Bob Bush watched his team battle Fulton in the Section 3 Duals at C-NS (above), so accustomed to seeing guys from two schools that he hardly thought about it.
Make that three schools, in a sense. Bush coaches Central Valley Academy, formed two years ago when the Ilion and Mohawk school districts merged. He said nobody sees each other as being from either school, now. This season he added four wrestlers from Herkimer, which dropped the sport.
Earlier, a match had pitted Copenhagen-Beaver River -- a combined team -- against a team formed from four schools, Jamesville-DeWitt, Christian Brothers Academy, Solvay and Westhill.
As schools struggle to field full lineups, combining teams has become a stronger option, assuming coaches can get past rivalries that stretch back decades.
"You'll see more of it, especially with small schools," said Brad Hamer, sectional wrestling chair.
The CVA wrestlers said their school administration worked to ease any tensions, when Ilion and Mohawk combined. Classes were half and half, said junior Josh Klosner, a 160-170-pounder. Class officers and other leaders were usually three from one school, two from another.
"Everyone thought there would be fights but there weren't," said sophomore Trent Ingraham, who competes at 170 and 182. He said CVA and Herkimer had practiced together, so welcoming the four new guys was easy -- even with a rivalry between Ilion and Herkimer in many sports.
Bush said nobody thinks about who came from where.
Kurt Honis, an assistant coach for J-D/CBA whose sons have wrestled for the team, said he and several other fathers helped to form the team several years ago because all four schools had dropped wrestling.
J-D and CBA were already combined in hockey and swimming, so it was an easy sell. The bus coordination with Solvay and Westhill was worked out. The parents raised money to purchase uniforms and mats. The logo combines all four schools.
"We've had a state qualifier every year," said Honis, a sectional champion at North Syracuse who wrestled at Syracuse University. "We have a lot of support from parents."
Combining teams can be a problem if it lifts a team into a higher division. If the Oswego and Hannibal teams combined, for example, Hannibal athletes would compete in Division I because Oswego is Class A or AA in sports.
Pulaski and Altmar-Parish-Williamstown have been combined for a few years, another example of rivals joining forces.
Make that three schools, in a sense. Bush coaches Central Valley Academy, formed two years ago when the Ilion and Mohawk school districts merged. He said nobody sees each other as being from either school, now. This season he added four wrestlers from Herkimer, which dropped the sport.
Earlier, a match had pitted Copenhagen-Beaver River -- a combined team -- against a team formed from four schools, Jamesville-DeWitt, Christian Brothers Academy, Solvay and Westhill.
As schools struggle to field full lineups, combining teams has become a stronger option, assuming coaches can get past rivalries that stretch back decades.
"You'll see more of it, especially with small schools," said Brad Hamer, sectional wrestling chair.
The CVA wrestlers said their school administration worked to ease any tensions, when Ilion and Mohawk combined. Classes were half and half, said junior Josh Klosner, a 160-170-pounder. Class officers and other leaders were usually three from one school, two from another.
"Everyone thought there would be fights but there weren't," said sophomore Trent Ingraham, who competes at 170 and 182. He said CVA and Herkimer had practiced together, so welcoming the four new guys was easy -- even with a rivalry between Ilion and Herkimer in many sports.
Bush said nobody thinks about who came from where.
Kurt Honis, an assistant coach for J-D/CBA whose sons have wrestled for the team, said he and several other fathers helped to form the team several years ago because all four schools had dropped wrestling.
J-D and CBA were already combined in hockey and swimming, so it was an easy sell. The bus coordination with Solvay and Westhill was worked out. The parents raised money to purchase uniforms and mats. The logo combines all four schools.
"We've had a state qualifier every year," said Honis, a sectional champion at North Syracuse who wrestled at Syracuse University. "We have a lot of support from parents."
Combining teams can be a problem if it lifts a team into a higher division. If the Oswego and Hannibal teams combined, for example, Hannibal athletes would compete in Division I because Oswego is Class A or AA in sports.
Pulaski and Altmar-Parish-Williamstown have been combined for a few years, another example of rivals joining forces.
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