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Pankiewicz goes over 100

CARROLL TOWNSHIP - Mitch Pankiewicz stood just 40 seconds away from a PIAA championship appearance.

Just a freshman then, the Ringgold wrestler was leading, 5-1, with just over half a minute between himself and a third-place match that would guarantee a trip to Hershey. In a blink, his fortunes turned.

"The kid reversed me and they gave him two back-points," Pankiewicz recalled. "We went scoreless in the first overtime and he pretty much rode me out in the second. I thought I had it in the bag."

That would be as close to the state tournament as Pankiewicz would reach in the next three seasons. This year, he's on a mission to finish the job and has been tearing through the competition.

Last week, the senior went 9-0 in the Wheeling Park, W.Va. tournament, earning his 100th career victory in the process. The performance secured him The Valley Independent's Athlete of the Week.

"I'm happy with it, but I knew I was going to get it fairly easily," Pankiewicz said of the century mark in victories. "Now, I just have to keep racking them up. My real goal is to get to states."

At the dual meet, Pankiewicz went 9-0 with four pins, a technical fall and two major decisions. His closest match was a 7-3 decision.

"He had a goal to get to 100, now he wants to add to that total," Ringgold coach Bob Bove said. "He wants to get to 130 or 135 (wins) and to do that, he has to be at the state tournament."

Bove has noticed a difference in his star pupil's preparation. Always naturally athletic, Pankiewicz can not only be found refining his techniques in the wrestling room. He's hitting the weight room and performing roadwork on his own as well.

"I think Mitch's problem in the past has been his work ethic; he hasn't worked hard because of how easy everything comes to him," Bove said. "He's a lot more self motivated. The last three years I've been on him, but I told him, 'You can't wait around for me to get on you this year.'"

With Pankiewicz currently competing in the 140-pound weight class to help the shorthanded Rams, Bove is convinced a drop to 135 will suit his senior more when individual competition comes calling.

"Last year, kids weren't out-wrestling Mitch, they were out-muscling him," Bove said.

"I told him, 'I'll tell you where you need to be to have a best shot and you can decide what you want to do.'"

Pankiewicz isn't too shabby at his current weight. He's now 22-1, with the lone defeat coming to Damien Rose of Freedom, a Class AA state champion last season.

The Ringgold stalwart will need to place himself among the Class AAA elites when the Southwest Regional championships roll around in March, where Pankiewicz has gone a solid but unremarkable 5-4 the past two seasons.

"He's never done badly, but he's never gotten back to where we needed to be," Bove said.

"Every weight class is seven, eight guys deep and they're only taking three. He's been right there with those top level kids - there are kids who've placed at states that he's beaten - but they've gotten there and he hasn't."

It's a scenario Pankiewicz is more than aware of. His flirtation with states as a freshman always grinds in the back of his mind, but the realization of one last chance has finally hit home.

"At that last dual meet, we were thinking back to middle school," he said.

"I just thought back and realized, 'Wow, I don't have another year or two left.' It's a whole lot different now. This is it."