Senior Night honorees help Boyertown to 41-24 victory; Daniel Boone’s Hogan earns 100th win
BOYERTOWN » It was a time to recognize a number of wrestlers coming up on the home stretch of their scholastic careers.
Also, to enshrine several key contributors of time and talents to the program.
And finally, to see some history made.
That was the itinerary of Wednesday’s match between Boyertown and Daniel Boone. The nonleague affair was Boyertown’s Senior and Hall of Fame Night, and it was also an opportunity for Boone’s J.T. Hogan to join the short list of program grapplers who won 100 matches for their careers.
The night was capped by the Bears (12-5) topping the Blazers, 41-24, in their last scheduled match prior to districtlevel tournament action later this month. And several of the Bears’ members of the Class of 2022 did their parts to give it a happy conclusion.
There was standout Chance Babb, whose thirdperiod pin at 160 put the topper on the night. And Dominic Sheridan, whose major decision at 145 gave Boyertown a clinching 3518 lead with two weights left to contest.
For Sheridan, It was a time to look back on a 14-year involvement in a sport that offered contrasting situations.
“There were a lot of ups and downs,” he said of his career. “Good times and bad times, and lessons learned.”
Like his teammates, Sheridan felt the sting of a disheartening, tiebreakerdecided loss to Central Bucks East in the opening round of the District 1 Duals. It fueled a sense of urgency Boyertown brought out on the mats Wednesday.
“It was a rough loss,” he admitted. “It gave me the motivation to end my career with a bang.”
For Boone (7-5), the night was brightened by seeing J.T. Hogan become the program’s fifth wrestler to win 100 matches. His milestone win was a 72-second pin at 160, making him the Blazers’ first wrestler to achieve that feat since Jesse Enck (Class of 2011).
“I’m hoping we get a lot more in the future,” he said. The drive for high-school stardom went back to Hogan’s younger days in the sport. Reaching the milestone was something he started pondering during his freshman year.
“I finally achieved it,” he said. “I was hoping to get it last year, but I’m happy to get it out of the way.”
It offered his father, Boone head coach Jim Hogan, the unique opportunity to pose with someone both a wrestler and family member.
“I feel fortunate to see the kid go through high school,” he said. “The goal now is to get on the podium at states.
“I’m proud of him. It’s a good milestone. We’re looking to keep the momentum going.”
Boyertown’s other seniors were Leo Egbe, Nicholas Montanye, Hunter Poe, Derek Renninger and Kaitlyn Wilde (manager). Babb has also been involved in the sport 14 years, and Montanye 10.
The Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021 inductees were Pete Ventresca (coach), Mike Freedman (wrestler/ coach/contributor/supporter) and Wendy Miller (contributor/supporter). They were recognized prior to the match.