the time factor in going over lineups and putting his teams in the best position to win. His coaching resume speaks to that kind of dedication and why the 342 dual meet wins remain at the top of the county and district record book.

   Clark is also a member of the Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2009.

   My condolences go out to Clark’s family and the Chestnut Ridge program.

Girls Wrestling ready for another big year

    When Brooke Zumas and Chris Atkinson started putting together what became the SanctionPA committee for girls wrestling in Pennsylvania, they knew the potential was there to create a sizable movement.

   In just a couple of years, it's become quite the movement.

   With the 2022-23 high school season starting soon, 75 schools across the state have formed a girls wrestling team. Extensive work from the grassroots committee and of course the schools has put the goal of getting 100 schools on board to cross a PIAA mandate to sponsor the sport well within reach.

   "Since the first girls team formed at a PIAA school (J.P. McCaskey in March 2020), the sport has shown phenomenal growth throughout Pennsylvania," said Zumas, who coaches the girls team at Parkland High School in District 11. "Every year, there are more girls than before that are wrestling in the state. Every year is history-making in its own right."

   In the time since the high school season ended seven months ago at the MyHouse State Championships at Central Dauphin High School, 40 new teams have been formed. Those 40 schools are from all around the state, further enhancing its presence in Pennsylvania.

   "I'm amazed at the support, particularly in the past year for the girls and in schools adding teams," said Atkinson. "It's getting really exciting with the addition of each new school as we get closer to 100. You can feel the buzz growing across the Commonwealth."

   Overall, 10 of the 12 PIAA districts in Pennsylvania have at least one girls wrestling program at a member school. District 3 has consistently led the way and has 27 of them, with District 11 at eight teams, and Districts 1 and 2 with seven apiece.

   Atkinson, who coaches at District 1's Souderton Area High School, continues to highlight the need for more education about girls wrestling, despite the ongoing growth.

   "I still feel like we have pockets in the communities who think girls wrestling is just a fad," he said. "Many stigmas associated with girls and wrestling are unfounded and just bad misconceptions. We need to more forward from that through education and promotion of the sport."

   Given the rate of schools forming teams, the 100-program barrier is likely to happen sooner than later.    It's probably a good bet to see it happen at some point during this high school season or by next summer, but a full-fledged state sanctioned sport may still have to wait a year, as the PIAA is currently in the first year of its next two-year enrollment cycle. 

   If that is the case, a state tournament that SanctionPA and its advocates would like to see run in conjunction with the boys likely wouldn't happen until the 2024-25 school year. That said, the extra time might be needed to discuss logistics of holding a boys (two classes) and girls state tournament together at one location. 

   In a meeting of the Pennsylvania Athletic Oversight Committee last month, PIAA executive director Robert Lombardi said he is a proponent of hosting a combined state tournament, as it would further enhance the standing of girls wrestling, but was concerned about the postseason timeline as well as numbers when it came to coaches and officials.

   In terms of this coming season, a number of highlighted tournaments return for the girls, including Queen of the Mountain at Central Mountain on December 18, the Powerade girls tournament on December 28 at Canon-McMillan, and Mid-Winter Mayhem at IUP's Kovalchick Center on January 14. Several other schools are also holding tournaments and some dual meets are also scheduled.

   "There continues to be ample competition opportunities available for girls, and we are excited for another record-breaking season," said Zumas. "Girls wrestling is wrestling, and I think everyone that loves this sport is understanding that more and more, and working to support and grow the sport."

   The state is broken into three regional tournaments, all of which are set for Sunday, March 5. Parkland hosts the East Regional (Districts 1, 2, 11, 12), J.P. McCaskey will hold the Central Regional (Districts 3, 4, 5), and Kiski Area will host the West Regional (Districts 6, 7, 8, 9, 10).

   Central Dauphin will once again be the site of the MyHouse State Championships, which will take place on Sunday, March 13.