Nazareth set to make run in postseason
District 11 Team Duals. The Blue Eagles have lofty goals, which include
repeating as AAA champions.
Friday, February 02, 2007
By MIKE WEILAMANN
The Express-Times
Nazareth Area High School's wrestling team is looking at the bigger picture.
But that doesn't mean the Blue Eagles are looking past this weekend.
The defending Class AAA champions will be in action tonight when the 18th annual District 11 Team Duals get under
way at Freedom High School.
The quarterfinal rounds in both AAA and AA will be contested at 6 and 8 p.m.
Top-seeded Nazareth (15-1) meets No. 8 seed Dieruff (14-9) at 8.
"It's a very big thing for us," senior 135-pounder Mike Greck said of becoming the first Blue Eagles
team in 10 years to repeat. "Being the hunted keeps the pressure on and keeps us on our toes."
Nazareth, ranked No. 1 in The Express-Times region, beat Easton 37-21 in last year's final to break the Red Rovers'
string of five straight titles. It was the Eagles' first district crown since going back-to-back in 1996 and '97.
The Blue Eagles would love a return trip to Hershey to claim the bigger prize -- a state championship.
The finalists in both AAA and AA advance to next week's PIAA Team Championships.
"We've worked all season to get there," Greck said. "We just want to try and win it all."
"We want to wrestle well and win," said coach Dave Crowell, who wasn't pleased Wednesday night despite
his team's 33-21 victory over Northampton that gave the Eagles their second straight Lehigh Valley Conference crown.
"It's not hugely important to wrestle well right now. We have a lot of training left. But I want to see us
tear into people."
Easton (13-2) and Northampton (15-4) -- seeded Nos. 2 and 3 respectively -- appear headed for another semifinal
showdown.
The Red Rovers beat the Konkrete Kids 36-19 on Jan. 3. These teams met in last year's semifinals with Easton winning
38-16.
"Hopefully we'll get it done this weekend," said Kids coach Terry Daubert, whose teams have suffered
semifinal losses to Easton in three of the last four duals.
"We're looking at getting a good effort from all 14 guys. We haven't gotten it yet."
Nazareth also recently beat Easton 30-28 in a good one on Jan. 24.
"It doesn't really matter (Easton or Northampton)," Greck said when asked who the Eagles would rather
see in the finals. "We'll take whatever is thrown at us."
No. 5 Liberty (14-7) will face No. 4 Parkland (12-5) in the other upper bracket quarterfinal. The Trojans defeated
the Hurricanes 40-24 on Jan. 27.
In AA, No. 1 seed Northwestern (17-0) is heavily favored to claim its first championship. Coach Mike Williams'
Tigers are looking to end a string of three straight finals losses.
Locally, No. 2 seed Bethlehem Catholic hopes to make some noise in the AA bracket. The Golden Hawks (13-2) open
against No. 7 Pine Grove (16-7) at 6.
"We want to see Northwestern in the final," said coach Brian Nesfeder, who guided Becahi to its first
duals appearance since 2001 last season. "If we see Northwestern in the final, then we're going to team states."
Two-time defending champion Northern Lehigh is the No. 3 seed. The Bulldogs ousted Becahi 49-13 in last year's
semifinals before waxing Northwestern 43-15 in the finals.
Two local teams match up in tonight's quarterfinals as No. 5 Saucon Valley opposes No. 4 Wilson at 8. The Warriors
(11-5) upset the Panthers (21-4) 42-19 in a Colonial League showdown on Jan. 15.
Mike Weilamann can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at mweilamann@express-times.com.
Showdowns loom for Valley
powers
AAA Team Duals. Heat is on for Red Rovers, K-Kids and defending champion
Blue Eagles.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
By MIKE WEILAMANN
The Express-Times
BETHLEHEM TWP. | Easton Area High School's wrestling team was on cruise control Friday night.
But the Red Rovers will have to rev it up a notch today on what figures to be a very bumpy championship road.
No. 2 seed Easton waxed No. 7 Blue Mountain 61-10 in Friday's quarterfinal round of the 18th annual District 11
Class AAA Duals at Freedom High School. The Red Rovers (14-2) won 12 of 14 bouts in a match that was even more
lopsided than the final score indicates.
"They knew what they were in for," Easton coach Steve Powell said of his team's approach to the quarterfinals.
"There should be a little more heat in the gym tomorrow."
Easton's reward is another semifinal clash against No. 3 seed Northampton. The Konkrete Kids pasted No. 6 Pleasant
Valley 46-13 on the adjacent mat.
Today's semifinals are at 2 p.m. and the championships in both AAA and AA at 7. The finalists in both classes advance
to next week's PIAA State Duals.
In the upper half of the draw, No. 1 seed Nazareth blanked No. 8 Dieruff 73-0 to advance. The Blue Eagles will
meet No. 5 Liberty, which upset No. 4 Parkland 33-31 in the only competitive quarterfinal matchup.
Coach Dave Crowell's Blue Eagles (16-1), who beat Easton 30-28 on Jan. 24, are looking to repeat as district champions
for the first time since 1996-97. Nazareth also beat Liberty 56-15 on Jan. 10.
The highlight bout in Easton's match came at 119 pounds where junior state champion Jordan Oliver beat Blue Mountain
stud Josh Kindig 8-3.
Oliver (30-1) scored the opening takedown to help build a 3-2 lead that stood through two periods. In the third,
Oliver got another takedown at the edge and used a half late to put Kindig on his back near the edge of the circle,
but didn't get any back points.
"I didn't want to let him off. I was trying to pull him back in," Oliver said. "I felt like he kind
of gassed a little bit and I wasn't tired at all (in the third period). I knew what I had to do. I kept attacking."
"You had two national-caliber kids going at it," said Powell, who had his string of five straight district
crowns broken by Nazareth last year. "It was worth the price of admission. Kindig is pretty darn good. He
went overtime at Powerade with the kid (Hempfield's Nico Cortese) Oliver wrestled in (last year's) state finals."
Oliver's win staked the Rovers to a 30-0 lead through six bouts. Blue Mountain's first win was Cort Choate's 8-0
major of Mark Hartenstine at 125. The only other victory for the Eagles saw Corey Seasock erase a 16-4 deficit
by decking Joe Piro in the final bout at 171.
Northampton (16-4), which lost to Easton 36-19 on Jan. 3, was beaten by Easton 38-16 in last year's semifinals.
K-Kids coach Terry Daubert, whose teams lost four straight finals to Easton from 2001-04, is well aware of the
daunting task that faces his team again today.
"You know what day it is? It's Groundhog Day," Daubert said, referring to the Bill Murray movie about
the same day repeating over and over.
The Konkrete Kids, who also beat the Bears 40-21 on Jan. 13, were bolstered Friday by the return of 119-pounder
Austin Sommer. The talented freshman, who hadn't stepped onto the mat since Dec. 2 because of a thumb injury, beat
Kyle Cramer 5-4 as the Kids took a 30-0 lead against the Bears.
"My plan was not to wrestle him tonight," Daubert said. "But after seeing him in practice and how
he felt, I thought it was better to get (a match) under his belt for (Easton). For once we finally had the lineup
in that we wanted."
So how does Northampton turn around a 17-point loss against Easton?
"We've got to win the close ones and do a better job of staying away from bonus points," Daubert said.
"That's a big task against (Easton). We only won five bouts last time. You have to win at least seven to have
a shot."
Liberty (15-7) reversed an earlier 16-point loss to the Trojans on Jan. 27. Zach Kisslinger's disqualification
win over Josh Heft for stalling in the next-to-last bout at 160 pounds was the difference. Kisslinger beat Heft
3-1 in OT in that first meeting.
Mike Weilamann can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at mweilamann@express-times.com.
Saucon reverses Wilson
AA Duals. Panthers oust Warriors to avenge an earlier loss. Becahi wins.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
By NICK FIERRO
The Express-Times
BETHLEHEM TWP. | Not since 1994 had Saucon Valley High School beaten Wilson in a wrestling match.
With that piece of history on the mind of every Panther wearing a singlet Friday night at Freedom in the quarterfinals
of the District 11 Class AA Duals, they pulled it together to oust the Warriors 38-25 and advance to this afternoon's
semifinals against top-seeded Northwestern.
Joining those teams in the semis will be Bethlehem Catholic, which hammered Pine Grove 44-23 and Northern Lehigh,
which sent Lehighton home with a 48-22 loss.
"We had a long talk with the kids (after losing to Bethlehem Catholic Wednesday night) and we had a heart-to-heart,"
Saucon Valley coach Chad Shirk said. "We still felt we could come in here and do something and we wanted to
prove it."
Unlike their regular-season meeting, in which Wilson romped to a 42-19 win, the Panthers did everything right in
this rematch.
"I think we wrestled a little flat the first time," Shirk said. "We battled tonight. We had (Nathan)
Gorkos, who battled hard and didn't give up any bonus points (in a 9-2 loss to Daniel Pacchioli at 130 pounds)
and we got some pins where we didn't think we would get pins."
The most surprising fall might have been the one Jarid Solosky recorded at 119 over Josh Mertz. Solosky led just
2-0 heading into the third period and was able to crank him over with 11.8 seconds remaining in the match.
Another pleasant surprise came at 135, where Bobby Bisson turned Austin Warman over with an arm bar and flattened
him at 4:59. The match was tied at 4-all before Bisson hit the winning move.
"Bisson came out a little flat but as a senior captain, he gave us the bonus points when we needed them,"
Shirk said. "We just preached to the kids to keep going, that they can't get flustered if something goes wrong."
Hardly anything did for the Panthers on this night, which featured only two of the same individual matchups as
the first meeting.
Brandon Palik took advantage of one of those different matchups by edging Chris Labatch 4-2 in a one-takedown match
at 215.
"I knew he would be getting tired quicker because he was coming down from heavyweight," said Palik, who
weighed in at 189 and bumped up. "I had to keep attacking him on my feet."
Palik's persistence paid off with 55 seconds to go in the second period, and he was able to get another crucial
point on an escape after Labatch took a second injury timeout.
"This was a big win for us tonight," Palik said. "We knew we had a chance to beat them."
Bethlehem Catholic had little trouble disposing of Pine Grove, despite failing to display peak form.
That was OK with coach Brian Nesfeder, who admitted he and his wrestlers were looking ahead to today's matchup
with Northern Lehigh, whose wrestlers were in the stands watching every match.
"I don't think they showed everything tonight," he said. "And that's OK. I even talked to a couple
of kids about not showing it all."
The Golden Hawks know what's at stake -- their first-ever trip to the state duals and only their second to the
district final since the first year of the tournament in 1990.
"The adrenaline is going to be pumping like (it was for) Saucon Valley the other night," Nesfeder said.
"It's going to be fun."
Nick Fierro can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at nfierro@express-times.com.
Drummond win lifts Red Rovers
to Duals crown
EASTON 29, NAZARETH 26. Ju-Ju Drummond's 3-2 decision dethrones the Blue
Eagles.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
By MIKE WEILAMANN
The Express-Times
BETHLEHEM TWP. | Gone in six seconds.
Easton Area High School's wrestling team appeared headed for a fourth straight loss to Nazareth before senior 130-pounder
Ju-Ju Drummond saved the day.
Drummond's 3-2 win over Bobby Ward sent the Red Rovers to a stunning 29-26 victory Saturday night over the defending
champion Blue Eagles to win the District 11 Class AAA Duals championship at Freedom High School.
Earlier in the day, No. 2 seed Easton (16-2) advanced to its eighth straight final with a gut-wrenching 34-21 win
over No. 3 Northampton while Nazareth (17-2) was cruising to a 62-6 rout of Liberty in the semifinals.
"Matches like this are why District 11 fans keep coming out," said Easton coach Steve Powell, who claimed
his eighth district crown overall and sixth in the last seven years. "You knew it was going to be close all
night. It was a total team effort."
Easton avenged a 30-28 loss to Nazareth (17-2) on Jan. 24 and a 37-21 setback to the Eagles in last year's final.
The latter ended Easton's five-year hold on the district title.
"This feels so good," said Drummond, who converted the winning takedown with six seconds left to beat
Ward for the second time this season. "Last time (we lost) it hurt. It was the worst feeling ever. Even though
I won my match (1-0 over Ward) it felt like I lost."
Coach Dave Crowell's Blue Eagles were looking to become the first Nazareth team to win back-to-back titles since
1996-97. Instead, the Eagles were forced to watch the Red Rovers' wild celebration from across the mat.
These teams could very well meet again next weekend at the PIAA State Duals in Hershey.
Nazareth will first have to win an opening-round match against Pennsbury of District 1 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, also
at Freedom. Easton automatically advances to Hershey and will wrestle on Friday.
Easton trailed most of the way in this one. State champion Jordan Oliver finally gave the Rovers their first lead
at 20-19 in the 10th bout with a 19-7 major of Colin Fischl at 125.
Drummond (29-6) extended the lead, erasing a 2-1 deficit by finally freeing his arm to finish a single-leg takedown
that began at the 36-second mark when he got in on Ward's right leg. Ward reversed Drummond in the second period
for a 2-0 lead.
"I practice hard on my feet and sometimes I stop myself from doing what I know," Drummond said. "I
just let it go. I wasn't settling to get beat."
Nazareth won the next two at 135 and 140 to go up 26-23, but it wasn't nearly enough as junior Colin Dailey closed
it for Easton by decking Kent Beers in 2:49.
Earlier, sophomore Chris Wilson scored a huge 2-1 decision over Jim Mutch at 215 on a locked-hands penalty point,
reversing a 4-1 loss to Mutch in the first meeting. Sophomore Joe Piro also saved three team points for Easton
in a 14-1 loss to state runner-up David Crowell, who pinned Piro the last time they met.
Earlier, it was another eventful semifinal matchup between Easton and Northampton.
With the match tied at 18, the Red Rovers' Mark Hartenstine scored a highly-controversial 8-7 decision in overtime
over Austin Sommer in a battle of talented freshmen at 119. Referee Mike Evans banged Sommer for stalling with
38 seconds left in the one-minute OT to give Hartenstine the win.
Hartenstine trailed 5-1 after two periods, but took a 7-6 lead in the third with two sets of two-point nearfalls
-- the first of which was a very quick two-count. Sommer's reversal with 14 seconds left forced the overtime.
"The officiating we got in that match was totally ridiculous," Konkrete Kids coach Terry Daubert said.
"The stalling was called not on a shot, but the fact that (Sommer) was keeping (Hartenstine) under. The (first)
back points were counted with (Sommer) on his belly. We're going to have a tough time beating Easton or anybody
with that kind of officiating."
Northampton thus found itself trailing 21-18 with Oliver on deck for Easton. Daubert forfeited to the Rovers' star
and ran 125-pounder Shane Fenningham up to 130, needing to sweep the last three bouts.
Drummond sealed Easton's win with a 12-0 major of Fenningham to give the Rovers an insurmountable 31-18 lead with
two bouts left.
Even winning the flip and getting Justin Wieller on Easton's Cory Rutt at 189 -- a 7-2 win for Wieller -- wasn't
enough.
"To me, every match after (119) could've went the other way because of the momentum swing," said Daubert,
0-6 against Easton in the duals and 3-9 overall against the Rovers in his seven seasons.
Easton also beat Northampton 36-19 on Jan. 3.
Mike Weilamann can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at mweilamann@express-times.com.
Ross pins down 1st PIAA spot
for Beca
NORTHWESTERN 36, BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC 26. Runner-up district finish thrills
Golden Hawks.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
By NICK FIERRO
The Express-Times
BETHLEHEM TWP. | Aaron Ross was nervous from the moment he found out what weight class would open his Bethlehem
Catholic High School wrestling team's match against Northern Lehigh until the moment he stepped on the mat at Freedom
hours later on Saturday.
The sophomore even seemed to be nervous after prevailing, 8-2, in a winner-take-all bout over Kris Krawchuk at
135 pounds.
All that did was lift the Golden Hawks to a 34-31 semifinal triumph in the District 11 Class AA Duals and send
them to the state dual-meet tournament for the first time in school history. They also advanced to the district
title match against undefeated Northwestern, which kept its perfect record alive with a 36-26 win, forcing Becahi
into a first-round match against Line Mountain at Shikellamy on Tuesday night.
But the Northern Lehigh match was the one they really wanted, the one that made their season.
"I was really worried about it the whole time," Ross mechanically confessed. "I thought we would
get more wins with the lightweights and have it won by the time I got out there."
Didn't happen.
In fact, the match was tied at 31 when the weight of the entire season was placed upon his shoulders.
Win, and they go to states. Lose, and they must learn to live with the heartbreak of what should have been.
"I never won a match for the team like that before -- at any level," Ross said. "It's a great feeling."
Ross broke a scoreless tie with a reversal in the second period, but he didn't start to feel comfortable until
cranking Krawchuk, who chose bottom to start the third, to his back with an arm bar for three more points.
Both coaches had a strong feeling the match and the bout would go down like that even before their teams took the
mat. When the Hawks won the coin flip, Brian Nesfeder felt a whole lot better about his team's chances, and Todd
Herzog knew his Bulldogs were in a little trouble.
"We knew exactly what they were going to do," Herzog said. "They wanted to get Ross away from (Adam)
Hluschak when they weighed both guys (Ross and Brandon Johnson) in at 130. We couldn't do anything about it."
Said Nesfeder: "I knew it was going to come down to the last bout. We had all the matches worked out beforehand,
and I had it 33-33 (going into the Ross-Krawchuk bout). The coin flip was huge.
"The funny part about it was that it came up green, which means the home team wins. We basically won the coin
flip by beating Saucon Valley (last Wednesday night) and getting the second seed. If they get the second seed,
they win the coin flip."
The only bout with a closer margin of victory than the final one was Andy Knopf's 3-2 win over Becahi's Zach Stein
at 171.
Northwestern advanced to the final by ousting Saucon Valley, 42-15, for coach Mike Williams' 100th victory. He
earned his 101st in a tight battle that came down to the last few bouts.
With one or two breaks, Nesfeder was sure his team would have won.
"I felt at 125 we had a bad call," he said. "Duckworth had a takedown at the end (of a 3-2 loss
to Victor Konno) but they didn't give it to him, and our heavyweight (Dave Deming) couldn't hold their guy (Tony
Culp) down (in the fourth overtime, thanks in part to a 56-pound weight difference)."
Culp escaped with just 4 seconds remaining in the final, sudden-death rideout period to earn a 3-2 decision.
"We hope we see them again out at Hershey. Hopefully it will be a different result the next time. They knew
they were going to get a battle from us tonight. We had a legit shot to win it."
Nick Fierro can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at nfierro@express-times.com. |
Dieruff savoring trip to district team
championships
DISTRICT 11 TEAM WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
February 2, 2007
When: 6 tonight
Where: Freedom High School
CLASS 3A FIRST-ROUND MATCHES
No. 1 Nazareth vs. No. 8 Dieruff, 8 p.m.; No. 4 Parkland vs. No. 5 Liberty, 8 p.m.; No. 3 Northampton vs. No. 6
Pleasant Valley, 6 p.m.; No. 2 Easton vs. No. 7 Blue Mountain, 6 p.m.
CLASS 2A FIRST-ROUND MATCHES
No. 1 Northwestern vs. No. 8 Tamaqua, 6 p.m.; No. 4. Wilson vs. No. 5 Saucon Valley, 8 p.m.; No. 3 Northern Lehigh
vs. No. 6 Lehighton, 8 p.m.; No. 2 Bethlehem Catholic vs. No. 7 Pine Grove, 6 p.m.
Tom Derhammer woke up Thursday morning believing his team would narrowly miss qualifying for the District 11 Team
Wrestling Championships. In this case, the Dieruff High School coach was thrilled to be wrong.
''I found out right around lunchtime,'' Derhammer said. ''The first thing I had to do was tell the wrestlers to
watch what they ate. We were on the bubble the whole time. I guess the numbers just worked out.''
The district committee announced the seeds — eight in Class 3A and eight in 2A — on Thursday. Top-seeded Nazareth
(3A) and Northwestern (2A) have state-title aspirations, and teams like Easton, Northampton, Bethlehem Catholic
and Northern Lehigh promise to make it a challenging weekend for the Blue Eagles and Tigers.
The top two teams in each class will qualify for next week's PIAA Team Championships, which will culminate next
Saturday in Hershey.
Still, it's difficult to believe any team was happier to be invited to the party than the eighth-seeded Huskies
(15-10), who have the daunting task of wrestling the Blue Eagles (15-1) in the opening round at 8 tonight at Freedom
High School. This is the first time Dieruff has qualified for the district duals in Derhammer's four seasons as
coach.
''Just to make it there, it's an honor,'' he said.
A few years ago, it was merely a dream. When Derhammer took over, he didn't have enough wrestlers to field a full
team — not even close, actually. But the Huskies have made strides in each successive season.
Today he has about two dozen kids — enough so that he can spend less time worrying about filling the weight classes
and more time teaching the sport and building the program. In fact, Derhammer will watch his first class, the kids
who were freshmen during his first season, graduate this year.
He praised his assistant coaches, Tim Kassis and Travis Bloom, for taking care of so many details — from working
with the wrestlers after practice to talking to them when they have problems. On the mat, the Huskies have reached
a point where they can raise the bar for themselves, too.
''Winning the Salisbury Duals was one of our goals,'' Derhammer said, referring to a December event where his team
went a perfect 5-0. ''Beating Allen is always one of our goals. Making team districts is another. I think as a
team we reached our goals.''
Dieruff closed the Lehigh Valley Conference season with a 51-25 victory over Allen on Wednesday night. Derhammer
also pointed to another key match along the way — a 37-32 victory over Stroudsburg in early January.
''Everyone did their job,'' he said. ''Every move worked out right.''
It was the essence of dual-meet wrestling. Jarrett Hirst, Jose Arzuaga, Noel Mason, Michael Vasquez and Brendan
Hausman earned the pins for Dieruff, and Nathan Soto and Stephen Rivera also won their bouts.
Arzuaga (125), Hirst (119), Steven Johnson (112) and Vasquez (160) all have 20 or more victories this season. More
than that, Derhammer said they've provided leadership and given the less experienced wrestlers tangible proof that
their efforts will be rewarded.
One example: Johnson took the most outstanding wrestler award in Wednesday's match for his 7-1 decision over Allen's
Matt Garnjost. The Huskies learned of their team ''reward'' shortly after their coach did.
''Some of them were very excited that we got there,'' Derhammer said. ''Some of them couldn't believe it.''
Either way, the reality should set in when they find themselves looking across the mat at one of the top teams
in Pennsylvania and the country. The Blue Eagles, ranked No. 2 in the state by Off The Mat, are seeking their second
consecutive District 11 dual-meet title (they also won the team title at individual states last year).
''You're not expected to win,'' Derhammer said. ''You go in there on an individual basis, and you try to do your
best. You try to learn from this. It's an experience you can't beat — having a chance to wrestle in Freedom's new
gym against some top competition. It's just overall a great opportunity.''
The semifinals will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday, and the finals will start at 7 p.m.
Kemmerer goes for state record: Elsewhere, Upper Perkiomen senior Zack Kemmerer could win his state-record 180th
career match tonight in the Indians' District One quarterfinal against Springfield Delco at Pottstown High School.
The match is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Kemmerer (33-5) beat Connor McCormick of Owen J. Roberts 17-7 on Wednesday to tie former Connellsville wrestler
Ashtin Primus and former Mount Pleasant wrestler Donnie Ament for the record of 179.
beth.hudson@mcall.com
610-820-6501
3A semifinalists look familiar
Easton, Northampton, Nazareth, Liberty win their opening matches.
By Beth Hudson Of The Morning Call
Do you know what Friday was?
Northampton wrestling coach Terry Daubert grinned as he asked the question — his way of explaining his team's rather
predictable situation. Friday, of course, was Groundhog Day.
In the movie of the same name, Bill Murray played a weatherman who relived the February holiday over and over,
day after day, in Punxsutawney. But if the Konkrete Kids were to describe their own version of ''Groundhog Day,''
it would involve facing Easton in the District 11 Class 3A Team Championships with a trip to states on the line.
Almost every year, by the way.
''In some ways, it's what makes District 11 wrestling so good,'' Daubert said. ''In other ways, I don't like wrestling
the same teams over again.''
As you might expect, though, the Konkrete Kids will have that opportunity at 2 p.m. today at Freedom High School.
Third-seeded Northampton will face No. 2 Easton in one semifinal, while top-seeded Nazareth will take on fifth-seeded
Liberty in the other.
The championship match is scheduled for 7 p.m., but both semifinal winners will advance to next week's PIAA Team
Championships.
The top three seeds won their quarterfinals with relative ease: Nazareth shut out Dieruff, 73-0; Easton beat Blue
Mountain, 61-10; and Northampton knocked off Pleasant Valley, 46-13. Liberty topped Parkland, 33-31, in the other
match.
The Hurricanes actually lost to the Trojans, 40-24, on Jan. 27. But, with the help of pins by Andre Fernandez (285)
and T.J. Bonilla (119), Liberty sprinted to a 24-6 lead through six bouts this time.
Parkland closed the gap to 27-25 when Ian Heist defeated R.J. Cabrera in overtime at 152, but Liberty clinched
a trip to the semifinals when Zac Kisslinger (160) won by disqualification over Josh Heft (for stalling).
Northampton, meanwhile, defeated Pleasant Valley 40-21 when the teams met earlier this season at the NHSCA Duals,
so Daubert was pleased to see his wrestlers reverse a couple of outcomes in the rematch.
Jordan Glykas, who previously lost a one-point decision to Jordan Toledo, won by fall this time at 103 pounds.
Josh Yurasits, who previously lost to Kyle Cramer by decision at 119, beat Matt Yanovich at 112.
Northampton's Aaron Chamberlain (215), Justin Wieller (189), Shane Fenningham (125), Phil Marano (145) and Marcus
Wilson (171) earned bonus points in their victories, and Alex Collis (285) won by forfeit.
Another bonus: Northampton's Austin Sommer, who had been out with a thumb injury, returned to the lineup and beat
Kramer, 5-4, at 119.
''I think, for once, we finally had the lineup that we wanted in there,'' Daubert said. ''That certainly helped
us.''
For Northampton, however, this is where it often gets tricky.
The Rovers beat the K-Kids in the district semifinals last year. They beat them in the championship match in 2004
and 2003 and 2002 … you get the idea. And Easton beat Northampton 36-19 in early January.
''Number one, we've got to win the close ones,'' Daubert said. ''We've got to do a better job of staying away from
[their] bonus points. We've got to win more matches than we did last time.''
Last time, the K-Kids won five.
''We're definitely underdogs going into it,'' Daubert said. ''[But] it doesn't matter if you're the underdog or
the favorite. You've got to do the job.''
And, for Northampton, that would mean writing a new ending to this particular movie.
beth.hudson@mcall.com
610-820-6501
Challengers gunning for Bulldogs
Becahi, Northwestern, Saucon looking to end Nolehi's Class 2A reign.
By Gary R. Blockus Of The Morning Call
February 3, 2007
If Bethlehem Catholic coach Brian Nesfeder has his way, Northern Lehigh will not be making an appearance in the
championship finals of the District 11 Class 2A Team Championships tonight.
And if the No. 2 seeded Golden Hawks happen to beat the No. 3-seeded Bulldogs in today's 2 p.m. semifinals at Freedom
High School, Northwestern coach Mike Williams won't exactly be shedding a tear, either.
Northern Lehigh, the three-time defending district champion, defeated Lehighton 48-22 on Friday night in the opening
round of district duals to advance to today's semifinals against Bethlehem Catholic, which defeated Pine Grove
44-23.
In the other bracket, top-seeded Northwestern crushed Tamaqua 64-3, missing a shutout because of an overtime loss.
The Tigers will face Saucon Valley, which defeated Wilson 38-25, in the other semi. The winners of the semifinals
will meet in the 7 p.m. championship.
Both finalists will advance to the PIAA tournament.
''I don't care if it's Northern Lehigh [in the finals],'' Williams said. ''It would just be nice for our kids to
wrestle some different kids for a change.''
Northwestern, the Colonial League champion, defeated Northern Lehigh twice this season, once during league matches
and another time in the championship final of the Zephyr Duals at Whitehall.
''Bethlehem Catholic has four or five really good guys,'' Williams said. ''They have a good lineup all the way
through, but their really good guys match up with our best guys, so it would be a good match.''
Nesfeder has another reason for wanting to beat Northern Lehigh in the semifinals.
''We lost to Northern Lehigh in the semifinals last year,'' said Nesfeder, a former two-time PIAA champion at Salisbury
High School. ''This is our rematch. I want it to be a very exciting match. The adrenaline is going to be pumping
for this team the way it was for Saucon Valley [last Wednesday].''
Northern Lehigh, which rallied from a 22-12 deficit by winning the final seven bouts, expects to have its adrenaline
pumping as well.
''We've been in dogfights before, so we'll be mentally ready to go, Northern Lehigh coach Todd Herzog said. ''I
think a lot of the kids learned a lesson tonight and they'll come back ready to go.''
Saucon Valley picked up several key victories en route to its win over Wilson, including Brandon Palik's 4-2 decision
over highly touted Chris Labatch.
In the opening session, the Golden Hawks won nine of 14 bouts before sending Pine Grove back home on the snowy
night.
''I had it at 39-21,'' Nesfeder said of his pre-match evaluation. ''I think our kids knew, too. I spoke a little
bit about not showing everything [tonight] … Some of the kids just went out there flat.''
Northwestern won 13 of 14 against an outgunned Tamaqua squad.
''Obviously we wanted to have a match where we could just get on track for the weekend,'' Williams said. ''We talked
a little bit on the way over so that we didn't take anybody lightly [on Friday]. I told the team that as far as
[I was] concerned, we're 0-0 and starting the season fresh again.''
Northwestern's lineup features five wrestlers being looked at by Division I schools. Ben Marich (145) orally committed
to Lehigh University. Other D-I schools are looking at defending state champion Scott Clymer (135), Brandon Williams
(160), Garrett Sukanick (189) and heavyweight Tony Culp.
gary.blockus@mcall.com
610-820-6782
Easton claims District 11
3A duals title
The Red Rovers slip past Nazareth, 29-26, to capture the crown.
By Beth Hudson Of The Morning Call
EASTON'S CORY RUTT tries to gain control on Nazareth's Tim Murphy during their 215-pound bout. Rutt earned a decision
over Murphy 11-5.
To hear Colin Dailey explain it, the Easton wrestlers couldn't stand the idea of another close loss — not like
the one they experienced less than two weeks ago at Nazareth. So they made sure it didn't happen this time.
''We worked so hard to get this match back,'' Dailey said. ''After a loss, we know how bad it feels — especially
when you're right there. It gives you a little extra motivation to stay after practice and work harder on whatever
your weaknesses are.''
For Easton, there weren't many of those on Saturday night at Freedom High School.
After losing by two points at Nazareth on Jan. 24, the Red Rovers bounced back to win their sixth District 11 Class
3A dual-meet championship in seven years with a 29-26 victory over the Blue Eagles.
Dailey clinched the victory with a second-period fall over Nazareth's Kent Beers at 145 pounds, the night's final
bout.
Winning the title also means Easton will take a bye into the Friday quarterfinals at this week's PIAA Team Championships
in Hershey. Nazareth will open the state duals against Pennsbury, the third-place team from District One, at 7
p.m. Tuesday at Freedom.
The last time Easton and Nazareth wrestled, they started the match at 103. They opened at 152 this time, but those
three weight classes ended almost the same way they did during the regular season.
The only difference: Nazareth's Adam Counterman (152) earned a technical fall over Jeremy Snyder this time (he
won a major decision last time). Tim Darling (160) earned another major over Jules Knighton, and Easton once again
forfeited to Thad Frick at 171. In fact, Nazareth had a 19-0 advantage following David Crowell's major decision
over Joe Piro at 189.
Easton started to chip away with Cory Rutt's 11-5 victory over Tim Murphy. One bout later, the Red Rovers picked
up their first big turnaround: Chris Wilson, who lost to Jim Mutch the last time they wrestled, used a third-period
escape and a point for locked hands to win a 2-1 decision over Mutch.
Easton took its first lead, 20-19, when Jordan Oliver won a major decision over Colin Fischl at 125. And the Red
Rovers stretched their advantage to 23-19 with JuJu Drummond's 3-2 win over Bobby Ward at 130.
Ward took the lead on a second-period reversal, but Drummond escaped in the third and scored the winning takedown
with just six seconds left in the third period. It was his second one-point win over Ward this season.
Nazareth's Mike Greck (135) won a major decision over Tevin Gibson, and Andrew Ritchie (140) reclaimed the lead
for the Blue Eagles with a decision over Eric Burgey. From there, it was up to Easton's Dailey, who pinned Beers
the first time they met as well.
''There was a lot more adrenaline flowing this time,'' Dailey said.
When considering his team's ability to come back from a regular-season loss, Easton coach Steve Powell smiled and
shook his head.
''You can't say luck, that's for sure — not with how hard these kids work and how hard Nazareth works,'' he said.
''It comes down to matches like JuJu's and Chris Wilson's. … We know how our kids felt the night after the [first]
Nazareth match.''
Six Nazareth wrestlers (Counterman, Darling, Frick, Crowell, Flamisch and Fischl) won by fall in the Blue Eagles'
62-6 semifinal victory over Liberty. Easton, on the other hand, advanced with a closer 34-21 win over Northampton.
After losing to the Red Rovers 36-19 earlier this season, the Konkrete Kids got off to a strong start on Saturday
afternoon. Northampton led 18-9 after the first seven bouts, which included Marcus Wilson's pin of Piro (171),
Justin Wieller's 7-2 decision over Rutt (189) and Alex Collis' 3-2 victory over Wilson (285).
But Easton then reeled off six consecutive victories from 103 to 135. The Red Rovers took their second lead of
the match (they were ahead 3-0 following Dailey's decision at 145) when Hartenstine prevailed in overtime over
Austin Sommer at 119. And Drummond clinched for Easton with his major decision over Shane Fenningham at 130.
beth.hudson@mcall.com
610-820-6501
Tigers claw their way past
Becahi
Northwestern guts out 36-26 win in finals; Hawks had beaten N.L.
By Gary R. Blockus Of The Morning Call
Adam Bandel came through at the most appropriate of times for Northwestern during the District 11 Class 2A Duals
Championship wrestling finals at Freedom High School Saturday.
The 130-pounder got taken down in the opening period by Bethlehem Catholic's Aaron Ross, the hero of Becahi's semifinal
upset of two-time defending champion Northern Lehigh earlier in the day.
Trailing 2-1, Bandel chose the defensive position to start the second period, scored a reverse and used two sets
of tilts for five backpoints en route to a stunning 11-2 major decision that, with two bouts remaining, ended Bethlehem
Catholic's hopes of upsetting the top-seeded Tigers.
Returning state champion Scott Clymer added a fall in the next bout to clinch the title as Northwestern won its
first-ever District 11 Class 2A Team Championship by a 36-26 score. The victory gives the Tigers a pass into the
second round of the PIAA Championships, which take place Friday at the Giant Center in Hershey.
As district champion, Northwestern advances to an 8 a.m. Friday match against the winner of Tuesday's bout that
pits the District 9 champion Ridgway against the District 6 runner-up.
Bethlehem Catholic will take a much longer route to Hershey. The War Hawks travel to Shikellamy for a 7 p.m. Tuesday
match against Line Mountain, the District 4 runner-up. If Becahi (17-3) wins, it will move on to the second-round
8 a.m. matches at the Giant Center Friday.
''I knew in the back of my mind what he did against Northern Lehigh,'' Bandel, a junior, said of Ross while awaiting
his district championship medal. ''I was pretty nervous because I knew he was pretty good.''
When Bandel scored his reverse, he landed a headlock for the first set of nearfall points that turned the tide
of the bout.
''I just had it in my mind what my coach told me, that I should wrestle like this was the biggest match of my life,''
Bandel said.
It was also a big day for Northwestern coach Mike Williams, who became the school's first-ever 100-match winner.
Williams earned his 100th coaching victory in the 42-15 win over Saucon Valley in the semifinals, and improved
to 101-36 in his sixth season as coach.
''That's just because of these boys,'' Williams said. ''This group of kids we have, if we didn't have this core
group, we wouldn't have been so successful.''
The Tigers won their first district title as much on grit as they did on the merit of their unblemished 20-0 record.
Dan Konno (125) avoided a takedown — which could have tilted the match in Bethlehem Catholic's favor — near the
edge of the circle in the closing seconds for a 3-2 win over Andrew Duckworth.
And heavyweight Tony Culp gutted one out as well, scoring an escape in the sudden-victory rideout period after
being taken into overtime by Becahi senior Dave Deming, who was giving up 57 pounds to the 263-pound Tiger.
Brandon Williams (160) missed a major by one point, but put the Tigers on the scoreboard for the first time, and
then Ben Clymer (171) recorded an 11-3 major over Zach Stein, picking up the bonus point on a takedown with 6 seconds
left as the Tigers went ahead 7-6. Garrett Sukanick (189) added a pin for a 13-6 lead.
Northwestern won eight of the 14 bouts, six of those wins carrying a total of nine bonus points in a 10-point win.
Bethlehem Catholic fought hard, with pins from Ziad Haddad and Bryan Smith, and major decisions from Ryan Cressman
and Evan Kolb, but needed to sneak in one more win and give up less in bonus points.
''Hey, we hung right with them,'' Becahi coach Brian Nesfeder said. ''No one else hung this close. Those two matches,
heavyweight and 125, we win those, we win the match.''
The War Hawks went into the district championship match riding a high after they knocked off two-time defending
champion Northern Lehigh 34-31 in one of the most exciting matches in the history of the 2A tournament.
gary.blockus@mcall.com
610-820-6782 |
