By Todd Irwin
Five wrestlers who won at least three District 6 titles, including Lock Haven High School four-time champion Brian Merrifield, will be inducted into the
2007 District 6 Hall of Fame in February at the Altoona Fieldhouse.
Merrifield, Tim Bainey Sr., Thad Benton, Steve Maurey and John Orr combined to win 16 District 6 titles and nine regional titles and will be inducted together.
The following is just some of their wrestling accomplishments:
TIM BAINEY SR.
At Philipsburg-Osceola High School, Bainey won three District 6 titles from 1974 to 1976, capturing Class A
titles as a sophomore at 105 and junior at 112 and a Class AAA title at 119. He won three Northwest
Regional Tournament titles from 1974 to 1976 and finished second at the PIAA Championships at 119 as a
senior. He went 74-13 in his high school career. Bainey was an assistant wrestling coach at P-O in
the 1990s. Today, he owns a trucking company in Philipsburg, lives in Osceola Mills with his wife, Mo,
and has three sons, Tim Jr., Dan and Randy.
THAD BENTON
At Claysburg-Kimmel High School, Benton won three District 6 Class AA Tournament titles in 1999, 2000
and 2001 and two Southwest Regional Tournament titles in 1999 and 2001. He placed three times at the PIAA
Championships, taking sixth at 135 as a sophomore, second at 130 as a junior and third at 135 as a
senior. He finished his high school career with a 132-15 record and 75 pins.
Benton continued his career at UPJ, where he won two NCAA Division II national titles, capturing gold at
141 as a junior and senior. He's the third UPJ wrestler to win two or more national titles. With his
fifth-place NCAA finish as a redshirt freshman, he was a three-time All-American. He finished his college
career with a 112-23 record.
STEVE MAUREY
Maurey captured three District 6 titles from 1973 to 1975 wrestling for Altoona High School, winning an
all-class crowns at 98 in 1973 and Class A titles at 112 in 1974 and at 119 in 1975. He won two Central
Northwestern Regional Tournament titles in 1973 and 1975.
Maurey won a state title as a junior, avenging his regional loss to West Branch's Jerry Smeal in the
semifinals and beating Jersey Shore's Mike Portanova, 15-8, in the finals. Maurey went on to wrestle at Iowa
under Dan Gable for almost three years. Steve, the son of three-time Clearfield state champ Don Maurey, lives
in Hollidaysburg.
BRIAN MERRIFIELD
Wrestling for Lock Haven High School, Merrifield captured four District 6 Class AAA titles from 1988 to
1991 at 105 as a freshman, 119 as a sophomore, 125 as a junior and 130 as a senior. He won a Northwest
Regional title his sophomore year and finished second as a freshman and as a senior.
Merrifield earned a state title as a sophomore by getting a reversal with a second left to beat
Connellsville's John Richey, 5-4, in the 119-pound finals. He lives in Meeker, Colo. with his wife,
Patti, and children, Trapper and Aspen.
JOHN ORR
At Altoona High School, Orr won three District 6 Class AAA titles from 1978 to 1980, capturing the
98-pound crown his first two years and taking the 112-pound title as a senior. He won a Northwest
Regional title and was a state runner-up as a junior.
An injured Orr was able to finish fourth at the PIAA Championships as a senior.
Orr went on to wrestle at Princeton University, where he was an NCAA Tournament runner-up in 1984 and
1985. He was an assistant coach at Penn State from 1985 to 1989, and he's stayed involved with his alma
mater as the chairman of The Friends of Princeton Wrestling. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and
Altoona native, Wendy (Biesecker) Orr, and three boys, Alex, Grady and Hunter.