Curwensville's Brothers takes fifth at PIAA Wrestling Championships

by Jon Christoff Sports Writer Progress News

Posted on March 9, 2009

HERSHEY - Any time you're wrestling for a medal at the PIAA Championship tournament in Hershey, you'll take the win any way you can get it.
Curwensville senior Derek Brothers took to the mat in a fifth-place bout against Burrell's Jeremy Landowski on Saturday afternoon, where he earned his second PIAA medal with an injury default win in 1:25.


While Brothers would have liked to have wrestled the entire match, he'll take the win and a medal that eluded him in his sophomore season.

"It feels good (to get back on the medal stand)," said Brothers, who medaled two years ago. "I didn't think it'd be that way winning, but it happens. Anything can happen down here. I was just shooting for that first win, and once I got that I just kept going."

After a scoreless first period, Brothers got a reversal early in the second. Landowski was injured during the move and was unable to continue, giving Brothers the victory by default.

"He's been hitting that switch pretty hard throughout the tournament," Curwensville coach Duane Wriglesworth said. "I think there was probably some previous damage to (Landowski's) shoulder. You only have a minute and a half injury time, and any slight injury at all could be it.

"We were going to be really aggressive. I told Derek, 'be really aggressive when you go after him.' We only had a minute (in the first period) and he was really aggressive."

While he didn't have long to show it in his final bout, Brothers' tournament was very strong against arguably the toughest weight class in the tournament.

Brothers opened his tournament up with a pin of Saucon Valley's Adam Phillippi and followed it up with a dominant performance in a 7-2 quarterfinal win over Bedford's Cory Thomas.

After consecutive wins, Brothers fell to runner-up A.J. Schopp (Tyrone) and third-placer David Fogle (Forest Hills).

"I knew Schopp was really tough, and I just went out and wrestled," said Brothers. "Hopefully I can build on this and do better next year."

Brothers wrapped up his season with a 35-5 mark.

"We're very happy he got a fifth place in one of the toughest weights down here," Wriglesworth said. "It was a nice way to end his season. My hat's off to Derek."

Shady Side Academy claimed the team title, while 140-pounder Dane Johnson was tabbed the Outstanding Wrestler by a single vote after claiming his third state title. Keystone Oaks' Anthony Zanetta (119) was second and Line Mountain's Jon Fausey (189) was two votes behind Johnson.

Benton followed in second after placing three wrestlers in the finals.

In addition to Johnson, Zanetta and Fausey, other champions crowned were North Star's Nick Roberts (103), Wyomissing's Arty Walsh (112) and Nick Hodgkins (130), Northwestern Lehigh's Evan Yenolevich (125), Schuylkill Valley's Colin Shober (135), Coudersport's Dirk Cowburn (152), Benton's Eric Hess (145) and Corey Lear (160), Grove City's Caleb Kolb (171), Saucon Valley's Brandon Palik (215) and Carlynton's Jordan Roussos (285).
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