AHS wrestling wins fourth
By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
Before the season started, Rob Korn figured there was a good chance he’d be wrestling on Martin Luther King Day.
The Allentown High School freshman couldn’t wrestle in the Mercer County sub-varsity tournament on Monday, though, after he made the Redbirds varsity. Korn not only made the varsity lineup, but he’s excelled in a tough spot for a freshman with a 6-2 record at 135 pounds.
”I feel real good about where I am,” Korn said. “I was surprised to be on varsity; I’m trying to build up my confidence going against juniors and seniors. How I’ve wrestled against those junior and seniors has proven that I can beat them if I really work hard.”
Korn was a winner by forfeit in the Redbirds’ 72-7 win over West Windsor-Plainsboro North last Friday after he had pinned his last opponent, Bordentown’s Tyler Moore. He won four of his first five bouts this year, two by pin, and two by two-point decisions.
”I think I surprised a lot of people, including myself and my family winning all those matches,” Korn said. “I kept working hard at practice and finally Coach gave me a shot first match going 140. At first, I was timid, but when I wrestled my match, I won. Then I realized I would wrestle these upperclassmen.”
Korn is one of the reasons that the Redbirds are optimistic about their season after improving to 4-3 with the win over WW-P North.
”A real surprise is Robert Korn,” said Allentown head coach Larry Kimport. “I thought we were going to use him to patch up some up some holes, and he’s been winning. He’s a child. He’s only 14. He’s out there rolling with these guys and doing really well.”
The Redbirds have Ross Scheuerman that they knew they could count on, and so far he has delivered. The senior standout is 10-0 at 171 and one win away from becoming the first Redbird wrestler with 100 career wins. Another senior, Taylor Maul, is 3-1 at 140 pounds, but has had to sit out after suffering a concussion. He is expected back in the next week. In the meantime, some of the younger Redbirds are making great strides. Sophomore Jake Koch is 3-1 at 189. Justin Miller, another sophomore, is 6-2 at 130 pounds. Freshman James Mottram is 8-3 at 103.
”Marc Meloro is really coming around,” Kimport said. “Alec Rugo at 160 has run into some really tough kids. It’s just luck of the draw. He’s doing well.
”I’ve seen Mottram a couple years at the middle school and you expect him to do well. Jack Giglia, he’s tough. He’s in a tough spot because Justin Duffy, a senior, is at 119 too.”
The Redbirds are starting to expect more out of Korn, who’s exceeded every expectation so far while getting more into wrestling than he ever would have expected.
”I started wrestling in seventh grade,” Korn said. “I didn’t even want to wrestle. I only started because I was doing well in football and my mom wanted me to get better. She’s always been supporting me. She knew I could do it if I put my mind to it.”
In seventh grade, he wrestled on the Allentown junior varsity middle school team. He didn’t like it at first, but then he started winning. In eighth grade, he moved up to the middle school varsity, captained the team and was awarded the most improved wrestler. He had just one loss in the regular season.
”My first goal coming in as a freshman was to do good and win a couple and be on varsity,” Korn said. “Now that I’ve won a couple, I’ve changed my goals. I want to place in districts.
”I have been wrestling the way I’ve wanted to, winning most of them. As I look back on film, I see things I’m doing wrong. I’m not satisfied with how I’m wrestling.”
But the manner in which Korn has been wrestling has kept him competitive against even the most experienced of 140-pounders.
”As my coaches tell me, I’m always being successful because I’m always doing something,” Korn said. “I’m always working, not standing still. So even though I might be going against someone with more cardio, more experience than me, I’m always working so I can beat him.”
Korn works in practice with the 130-pounder Miller as well as senior 125-pounder Lenny Gigantino, who has three wins this season.
”I’ve been learning a lot of new set-ups and how to defend a lot of takedowns,” Korn said. “It’s given me a lot of experience on that.”
On the mat, Korn has been learning even more. His only two losses this year came in an early tournament loss to Joe Troisi of Toms River North and then to Lance Mutek of Hamilton West.
”The (Troisi) kid I lost to, I felt I wasn’t that confident going into that match,” Korn said. “I let him wrestle his match, not mine. During the third period, I figured I was shooting a lot better from neutral and not from tie-up. I almost got him, but he was out of bounds.
”The Hamilton kid was stronger than me. He was trying to muscle me a lot. I just made one costly mistake. We were in neutral and his hips were a little higher than mine.”
Korn has been filing away his lessons, and hopes to use them down the line in pursuit of his new goals. So far, his development has helped the Redbirds to one of their most promising starts. Two of their losses have come by six or fewer points, including a 37-34 loss to Hamilton, and the Redbirds have yet to put out their top lineup due to injuries and illnesses.
”The last two years, we’ve been 6-15 and 5-18,” Kimport said. “That’s not going to happen to us again. We’re way better.
”The kids just all got older. They’re working hard. Then we got some new kids up from the middle school who are surprising.”
The surprises have been good for Allentown. They have helped the Redbirds start faster than ever. And they have had to adjust expectations, particularly Rob Korn who has proven he’s a varsity wrestler, and a good one.
”I really did think I was going to be in that JV tournament,” Korn said. “Life is full of surprises.”

