Derry’s Ty Cymmerman would give singlet off his back to be a state champ

By: Paul Schofield
Wednesday, February 12, 2020 | 5:22 PM

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There are five wrestling uniforms hanging on the wall inside the Derry wrestling room.

They belonged to the five wrestlers – Mike May, Troy Dolan, Travis Shaffer, Jimmy Gulibon and Micky Phillippi – who have won PIAA titles at the school.

Junior Ty Cymmerman would like to join those guys as soon as this year.

Cymmerman is ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL by the Tribune-Review in Class AA at 126 pounds and No. 1 in the Southwest Region by PaPowerWrestling.com.

On the state level, Cymmerman (28-4, 110-18) is ranked third behind Notre Dame-Green Pond sophomore Ryan Crookham (34-1) and Biglerville sophomore Levi Haines (18-2).

Cymmerman and the rest of the Class AA competitors begin their postseason journeys this weekend.

WPIAL section tournaments will be held Friday at Canon-McMillan. The WPIAL individual tournament will begin Friday night and conclude Saturday.

Cymmerman is favored to win his third section title, and he’s seeking to claim his third WPIAL championship.

He is a two-time second-place finisher in the regional, and he took fourth in the state in 2019.

“My goal is to win a state title,” Cymmerman said. “I’ve really pushed myself hard, and I believe in myself, and I’m confident.”

Cymmerman has four losses this season, two against Franklin Regional sophomore Finn Solomon, one to Waynesburg super freshman Rocco Welsh and the other to Bullis (Maryland) state champion Meyer Shapiro at the Powerade.

Shapiro finished third at Powerade, defeating Welsh. Cymmerman placed fifth after defeating Solomon.

“I think I’m ready,” Cymmerman said. “I’ve learned a lot from those losses. I wasn’t fluid and didn’t finish my shots.

“Now I’ve learned that I have to keep on going at my pace, shoot and lead to another move and keep moving. I’ve been pushing myself harder in practice since and I’m more motivated.”

Cymmerman figures his biggest competition in the WPIAL will come out of Section 3 — Mt. Pleasant senior Damian George and Burrell senior Trent Valovchik.

The top contenders in the region include Glendale sophomore Suds Dubler, Chestnut Ridge sophomore Ross Dull and Forest Hills sophomore Jackson Arrington, a PIAA 113-pound champion in 2019.

Derry coach Mike Weinell said Cymmerman has to stay healthy.

“He’s been working hard,” Weinell said. “Keep it simple and wrestle smart and don’t put himself in bad positions. He has all the skills in the world, and he has the conditioning and technique right now.”

Weinell said Cymmerman hasn’t changed much over the season.

“I think he expects to win now,” Weinell said. “Maybe he should put a little more pressure on himself. He made it to states his freshman year, and he placed fourth last year, and he wants to climb the ladder more.”

One problem Cymmerman has encountered was finding a partner in the room. There are a couple of guys he can work out with, but Weinell said he’ll need to go to clubs and find some different partners.

If he does that and continues to improve, the dream of hanging his uniform on the wall may come true.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Derry Area