Panthers back on D-11 prowl
DISTRICT 11-AA DUALS. With No. 3 seed, Saucon Valley meets its long-sought goal -- and Notre Dame again.
Friday, February 03, 2006
By MIKE WEILAMANN
The Express-Times
It's been a while in between trips for Saucon Valley High School's wrestling team.
And the Panthers are relishing every moment of returning to the postseason.
Coach Chad Shirk's team drew the No. 3 seed and will face a familiar foe in No. 6 Notre Dame 8 p.m. tonight when
the District 11 Class AA Team Duals Championships commence at Liberty High School's Memorial Gym.
"We're real excited," said Shirk, who has the Panthers back in districts for the first time since 2001
and the first time in his two seasons in charge. "At the beginning of the year we didn't know what we were
going to have. One of our goals was to make districts and we met that goal."
The Colonial League will be well-represented in the AA field as defending champion Northern Lehigh drew the No.
1 seed and Northwestern the No. 2.
The Bulldogs will face No. 8 Mahanoy Area, while the Tigers meet No. 7 Tamaqua at 6 p.m.
The 8 p.m. session also has No. 4 Bethlehem Catholic meeting No. 5 Lehighton.
The finalists in both AAA and AA will advance to the PIAA Tournament that begins on Tuesday.
But the big story is Wilson (9-6) not making the show for the first time in tournament history.
The Warriors, who have won seven district crowns, saw their five-year title run end last year with a 35-34 loss
to Pius X in the quarterfinals. Coach Rick Krieger's team did not qualify because of power points, despite beating
both Saucon Valley (44-27 on Dec. 14) and Notre Dame (40-32 on Jan. 25) this season.
Saucon Valley (15-3) is coming off a big 37-36 win over Becahi (14-5) on Wednesday in a battle of the Nos. 3 and
4 ranked small schools in The Express-Times area.
Saucon Valley beat Notre Dame 48-20 last Saturday in a regular-season match. But Shirk said his team is taking
nothing for granted in tonight's rematch.
"(Notre Dame) is a tough team and we'll have to be ready to go." Shirk said. "If we don't get past
Friday we can't wrestle (in the semifinals) on Saturday."
Coach Dennis Fenton's Notre Dame Crusaders are making their fifth district appearance overall and fourth since
2000 after missing out the last two years.
Notre Dame is 1-4 overall in duals matches, beating Lehighton 35-33 in its last trip to districts in 2003 before
falling 53-18 in the semis to eventual champion Wilson.
Bethlehem Catholic returns to districts for the first time in five years.
Coach Brian Nesfeder's Golden Hawks will be looking for their program's first win here since a 41-22 victory over
Saucon Valley in 1995. The Hawks are 1-4 overall in five previous appearances.
Mike Weilamann can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at mweilamann@express-times.com
Serving up a side dish before dinner
DISTRICT 11-AAA DUALS. Northampton, Red Rovers positioning for rematch
and one more titanic clash.
Friday, February 03, 2006
By MIKE WEILAMANN
The Express-Times
The first meeting between Easton and Northampton's wrestling teams has recently been merely the appetizer.
Everyone eagerly awaits the main course which is expected to take place Saturday afternoon.
But first things first for both teams tonight when the 16th annual District 11 Team Duals Championships commence
at Liberty High School's Memorial Gym.
The quarterfinal rounds in both Class AAA and AA will be contested at 6 and 8 p.m.
No. 3 seed Easton will face No. 6 Whitehall, while No. 2 Northampton meets No. 7 Freedom in the AAA quarterfinals
at 8 p.m.
Northampton (15-3), ranked No. 2 in The Express-Times region and winner of five district titles, will try and avoid
losing the second go-round with No. 3 Easton (15-5). In two of the last three years, the K-Kids won the regular-season
meeting only to lose to the Rovers in the District 11 championship match.
However, a second meeting in Saturday's semifinals will only be possible should both teams get past their opening
round tests this evening.
"We just have to be on top of our game," said Daubert, whose Konkrete Kids topped the Red Rovers 34-25
at the 25th Street Gym on Jan. 25. "What happened in the past doesn't matter. I don't think it has any bearing
on what happens this time around."
In the AAA opening session at 6, No. 1 seed Nazareth will meet No. 8 East Stroudsburg South and No. 5 Parkland
takes on No. 4 Pleasant Valley.
The top two teams in Class AAA and AA will advance to the PIAA Tournament that begins on Tuesday.
Coach Dave Crowell's Blue Eagles are the heavy favorites to claim the program's fifth district crown and first
since winning back-to-back titles in 1996 and '97.
No. 1 Nazareth (16-1) has already beaten both Northampton and Easton by wide margins when they met during the regular
season.
"We're pretty much taking them one at a time," said Crowell, whose team pinned a 44-15 loss on Easton
on Wednesday -- the Rovers' worst home loss in recent memory -- and beat the K-Kids 37-15 on Jan. 4.
Easton coach Steve Powell says no pep talk will be needed to get his team focused for this weekend and a potential
rematch with Northampton.
"The kids are never hard to get up for a match," said Powell, whose teams have won an unprecedented six
district titles including the last four to go along with crowns in 1992 and '95. "It'll be a big semifinal
match assuming we both get there."
Easton and Pleasant Valley haven't met this season, while Northampton beat Freedom 51-13 on Jan. 18.
The weigh-ins are also a factor as both Easton and Northampton will have to set their lineups for each other --
a problem Nazareth faced last year when it faced the K-Kids in the semifinals before falling 28-25 to Easton in
the final.
"We would have to weigh-in for Northampton," Powell said. "There's no tomorrow if you lose in the
semifinals."
The coin toss is also crucial as the K-Kids won the flip in the first meeting with the Rovers and were able to
get junior Justin Wieller on Easton's Cory Rutt at 189 pounds. Wieller won 3-1 and freshman Aaron Chamberlain followed
by pinning Chris Wilson at 215.
Daubert, whose team is seeking the program's first title since 2000, also said he won't be surprised if there is
a different individual outcome from the previous meeting.
"The flip is going to be huge," said Daubert, whose teams are 0-4 against Easton in districts. "I
think in the four years we met them we lost every (flip). We need a two-sided disc."
Mike Weilamann can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at mweilamann@express-times.com
Saucon defeats Notre Dame again
DISTRICT 11-AA DUALS. Crusaders make it a little closer but the Panthers
still advance with ease to semifinals.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
By NICK FIERRO
The Express-Times
BETHLEHEM | Since their first meeting, Notre Dame of Green Pond High School closed the gap slightly on Colonial
League wrestling rival Saucon Valley Friday night in the PIAA Class AA District 11 Duals.
That wasn't enough, however, to keep the third-seeded Panthers from their appointment with No. 2 ranked Northwestern
in today's semifinals at Liberty's Memorial Gym.
Getting pins from Tyler Buddock (119 pounds), Bobby Bisson (125), Mike Buddock (130), Kyle Kreck (145), Bryan Bolbat
(152) and John Limpar (160), Saucon Valley walked away with a 47-24 win over the Crusaders.
Not quite as convincing as their 48-20 win in the regular season but enough to advance.
"Tomorrow is another day," Saucon Valley coach Chad Shirk said.
That will be a whole lot tougher than Friday since Northwestern already has beaten the Panthers once and also had
little trouble with its quarterfinal opponent, Tamaqua, while rolling to a 48-21 victory.
Fourth-seeded Bethlehem Catholic edged Lehighton 37-32 to advance to the other semifinal against No. 1 Northern
Lehigh, which spanked Mahanoy Area 68-9.
"We picked up a lot of momentum in the middle there," Shirk said. "(Mike) Buddock won at 130, Reuben
(Herrera) won at 140, Kreck pinned at 145 and we had the pins at 152 and 160."
Of all the wrestlers to earn wins for the Panthers on Friday, Herrera seemingly had to work the hardest for he
wasn't able to get off the bottom for the entire third period but still held on for a 4-3 decision over Pete Wilke.
Herrera was the only Panthers' winner not to get bonus points.
"I'm normally a lot quicker on my feet," Herrera said, "but that kid gave me a run for my money.
He was pretty tough but I was disappointed the score was that close."
Teammate Brandon Boyer experienced similar frustration despite opening the match with a decisive 17-6 major decision
over Dan Kavanagh at 275.
"I pinned him the first time," Boyer said. "Yeah, I thought I would do it again."
At Bethlehem Catholic, senior Cory McFadden hasn't been in a singlet long enough for any kind of frustration to
sink in. A late addition after deciding to come out only a few weeks ago, he has wrestled just five matches and
has won them all.
One of them was a 7-6 thriller over Eddie Parliman at 171 Friday night. His win might have been the most pivotal
of the match, considering the teams traded pins in the two bouts remaining after his.
Lehighton also was penalized a team point for unsportsmanlike conduct after Lehighton's Harry Schultz won a 5-4
decision over Andrew Duckworth at 125.
McFadden, who has immense football power, likes tossing opponents to the mat with headlocks, something he did more
than once against Parliman before running out of gas and barely holding on for the win.
"He used to wrestle before," Golden Hawks coach Brian Nesfeder said, "but he hasn't touched the
mat in four years. ... He's got good mat awareness and that's what makes him effective."
After McFadden's win, Ziad Haddad sealed his team's win by pinning Eric Parliman at 189.
Though the gap in talent was immense between top seed Northern Lehigh and Mahanoy Area, Bulldogs coach Todd Herzog
never allowed his team to believe it. He cited the first-round upset Delone Catholic pulled against top seed Brandywine
Heights in the first round of the District 3 AA Duals this week as proof.
"That's something we're used to doing every time we come down here," Herzog said. "We respect them
all but fear no one. You know, Brandywine Heights got knocked off and I don't think anybody expected that. Now
they don't even get to go (to the state duals next weekend).
"Delone is a good team but Brandywine was 20-0, so you never know. That was something we talked about on our
team."
Nick Fierro can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at nfierro@express-times.com.
K-Kid wrestler DQ'd for biting
DISTRICT 11 CLASS AAA. Aaron Chamberlin was winning at 189 when controversy
struck; Easton earns easy victory.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
By MIKE WEILAMANN
The Express-Times
It's a pretty safe bet to expect the unexpected when Easton and Northampton's wrestling teams get together.
But no one could have foreseen what happened on Saturday.
Freshman Aaron Chamberlain was on his way to a victory at 189 pounds when he was disqualified for biting Easton
freshman Chris Wilson.
The Konkrete Kids also lost three team points as a result for what amounted to a 12-point swing and the Red Rovers
went on to post a 38-16 victory in the District 11 Class AAA Team Duals semifinals at Liberty High School's Memorial
Gym.
No. 2 seed Northampton (16-4), ranked No. 2 in The Express-Times region, beat No. 3 Easton 34-29 on Jan. 25.
"The ref (Chris Grammes) said our kid bit (Wilson)," said K-Kids coach Terry Daubert, whose teams have
now lost the duals rematch with Easton three of the last four years after winning the regular season meetings.
"All I can say is our kid is a quality kid and he certainly would not bite anybody intentionally. We shot
in and (Wilson) crossfaced us. Our guy has braces and (Wilson) had some pretty good scratches on his arm. I'm not
saying he bit him. If that's the way the ref saw it, that's why he called it."
Chamberlain (18-11), who pinned Wilson in their previous meeting, was up 8-5 with one second left when Grammes
stopped the bout and awarded the victory to Wilson (16-12).
Easton sophomore Cory Rutt delivered the final fatal blow in the very next bout when he held on for a 2-1 rideout
win against Justin Wieller at 215.
Wieller beat Rutt 3-1 when they last met.
Justin Oplinger's pin at 275 would be Northampton's last win as Easton won the last three, including Jordan Oliver's
pin at 103 that clinched it at 29-16 with two bouts left.
"We won the flip and we controlled 125 and 189," Daubert said. "I thought we beat them on the scales
and were in position to do what we wanted. We just didn't wrestle well."
Northampton, which lost to Easton in five straight district finals from 2000-04, was in trouble long before the
disqualification.
Ju-Ju Drummond (135) and Colin Dailey (145) won key decisions earlier, while Jules Knighton put the Rovers up 14-6
with a pin at 152.
The K-Kids also missed bonus points at 160 and 171, which they got in the first meeting.
"As a whole we turned a lot of bouts around," Easton coach Steve Powell said. "I'm proud of our
kids. They really did a heck of a job."
Easton (17-5), which had won the last five district crowns, also had a team point deducted earlier in the match
when senior 130-pounder Mike Biase was called for a uniform rules violation. Biase, who was wearing a rubber band
around his wrist, eventually lost 2-1 to Chris Wieller.
"It comes down to coaching ethics," said Powell, whose teams have now advanced to seven straight district
finals. "(Daubert) saw a rubber band and he told the ref to call it."
Freshman Jimmy Sheptock had a big 5-4 win over Brandon Veres in the opening about at 125 to give the K-Kids an
early lead. Chris Wieller's decision in the ensuing bout made the team score 6 to minus-1 after two bouts.
Mike Weilamann can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at mweilamann@express-times.com
Blue Eagles solve Easton to earn district team title
NAZARETH 37, EASTON 21. Lehigh Valley Conference champs beat nemesis to
add to impressive résumé.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
By MIKE WEILAMANN
The Express-Times
BETHLEHEM | Nazareth Area High School's wrestling team won't have to wait until next year any longer.
That's because the Blue Eagles ended another nine-year drought Saturday night with a 37-21 victory over nemesis
Easton to capture the District 11 Class AAA Team Duals championship at Liberty High School's Memorial Gym.
Nazareth (19-1), ranked No. 1 in The Express-Times region, claimed its first district crown since winning back-to-back
titles in 1996 and 1997, while ending Easton's five-year title reign. The Blue Eagles also beat Easton in both
of those previous runs -- 26-25 in 1996 and 33-20 in 1997.
The Red Rovers beat Nazareth 28-25 in last year's final.
"It's a good thing," said third-year Nazareth coach Dave Crowell, whose team posted its second win over
the Red Rovers in four days. The Blue Eagles ended a 12-match losing streak against Easton with a 44-15 victory
on Wednesday to claim the Lehigh Valley Conference title.
Nazareth also earned an automatic trip to Hershey for the PIAA Team Championships, while Easton will have to win
a first-round match to advance to the Giant Center on Friday.
The Red Rovers (17-6) will meet District 1 third-place finisher Council Rock North 7 p.m. Tuesday at Bethlehem
Catholic High School.
Easton didn't go down without a fight Saturday night as the Red Rovers won a pair of key decisions early to make
Crowell and the Blue Eagles a little uneasy at the start.
"(Easton) has lost before during the (regular season) and come back to win a lot of them," said Crowell,
who guided Wilson to five Class AA titles from 1993-03. "That was one of my fears. It doesn't matter if you
beat them once because they're going to be better the second time."
Coach Steve Powell's team did it once again during the afternoon semifinals, turning the tables on Northampton
for the third time here in four years after losing the regular season meeting. The Rovers stunned the K-Kids 38-16
to advance and reverse a 34-25 loss to Northampton on Jan. 25.
Still riding high in the evening session, the Rovers won three of the first four bouts to take a 9-4 lead. Ju-Ju
Drummond started things off with a 3-0 upset of Ray Ward at 130 pounds, while Colin Dailey earned a 4-2 decision
over Adam Counterman at 145. Those wins sandwiched Braylin Williams' 10-6 win over Andrew Ritchie at 140.
Drummond (22-8) was clinging to a 1-0 lead after escaping early in the third period when he took Ward (28-8) down
with two seconds left to seal the win. Dailey built a 3-0 lead in the second period with a reversal and an escape.
That's when Nazareth seized control of the match for good -- starting with Phil Santee's 8-2 win over Jules Knighton
at 152. State champ Tim Darling took a forfeit win at 160 to give the Blue Eagles a 13-9 lead before junior Thad
Frick decked Joe Piro to make it a 10-point advantage through seven bouts.
Crowell's son, David, all but ended any Easton hopes of a comeback with his huge 6-3 win over cousin Cory Rutt
at 189. The young Crowell, who transferred from Easton before the school year, converted a pair of takedowns to
beat his former teammate.
"It's a dream come true," David Crowell said about winning a title with his father. "I always dreamed
of wrestling for my dad when I was a little kid. I'm really thankful that I got the chance my junior year."
The Mutch brothers, Jim and Mike, followed with back-to-back pins at 215 and 275. Mike Mutch clinched the championship
for Nazareth when he flattened Mike Varju in 1:06 to make it 34-9 with four bouts left.
Mike Weilamann can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at mweilamann@express-times.com
Bulldogs best Colonial rival
DISTRICT 11 CLASS AA DUALS. Northern Lehigh defeats Northwestern in final
after beating Becahi in semis.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
By NICK FIERRO
The Express-Times
BETHLEHEM | Saturday afternoon, Bethlehem Catholic was wrestling for the future against Northern Lehigh. Saturday
night, Northern Lehigh's focus was squarely on the present against Northwestern.
The Bulldogs first ousted the young Golden Hawks with a 49-13 triumph in the semifinals of the District 11 Class
AAA Team Duals tournament at Liberty High School, then returned to the scene and pounded Colonial League rival
Northwestern 43-15 in the championship match.
Northwestern advanced with a 42-24 semifinal win over Saucon Valley.
"When we lost the coin flip," Northern Lehigh coach Todd Herzog said, "I knew it was going to be
a big chess match tonight."
Ironically, his team seemed to win every key battle, including Adam Fenstermaker's stunning pin of Ben Marich to
start the match at 140 and Zach Marlatt's 7-5 decision over state medalist Scott Clymer at 130 pounds.
Marich won a major decision over Fenstermaker the last time they met.
"It just goes to show you anything can happen," Herzog said.
Even some of the losses went Northern Lehigh's way, such as Mark Grosch's effort against Northwestern's Tony Culp
at heavyweight. Culp won a 3-2 decision on a stalling call in overtime.
"But Grosch got pinned last time, so we shaved three points there," Herzog said.
Another highlight for the ecstatic coach's squad was junior Adam Hluschak picking up his 100th career victory when
he pinned Adam Bandel at 125.
While the day belonged to Northern Lehigh, the Hawks left the gym earlier feeling at least part of the future could
belong to them.
None of the 12 who wrestled against the Bulldogs are graduating this year.
"Next year we're hoping we can do a little better," said junior Evan Kolb, who became one of four Bethlehem
Catholic winners when he scored a 13-6 decision over Kurtis Keinert at 112. "I mean, this is great for confidence,
experience. ... And hopefully next year we'll come out of this and go to Hershey.
"This was a great experience for our freshmen and it (instilled) a lot of confidence in them, knowing that
they can be up there with the top teams."
Kolb was sporting a gash over his right eye.
"I got back from my arm injury (before district duals) and I was all right with that," he said. "Then
(in the quarterfinals Friday night), I had the eye. So I was more worried about my eye than my arm. I gave up a
takedown I shouldn't have, but I got banged in the head. Other than that, I think I wrestled tough."
So did junior teammate Ryan Cressman, who opened the Northern Lehigh match by taking down Zach Marlatt in overtime
to pull out a 6-4 decision at 135.
Cressman was on top and protecting a 4-3 lead when he gave up an escape at the buzzer.
"I was just so mad," he said. "I just wanted to go right after him."
On the adjacent mat, Saucon Valley coach Chad Shirk was hoping to figure a way to reverse the regular-season loss
to the Tigers by changing some of the matchups. But he didn't have enough bullets.
"We wanted to pick up some bonus points somewhere else," Shirk said. "The matchup at 160 (Northwestern's
Lucas Frisch winning a 13-8 decision over John Limpar), we thought we could win that one. We bumped Bryan Bolbat
up to 152 (where he lost by technical fall to Brandon Williams) and wanted to see a different matchup there.
"They're really solid in the middle, and we just tried to do something else and it didn't work. They're a
tough team."
Nick Fierro can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at nfierro@express-times.com |
Nazareth, Nolehi earn top seeds for district
duals
By Gary R. Blockus
Of The Morning Call
Nazareth (16-1) clinched the No. 1 seed in Class 3A, and Northern Lehigh (16-2) earned the top seed in 2A for the
District 11 Team Wrestling Championships at Liberty High's Memorial Gym.
The duals begin tonight with the quarterfinal rounds at 6 and 8 p.m. The semifinals are scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday,
with the finals taking place at 7 p.m.
In 3A, Northampton earned the No. 2 seed by virtue of its dual-meet win over Easton. The defending-champion Red
Rovers took the No. 3 spot, followed by Pleasant Valley, Parkland, Whitehall, Freedom and East Stroudsburg South.
Northwestern is the No. 2 seed in 2A, with Saucon Valley picking up the No. 3 seed, followed by Bethlehem Catholic,
Lehighton, Notre Dame, Tamaqua and Mahanoy Area.
For the second year in a row, two teams from each class will enter the PIAA Team Wrestling Championships, which
begin Tuesday.
The 3A runner-up will face District One's No. 3 team Tuesday at Bethlehem Catholic High. The 3A champion earns
a bye into the Feb. 10 quarterfinals, in which it will face the District 6 champ, the District 4 champ or the District
3 runner-up.
The 2A runner-up will travel to Shikellamy on Tuesday to meet the District 4 runner-up. The 2A champ will meet
the runner-up from either District 7 or 10 in the quarterfinals Feb. 10. A dozen teams from each class will converge
on Hershey next Friday and Saturday for the state duals.
Should Upper Perkiomen win the District One duals this weekend, the Indians will be in the same state-semifinals
bracket as the District 11 champion.
In Class 2A, Brandywine Heights is considered the top team in District 3. Should the Bullets win their tournament,
they will be in the same semifinals bracket as the District 11 champion.
gary.blockus@mcall.com
610-820-6782
Northern Lehigh and Snyder
are working toward a rest
By Gary R. Blockus
Of The Morning Call
When faced with the difficult, Scott Snyder patiently seeks ways to find a solution.
Snyder, a senior at Northern Lehigh, is the top-ranked Class 2A 215-pounder in the state.
He's not bad at 189, either.
While Northern Lehigh coach Todd Herzog and Snyder both admitted that Snyder will compete at 215 during the individual
championship portion of the season that begins later this month, Snyder has been tearing up opponents at 189 as
well.
Friday night, he scored a technical fall over Ryan Herring of Mahanoy Area at 189 as top-seeded Northern Lehigh
cruised to a 68-9 win over the No. 8 Golden Bears in the opening round of the District 11 Class 2A Team Championships
at Liberty High's Memorial Gym.
In other action, No. 2 Northwestern handled No. 7 Tamaqua 48-21, No. 3 Saucon Valley routed No. 6 Notre Dame 47-24
and No. 4. Bethlehem Catholic edged No. 5 Lehighton 37-32.
In today's 2 p.m. semifinals, Northern Lehigh will take on Bethlehem Catholic and Northwestern will battle Saucon
Valley. The winners will go at it for the District 11 championship at 7 p.m. The finalists advance to the PIAA
Tournament.
The District 11 runner-up will travel to Shikellamy for a Tuesday evening match against the runner-up from District
4. The District 11 champion doesn't have to wrestle until the second round on Friday at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Snyder is doing his best to make sure that Northern Lehigh gets the longer rest.
''I'm just trying to do what I can to help the team,'' said Snyder (28-0), a standout linebacker and fullback in
football who is torn between wresting or playing football in college.
An excellent student, according to Herzog, Snyder is being wooed by the likes of Ivy League schools and Division
I programs along the East Coast, and especially by Virginia.
''I don't want to say I'm surprised that he's undefeated,'' said Herzog, ''but, quite honestly, I try to position
our team so that we come away with some lessons because there are lessons to be learned by coming from behind and
facing adversity.''
While Snyder didn't face much adversity against Herring, the Mahanoy Area wrestler slowed him down through two
periods before Snyder picked up the pace with a game of takedowns to close out the third period with the technical
fall. It was an intelligent, patient match.
''It's been a lot of fun so far,'' Snyder said of the season. ''I'm a senior and I've wrestled with these kids
[on the team] all my life. They're my best friends. It helps when we're pushing each other all the time, Casey
Hedash [189/215], Nick Hosford
Pritchard, Pleasant Valley gut it out, beat Parkland
By Beth Hudson
Of The Morning Call
When his match ended, Pleasant Valley's Eric Pritchard looked the part of a wounded warrior.
His head was wrapped in gauze and one of his eyes was covered — the result of a nasty gash that opened during his
145-pound bout with Parkland's Ian Heist. To make matters worse, Pritchard had returned to the Bears' lineup only
recently after a shoulder injury.
Even so, he held it together for six minutes and a 6-2 decision, enough to lift fourth-seeded Pleasant Valley over
No. 5 Parkland, 34-31, in the District 11 Class 3A team quarterfinals on Friday night at Liberty.
''I felt good when he got the first takedown,'' Pleasant Valley coach Mark Getz said. ''What concerned me was getting
into the third period. Then he split his head open. He wrestled well and he wrestled smart. With one eye, that's
kind of tough.''
Minutes after the match ended, Pritchard wasn't standing with the rest of the Pleasant Valley wrestlers.
''He's probably with the trainer,'' one of them said.
But teammate Derek Hinger was happy to offer his thoughts on Pritchard's performance.
''Eric's the real hero in this,'' Hinger said. ''He gave up his body for six whole minutes so that we could win.''
And, what a win it was.
Getz and his wrestlers came into districts with a mission. They wanted to make sure today's semifinals didn't turn
into a Lehigh Valley Conference invitational.
''We talked to the kids before the match,'' Getz said. ''We wanted some respect for the Mountain Valley Conference.''
As expected, top-seeded Nazareth, No. 2 Northampton and No. 3 Easton all advanced.
Phil Santee (152), Ray Ward (130), Andrew Ritchie (140) and Tim Darling (145) won by fall to lead the Blue Eagles
over East Stroudsburg South, 62-9. And Marcus Wilson (152), Aaron Chamberlain (189), Justin Wieller (215), Justin
Oplinger (275) and Jake Wandler (145) had pins in Northampton's 51-13 victory over Freedom.
Sixth-seeded Whitehall jumped out to a 15-4 lead over Easton, but the Red Rovers took eight of the final 10 bouts
and won 40-22. Easton's Russ Souders (119) and Braylin Williams (140) won by fall, as did Whitehall's Josh Ballan
(160) and P.J. DiStefano (189).
So, the Pleasant Valley-Parkland match was by far the most exciting. After Parkland's Matt Bogusz (119) defeated
Mike Frantz to tie it at 22, the teams traded momentum with each passing bout.
Parkland's Ben Rento (125) and Pleasant Valley's Kevin Olswfski (130) had back-to-back pins. But the Trojans moved
ahead 31-28 when Brandon Christman (135) topped Shane Everett in a rideout (Everett was penalized for locked hands).
Hinger responded with a 4-3 decision over Parkland's Jon Peden at 140.
''I put it above myself,'' Hinger said. ''I did it for my team. It's a kid that beat me before. I just felt like
I wanted it more. I remembered that he was tough on his feet. I knew if I could score a couple of points on my
feet, that could be enough.''
His victory tied it at 31 with one bout remaining.
Pritchard took down Heist twice in the first period and, despite several stops to treat his wounded head, added
two more points in the third.
''Our team has never made it to the second day [of district duals],'' Hinger said. ''We didn't get the best seed
coming in. [But] I thought it was a good win for us.''
Pleasant Valley, which lost to Nazareth earlier this season, will get a rematch in today's 2 p.m. semifinals. Easton
will take on Northampton in the other match (the Konkrete Kids beat the Rovers 34-25 last week).
The final is set for 7 p.m.
beth.hudson@mcall.com
610-820-6501
Nazareth holds off Easton for
3A crown
The Blue Eagles beat the Red Rovers for the second time in four days.
By Beth Hudson
Of The Morning Call
Nazareth coach Dave Crowell wore a smile of relief after his team's 37-21 victory over Easton on Saturday night
at Liberty's Memorial Gym.
That's what happens when a group spends three months as ''the favorite,'' before finally earning the title at the
District 11 Class 3A Team Wrestling Championships.
''It's like a hurdle to get over,'' Crowell said, looking down at the trophy. ''I'd liken it to the first time
we won [districts] at Wilson.
''When you're the favorite and you win, it's more of a relief. You think, 'Can we put it together? Can we hang
together for one more match?'''
But the Blue Eagles were more than prepared.
After beating the Red Rovers for the first time since 1997 on Wednesday, Nazareth knocked off its rival for the
second time in four days. Easton closed the gap (Nazareth won the first match 44-15), but it wasn't enough.
Thad Frick (171), Jim Mutch (215) and Mike Mutch (275) won with pins, while David Crowell (189) and Bobby Ward
(112) came out ahead in two of the closer bouts. Crowell, who wrestled for Easton last year, beat his cousin, Cory
Rutt, 6-3, and Ward earned a 3-0 decision over Kegan Handlovic.
Easton made it interesting by taking a 9-4 lead after the first four bouts (130 through 145), but Nazareth stormed
back with six straight victories to claim a 34-9 advantage.
''Beating them once is a huge feat,'' Crowell said. ''You knew they would make some adjustments, which they did.''
Both teams qualified for this week's PIAA Team Championships. Nazareth will get a bye into Friday's quarterfinals
at the Giant Center in Hershey.
The Blue Eagles reached the finals with a 58-10 victory over Pleasant Valley, and the Red Rovers advanced by beating
Northampton, 38-16.
There were several turning points in that match, but a flagrant misconduct call against Northampton at 189 may
have been the biggest.
Aaron Chamberlain had an 8-5 lead over Easton's Chris Wilson, but ended up being disqualified on a biting call
with a second remaining in the match.
''The ref said our guy bit him,'' Northampton coach Terry Daubert said. ''All I can say is our guy's a good kid….
We took a shot and they crossfaced us. Of course, our guy has braces. [Wilson] came up with a good piece of his
arm scraped. [But] that's not to say that [Chamberlain] bit him.''
Had Chamberlain won the match by decision, Northampton would've taken a 16-14 lead into 215. Instead, Easton received
six team points, Northampton lost three for the flagrant misconduct, and the Red Rovers led 20-10.
''We obviously needed to win that match,'' Daubert said. ''It was pretty much a foregone conclusion at that point.''
Northampton won 34-25 when the teams met less than two weeks ago, but Easton won nine of 14 matches on Saturday,
including some key reversals. Colin Dailey (145) earned a 7-0 decision over Mike Wechsler (Wechsler won 4-1 last
time), and Rutt (215) beat Justin Wieller, 2-1, in overtime rideout (Wieller won 3-1 last time).
''As a whole, we turned a whole lot of bouts around,'' Powell said. ''I'm really proud of our kids. Cory Rutt was
big. JuJu Drummond was big, moving up a weight. [Joe] Piro got majored last time, and he only got beat [by three
points] today.''
Easton will open the state duals against Council Rock North at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Bethlehem Catholic. For Northampton,
however, it was another frustrating finish at the district duals.
''We've been in this situation before,'' Daubert said. ''We've turned this bad situation into something good in
the past. That's what we'll have to do.''
beth.hudson@mcall.com
610-820-6501
Bulldogs overpower Tigers
Northern Lehigh gets wins in pivotal bouts for 43-15 victory.
By Tim Shoemaker
Special to The Morning Call
The outcome of the match was not in question when Northern Lehigh's Zach Marlatt shook hands with Northwestern's
Scott Clymer before their bout at 130 pounds in the District 11 Class 2A team wrestling championships Saturday
night.
With two bouts left, the Bulldogs had already clinched what turned out to be a 43-15 rout over the rival Tigers,
but Marlatt still had to tend to some business of his own.
Marlatt nailed a five-point move off a reversal and added two critical back points in the third period in a 7-4
upset of Clymer, a two-time state qualifier and a state medalist. It was the last of several key bouts which went
Bulldogs' way.
Northern Lehigh (21-2) will wrestle either the second-place team from District 7 or the second-place team from
District 10 on Friday in the quarterfinal round of the PIAA Class 2A tournament at Hershey.
Northwestern (14-5) will wrestle Towanda, the second-place team from District 4, in a state pigtail round match
at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Shikellamy.
The Bulldogs, the 2005 state champions, have had Northwestern's number recently. This was not the first time Northern
Lehigh won a close regular-season match over Northwestern, then won big in the postseason.
''When I figure that out, I might write a book on it,'' Northern Lehigh coach Todd Herzog said. ''But quite honestly,
I have to give the credit to the kids. They really buy into what our coaching staff does in the room. They totally
accept what we teach them, and they know how to take care of business.''
Clymer led Marlatt 2-0 after the first period and then rode his opponent for much of the second period, but Marlatt
reversed and turned Clymer near the edge of the mat.
Marlatt came close to getting the fall, but had to settle for nearfall points. Clymer had a reverse in the third,
but not until after Marlatt added two more back points.
''Last year, I lost to him both times,'' Marlatt said. ''I wanted to get a little revenge, so I dropped down in
weight.''
It is not easy to pick out just one bout which turned the match in the Bulldogs' favor.
Northern Lehigh's Adam Fenstermaker (140) started the match by reversing and pinning Ben Marich. Marich majored
Fenstermaker 12-4 in the regular-season dual.
''Marich handled Fenstermaker pretty well before,'' Herzog said. ''They were hoping for bonus points. So for Fenstermaker
to come out of that with six, that was huge. ...''
At 189, the Bulldogs' Scott Snyder escaped disaster in a 14-12 win over Brian Barr. Snyder had a comfortable lead
at 8-3, but Barr nearly pinned him in the second. Snyder recovered in the third for the win.
At 215, Northern Lehigh's Casey Hedash won a 2-1 OT rideout over Garrett Sukanick, despite Sukanick coming close
to an escape (and a win) twice in the final 20 seconds.
At 275, Mark Grosch lost to the Tigers' Tony Culp 3-2, but Culp had pinned Grosch in December.
And just before Marlatt upset Clymer, junior Adam Hluschak clinched the match for Nolehi with a 22-second pin,
his 100th career win. He is the third Hluschak brother to register 100 career victories.
''I don't want to stop at that,'' Hluschak said. ''I want the all-time wins record [His brother Ryan has 147].
I did it [reached 100] earlier than any of my brothers. It feels pretty good to get one of my long-term goals out
of the way.''
Frank Heffernan (152), Scott Sechler (160), Andrew Arnold (112), Zach Heller (119) and Rob Marlatt (125) also won
for the Bulldogs. Northwestern got wins from Dan Konno (145), Ben Clymer (171) and Evan Yenolevich (103).
Tim Shoemaker is a freelance writer. |
