Babylon’s Dertinger Eyes Championship & Redemption

John Dertinger has a goal and he's reminded about it every time he goes to sleep, every time he wakes up and every time he walks into the Panthers' wrestling room. 

The tenth grader is  intent on redemption in the upcoming county competition and finally beating his nemesis in the 285-pound weight class.

And the 16-year-old is confident given he has achieved some big goals already this year, such as dropping 45 pounds before the season and getting more competitive on the mat during the season.

“I feel healthier, lighter on my feet and have more stamina,” Dertinger says. 

He credits diet change and wrestling practice where he claims it's “…drill, drill and more drill.  Conditioning is the biggest part of wrestling – to be able to push yourself.” He also credits his improved wrestling capabilities to  his coaches Ken Brodmerkel and Dan McHugh.  

“They are always there to help you believe in yourself.  Coach Brodmerkel told me in the beginning of the season that I had potential, and if I continue to wrestle the way I have been I’m going to win the counties.”

Babylon’s team had an undefeated record up until it lost to league powerhouse, Bayport-Bluepoint and then to Center Moriches that ended the Panthers' season with a record of 5-2.

It is the Center Moriches loss that weighs heaviest on Dertinger’s mind because of who he wrestled and how he lost.

Conor Murphy is Center Moriches’s heavyweight and ranked second in the state.  The final season match up was not the first time Dertinger and Murphy faced off.  The first time was when Dertinger was in eighth  grade and he lost.

Last year, Dertinger missed almost the entire season due to a broken hand, but came back just in time to wrestle against Murphy in the county competition.  He lost after a failed attempt on a headlock that Murphy capitalized on.

In the most recent face-off Dertinger was winning 5-1 after the first period.  Revenge, and redemption, was near.  With seconds remaining in the match, the score was tied and an overtime period would have decided the victor. But then Dertinger made a familiar mistake: he again went for a headlock which slipped away and which led to Murphy's last-second victory.

With the regular season over, Babyon will head  to the county championships on February 12 and 13 at Stony Brook University where Dertinger will meet four other 285 pounders, including Murphy, to wrestle for the championship title. 

With a week to go until that matchup, Murphy isn't far from Dertinger's mind. The Panther has  photo of his competition posted near his bed and within sight when he works out each day. 

 “I put another in the wrestling room," Dertinger says, adding, “I’m not worried about wrestling anyone, really.  I’m going to just go and wrestle.”