Jamey Miller is certainly no stranger to the sport of wrestling.
After all, he’s been in a wrestling room from the time he could walk.
So it’s no wonder the first-year varsity coach at Bradford High is positive on the school’s program.
“We are starting to get the experience we need,” he said. “This group of kids has been wrestling for multiple years. They are not third- or fourth-year kids. This is the seventh or eighth year they have been wrestling and that’s what it takes to be successful.”
The lone senior on the team is Molly Fredrick.
She is joined by juniors Devon Abbott, Tyler Thompson, Mike McAvoy, Chance McGuire, Hunter Gray and Jacob Yost, sophomores Andrew Piganelli, Kyle Hartman, Dillon Keane, Jaron Ambrose, Colton Fuller and Austin McCracken and freshmen Colby Keane and Derek Sunafrank.
“When it comes to building a wrestling program you have to start at the elementary levels,” Miller said. “Our junior high is going to take some lumps this year. There are 10 kids wrestling in the sixth-grade class this year. With me being at Fretz on a daily basis, I make sure I touch base with them and talk to them even if it’s not about wrestling.”
Miller, 45, was head coach at Fretz Middle School for four years and served as assistant varsity coach for five years under Mike Corignani.
His father, Dick Miller, was an assistant varsity wrestling coach at Bradford High.
Assisting Jamey is former Owls’ grappler Mark Havers.
“He’s (Mark) running the practices for the simple fact the kids have always looked up to him,” Miller admitted. “When they were in elementary school, Mark was doing great things at the junior high and varsity levels.”
Havers won two national titles (freestyle, greco) and was a two-time runner-up at the PIAA Class AAA championships.
“With his age being closer it seemed they respond a lot better,” Miller stated. “They are working harder for Mark than they ever did for us.”
Kevin Keane and Corignani are volunteer coaches.
At the middle school level, Chad Hayden is the head coach and Mike Gow an assistant.
Miller has high expectations for Thompson, who made it to regionals the last two years at Class AAA.
“I expect big things out of Tyler,” Miller said. “I’m expecting big things out of Dillon, Kyle, Jaron, Colby and Derek.
“Everybody is doing the work. We are running practices much more on a collegiate level of intensity. They are taking it in stride and putting in the work. The work ethic has been phenomenal, which tells me they are ready to take that next step and look beyond the varsity level and into the future.
“Our job is to get them ready to go beyond high school and be successful not just in the classroom but with athletics a well.”
Miller is impressed with Fredrick, too.
“Molly has been around for several years,” he said. “He work ethic this year has really stepped up. She has already had a few invitations, starting a women’s USA wrestling club in the area. Last year, a USA representative came up to talk to us at the Hickory tournament.”
The Owls open the season Dec. 9-10 at the Hickory tournament.
“We are branching out a little bit with our schedule,” Miller added. “We will be participating in the Ridgway Duals and the Tunkhannock tournament.”
Bradford will be competing as a Class AA school this season.
“I have a positive outlook,” Miller concluded. “I have a lot of confidence at the league level. At the district level, my confidence is high that we’ll get 40 to 50 percent of our wrestlers through to regionals.”
The schedule follows:
December
9-10 – Hickory tournament
13 – At Port Allegany
17 – Ridgway Duals
22 – OSWAYO VALLEY
29-30 – Tunkhannock tournament
January
5 – COUDERSPORT
10 – At Smethport
17 – SHEFFIELD
19 – CAMERON COUNTY
20-21 – North East tournament
24 – At Kane
31 – At Johnsonburg
February
8 – At Punxsutawney
24-25 – Districts at Clearfield
March
3-4- Regionals at Altoona
9-11 – States at Hershey
