Five former Corning West High School wrestlers converged on Cleveland, Ohio in late March to be together for the first time in more than 50 years at the annual NCAA Men’s Wrestling Tournament.
The members of the 1974 Corning West wrestling team, David McFarland, brothers Greg, Mark and Ed Sutter, and Don Rynearson traveled from all over the U.S. to spend time together and watch great wrestling.
“It was just a great way to get together with the guys,” said David McFarland, co-captain of the 1974 Corning West High wrestling team. “To see all of them at once, it was a lot of fun.”
Greg Sutton, co-captain of the 1974 Corning West High wrestling team, agreed.
“It was a nice reunion,” Sutton said. “We all wrestled together at Corning West High School, and it was a lot of fun getting back together and of course watching the NCAA Westling Tournament. It was really nice that the five of us were able to get together.”
Ed Sutter came in from New Mexico, Mark Sutter from Georgia and Greg Sutter from Oregon, while David McFarland arrived from Texas, and Don Rynearson traveled from Colorado.
The group had plenty of successes to reminisce about, including from their time at Corning West. David and Greg were Sutter were co-captains of the 1974 West High team. Ed Sutter and Don Rynearson led the same 1976 team and Ed Sutter won the Sullivan Trail Conference twice.
The former Corning West wrestling team members spent three enjoyable days together in Cleveland watching the wrestling tournament.
The group was missing a key senior leader on that Corning wrestling team — Phil Roche, who died shortly before the trip was scheduled. While other members of the team dispersed around the country, Roche remained in the Corning area and became a prominent local attorney who later served as Steuben County Public Defender and as Steuben County judge.
Roche also served on the Steuben County Legislature, the Steuben County Industrial Development Agency, Southern Tier United Way, and many other boards. He was active in the Corning-Painted Post community serving as the Guthrie Corning Hospital Board Chairman where he was instrumental in the construction of a new hospital.
McFarland and Sutton said Roche was a good friend.
“Phil (Roche) was a good friend of mine in high school,” McFarland said. “One of my closest. Phil was invited to come, and he gave me a three-word response, not interested enjoy. I can’t talk a lot about Phil. It’s sad.”
This article originally appeared on The Leader: Corning West wrestlers reunite after 50 years. What brought them together
Reporting by Jeff Smith, Corning Leader / The Leader
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
