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An expert's picks (Ha! Ha! Ha!) for
the upcoming District 11 Wrestling Duals
by Michael Blouse
Friday January 30, 2009, 12:45 AM
The Express-Times
The seeds, matchups and times are now set for this weekend's District 11 Wrestling
Duals at Freedom High School.
As expected, 16-0 Northampton is the No. 1 seed among 10 Class AAA contenders and 13-3 Bethlehem Catholic is the
top seed among 10 Class AA hopefuls.
The tournament starts today at 4:30 p.m. with two preliminary-round matchups in both classifications. The quarterfinals
also are tonight, with the semifinals and finals scheduled for Saturday at Freedom.
OK, wrasslin' fans, here are my highly-anticipated predictions:
Class AAA -- Northampton over Stroudsburg, Blue Mountain over Whitehall, Easton over Nazareth, Parkland over Liberty
in quarterfinals. Northampton over Parkland, Easton over Blue Mountain in semifinals. Northampton over Easton in
final.
Comments -- Red Rovers-Blue Eagles is an intriguing quarterfinal, although Parkland-Liberty should be even more
competitive. The Hurricanes look to bounce back from last week's 41-27 to Parkland. It'll be closer, but the improving
Trojans prevail again. ... Blue Mountain vs. Easton is a semifinal showdown. The Eagles better be real good because
all their fans are chirping non-stop about the team's greatness on the District 11 wrestling forum. Easton wins
a real tight one over Black and Blue Mountain. ... Northampton, getting healthier and picking up the pace, is way
too balanced, talented and experienced for any opponent in District 11. Coach Terry Daubert's Konkrete Kids beat
any and all opponents by at least double digits.
Class AA -- Bethlehem Catholic over Lehighton, Pen Argyl over Northwestern, Saucon Valley over Tri Valley, Northern
Lehigh over Wilson in quarterfinals. Bethlehem Catholic over Northern Lehigh, Saucon Valley over Pen Argyl in semifinals.
Bethlehem Catholic over Saucon Valley in final.
Comments -- It's possible Northwestern upsets Pen Argyl in the quarterfinal round, though I'll go with the Green
Knights in a close one. Wilson vs. Northern Lehigh will be a fan's delight and an all-Colonial League clash that
comes down to final match. I expect a reversal of the Warriors' 34-30 win, however. ... No matter who are the participants
in Saturday's semifinals, both matchups should be competitive and exciting. Northern Lehigh matches up well with
the Golden Hawks, but in the case of LVC vs. Colonial League, always pick the LVC. Like Northern Lehigh over Wilson,
Saucon Valley scores some revenge against an upstart Pen Argyl team. The Green Knights won 32-30 over the Panthers
this month. ... Coach Jeff Karam's Becahi squad will have just enough against a Saucon Valley team that is ecstatic
to reach the state tournament.
There it is grapplin' groupies! Heck, why even hold the tournament? Let's crown the champs right now. Ha! Ha! Ha!
Until next time, stay off your backs.
Pius X High School wrestling team hopes to surprise foes
during District 11 Class AA Duals
Friday, January 30, 2009
By MICHAEL BLOUSE
The Express-Times
When the Pius X High School wrestling team takes to the mat in this afternoon's
District 11 Class AA Duals, there are likely to be plenty of empty seats inside Freedom High School's spacious
gymnasium.
Still, for the respect-craving Royals, this is the big stage and the bright lights.
Pius X, coached by Dan Boyer, is the No. 9 seed for the district duals. The 14-5 Royals will meet No. 8 Lehighton
in a preliminary-round matchup at Freedom.
The two-day tournament, which concludes Saturday with the championship showdown, starts today at 4:30 p.m.
"I know I'm looking forward to it," senior 152-pounder Tyler Cozzubbo said. "We don't get the chance
to wrestle a lot of these teams so we really want to show everyone what we're capable of."
After competing at remote locations like Garnet Valley, West-Mont Christian Academy and Panther Valley, the goal
for Pius X is to earn some respect from the Lehigh Valley Conference and Colonial League schools.
That might be a difficult task.
The Royals lost to Lehighton 40-31 on Jan. 17. Pius X won six bouts compared to eight for the 8-4 Indians of the
Mountain Valley Conference.
"I think it's going to come down to the last match again," Boyer, in his third season, said. "I'm
sure Lehighton expects to win again, but we expect to win too."
Today's Pius X-Lehighton winner will meet No. 1 seed Bethlehem Catholic in the 6 p.m. quarterfinals.
Boyer's Royals forfeit one weight class each match and lack depth, but they do feature three 20-match winners and
another wrestler who placed eighth at the state meet a season ago.
Cozzubbo leads the team with a 23-1 record, junior 103-pounder Anthony Bilotta is 22-1 and junior 140-pounder Jake
Giovannini is 20-2. Pius X's top individual, though, could be junior Justin Mazza, who is 16-1 at 112.
Luke DeLuise, Benjamin Diorio and Josh LaBar are other key cogs who have a combined 54-15 record.
"Tyler, Justin, Anthony and Jake, they just love to wrestle," Boyer said. "Their time to shine is
the end of the year, hopefully. But what's made us a successful team this season is someone unexpected has come
up big here and there in every match we've won."
Boyer pointed to the contributions of underclassmen George Dalessandro and Damon Scipio as both surprising and
valuable.
Cozzubbo and Co. will be awfully disappointed if the Royals aren't still competing when the gym fills up this evening.
"Last time we wrestled Lehighton a lot of things went wrong for us," said Cozzubbo, who finished fourth
at districts and regionals last season. "I think we can improve and I think it'll be a lot closer match this
time."
Another intriguing rematch will take place in the quarterfinal round.
Colonial League rivals Wilson and Northern Lehigh are set to clash in a battle of fourth and fifth seeds. Coach
Tom Mertz's 14-2 Warriors beat Northern Lehigh 34-30 on Jan. 14.
Wilson is led by the senior trio of 125-pounder D.J. Hartrum, 145-pounder Austin Warman and 160-pounder Alex Depew.
Combined, they are 65-7.
Tonight's other quarterfinal-round matchups are No. 2 seed Pen Argyl against the Northwestern-Catasauqua winner
and third-seeded Saucon Valley against No. 6 Tri-Valley.
"I think the champion could be any one of six teams, to be honest," Boyer said. "Everyone is so
close this year that I think a lot depends on the coin toss and who controls the matchups. Personally, I think
it'll be fun to watch the Class AA tournament."
Michael Blouse can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at mblouse@express-times.com.
Nazareth Area High School wrestling team looking to hit
its stride in District 11 Class AAA Duals
Friday, January 30, 2009
By BETH HUDSON
The Express-Times
Dave Crowell is looking for the breakthrough.
It's that moment when a coach finally sees his athletes use all of their skills -- and all of his motivational
speeches -- to reach a higher level. Sometimes it comes in a stirring, unexpected victory; other times, it's in
a loss where every individual competes well.
For the Nazareth Area High School wrestling team, tonight would be the ideal time to find that next gear. The sixth-seeded
Blue Eagles take on Lehigh Valley Conference rival Easton, the No. 3 seed, in the District 11 Class AAA Duals quarterfinals
at Freedom High School. Match time is 7:45 p.m.
"Preparation wise, it's been a different year for me as a coach," Crowell said. "I think the team's
still kind of looking for its own identity a little bit. I'm hoping they really can start believing in themselves.
There would be nothing better for our program than to come out of this weekend wrestling well."
Nazareth's had plenty of recent success in this tournament, reaching the final the past four years and winning
the title in 2006. This season, however, the Blue Eagles are 6-6 overall and one of the underdogs -- at least,
in comparison to top-seed Northampton and No. 2 Blue Mountain. Easton beat Nazareth 42-20 on Jan. 19.
The first question, of course, is whether the Blue Eagles can find a way to cut into that deficit this time. But
Crowell uses other barometers to judge his team's success as well.
"Our focus has always been just on improvement," Crowell said. "You see where you are when you start.
I really think that if you go out and compete and you're doing well and making progress I think that's how you
really should measure yourself. It's whether you can do better this month than last month."
Still, Crowell knows the "breakthrough" is possible. He's seen it this year in individuals like sophomore
125-pounder Greg Noll, who is 16-11 heading into this weekend.
"Every time you go out and watch him wrestle, it just makes you smile," Crowell said. "As a coach,
you look at those things."
Sophomores Zach Horan, who is 22-3 at 112, and Ryan Krecker, 23-4 at 140, lead Nazareth. Junior Mark Hartenstine,
27-1 at 140, freshman Mitch Minotti, 24-5 at 119, senior Chris Wilson, 20-6 at 215, and senior Justin Grant, 20-5
at 285, have the top records for Easton.
Regardless of which team wins, Easton-Nazareth is expected to be one of the premier quarterfinals. Those two teams
have met seven times in district finals.
In other quarterfinal action, No. 4 Parkland will take on No. 5 Liberty at 7:45 p.m. Northampton will face the
winner of the Stroudsburg-Pleasant Valley preliminary at 6 p.m., and Blue Mountain will wrestle the Whitehall-Pocono
Mountain East winner at 6 p.m.
Both preliminary matches will begin at 4:30 p.m.
Since 1990, only four teams -- Easton, Nazareth, Northampton and Parkland -- have reached the AAA final. Of those,
only the Red Rovers, Blue Eagles and Konkrete Kids have won district titles.
Northampton, which defeated Nazareth 31-23 for the district title in 2008, will try to win its second consecutive
crown. The Konkrete Kids have six wrestlers with 20 or more victories, including senior Jimmy Sheptock, a 2008
state third-place finisher who's 26-2 at 160.
If Blue Mountain reaches the final, it will break into what has been an exclusive LVC club. Northampton beat Blue
Mountain 47-12 in last year's semifinals.
District semifinals will start 1 p.m. Saturday, followed by a 6 p.m. championship match. The top two teams will
qualify for next week's PIAA Team Wrestling Championship.
Beth Hudson can be reached by e-mail at sports@express-times.com.
Red Rovers among semifinalists
for District 11 Class AAA Wrestling Duals
Saturday, January 31, 2009
By BEtH HUDSON
The Express-Times
BETHLEHEM TWP. | Easton Area High School senior Chris Wilson has wrestled Nazareth's Tim Murphy about a half-dozen
times over the past two years. Wilson has never lost, but the bouts are typically close.
"You know everything about him, and he knows everything about you," Wilson said.
Because of that, wrestling a familiar rival isn't necessarily an ideal situation. But Wilson enjoyed Friday night's
4-3 decision over Murphy at 215 pounds a little bit more than some of the others for one reason: It was his 100th
career victory.
Wilson summed up the moment rather concisely: "It's four years of hard work and getting pushed all the time.
I've had great workout partners and great coaches."
On top of all that, he and his Red Rover teammates have another trip to the District 11 Class AAA Duals tournament
semifinals. Wilson's win was the finishing touch on Easton's 36-15 victory over Nazareth in the quarterfinals at
Freedom High School.
The Red Rovers improved to 11-5 overall while the Blue Eagles dropped to 6-7.
Easton will face No. 2 seed Blue Mountain at 1 p.m. today, while No. 1 Northampton will take on Parkland in the
other 1 p.m. semifinal. The winners will compete for the district's team championship at 6 p.m. Both semifinal
winners will advance to next week's PIAA Team Wrestling Championships.
Easton has won six district dual-meet titles since 2001. Still, reaching this year's final would be especially
rewarding, because the Red Rovers lost five matches along the way.
"They've improved, they've worked hard," said Easton coach Steve Powell, who won the 406th match of his
career and moved into second place on District 11's all-time list. "We fight for every bout we can win. I
think that's helped make them a very close-knit team."
Friday night was no different. While Easton won 11 of 14 bouts against Nazareth, nine of them were decided by four
points or fewer.
The closest? Justin Grant at 285 pounds and Peter Stanley at 103 earned one-point decisions over D.J. King and
Doug Giamoni, respectively, and Mark Hartenstine edged Ryan Krecker by a point in triple overtime.
The Red Rovers will face a different sort of challenge in Blue Mountain, a team that features 2008 state champion
Cortlandt Choate and runner-up Josh Kindig. Powell said his primary knowledge of that squad comes from working
out with some of them periodically.
"Where they're good, they're very good," Powell said. "I think everyone wants the shot at Northampton."
Northampton breezed past Stroudsburg and improved to 17-0 overall with the help of five quick falls. Cole Sheptock
at 103 pounds, Jordan Glykas at 125, Austin Sommer at 135, Tyler Marx at 145 and Joe Piro at 189 all pinned their
opponents in the first period. Aaron Chamberlain added a second-period pin over John Brown in the 215 bout. Stroudsburg's
Matt Transue gave the Mountaineers their only bonus points with a first-period pin at 171.
Parkland, the No. 4 seed, reached the semifinals with a 36-25 victory over No. 5 Liberty. Brandon Davis at 112
pounds, Mike Ottinger at 135 and Ian Heist at 152 all won by fall to lead the Trojans. Josh Heft clinched the victory
with a technical fall at 171, giving Parkland a 33-20 advantage with two bouts remaining. Anthony Marino at 119
pounds and Chris Pintado at 189 both won by technical fall for Liberty, and Dan Martisofski posted a pin at 285.
Blue Mountain advanced with a 45-28 victory over Whitehall in the quarterfinals.
Beth Hudson can be reached by e-mail at sports@express-times.com.
Final Four of Class AA District
11 Wrestling Duals is set
Saturday, January 31, 2009
By MICHAEL BLOUSE
The Express-Times
BETHLEHEM TWP. | Amidst the chaos of Friday night's District 11 Wrestling Duals, Alex Depew and his Wilson Area
High School teammates did a little multi-tasking while watching the final bout of the Class AA quarterfinals at
Freedom High School.
"We were cheering on Jake (Hunter) and trying to calculate the tie-breaker at the same time," Wilson's
senior standout said. "I thought we would win on criteria."
Indeed, the Warriors won on criteria.
Wilson and Northern Lehigh were tied at 33 following the final bout, but referee Bob Kern conferred with both scorekeepers
for several tense seconds and pointed in the direction of the Warriors.
Wilson prevailed, 34-33, on criteria -- most six-point decisions. The Warriors had four six-point decisions compared
to three for Northern Lehigh.
And so, coach Tom Mertz's team advances to today's semifinal round. No. 4 seed Wilson (15-2) will meet No. 1 Bethlehem
Catholic (14-3) and No. 3 Saucon Valley (14-2) will wrestle No. 2 Pen Argyl (11-1) in an 11 a.m. start at Freedom.
"This proves the first time was no fluke," said Depew, who won a key 10-5 decision over Colin Hedash
in a battle of the Colonial League's elite 160-pounders.
"We won this one and we're going to win tomorrow, too."
Wilson knocked off the Bulldogs for the second time in 2009 thanks to several strong performances.
Mertz credited Depew, D.J. Hartrum at 125 pounds, Billy Connor at 189, Chad Little at 285 and Mike Calantoni at
145 for key victories. Calantoni started the match with a pin and Hartrum's fall in the third-to-last bout put
the Warriors ahead 33-24.
Northern Lehigh closed within 33-30 on Nikko Stevens' pin at 135 to set up the exciting finale. Joe Grammes and
Jake Hunter locked in a tight duel with Grammes prevailing 11-6 -- and coming close to the fall -- in overtime.
"Some people are maybe overlooking us," Mertz said. "Our goal, though, is to win the tournament."
That's the objective of the other three remaining teams, too.
Pen Argyl defeated Catasauqua for the second time in four days, prevailing 46-25 Friday. The Green Knights got
pins from Phil Racciato at 145 pounds, Tylor Mutton at 152, Tyler Horn at 171, James Elphick at 103 and Jamie Welsh
at 112.
Mutton is one of four senior starters on a young, promising Green Knights squad.
"We feel like we can win it," Mutton said. "I don't think we're getting a lot of respect but we're
looking forward to a trip to Hershey (for next weekend's state duals tournament)."
Pen Argyl coach Scott Kupec knows beating Saucon Valley for a second time this season will be a challenge. The
Green Knights won 32-30 on Jan. 21.
"Incredibly balanced," Kupec said of the remaining Class AA teams. "You can't have a bad match or
you'll get knocked out. I'm happy we won tonight ... I know some people were maybe looking ahead, but I wanted
to make sure we were focused on tonight."
Bethlehem Catholic moved to today's final four with a 45-24 victory over ninth-seeded Pius X. The Royals advanced
to the quarterfinals with a 45-26 triumph over Lehighton.
Randy Cruz pinned Anthony Bilotta in 2:16 in the match's featured bout at 103 pounds.
"We're going to need a better effort tomorrow if we want to keep moving on," Bethlehem Catholic coach
Jeff Karam said. "But give Pius X some credit; I was very impressed with their team."
Saucon Valley scored a 45-24 victory over Tri-Valley in another quarterfinal.
The Panthers secured five pins, including a 19-second fall from 215-pound senior standout Brandon Palik, and another
six-point forfeit.
The semifinal winners move on to tonight's 6 p.m. championship. The district finalists advance to the PIAA Team
Wrestling Championships.
Michael Blouse can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at mblouse@express-times.com.
Northampton Area High School
dominates Blue Mountain en route to District 11 Class AAA Duals title
Sunday, February 01, 2009
By BETH HUDSON
The Express-Times
BETHLEHEM TWP. | If one performance typified the Northampton Area High School wrestling team's attitude Saturday
night, it was that of junior 112-pounder Greg Rinker.
Trailing by four points against Blue Mountain's Brandon Choate, Rinker could have relaxed, knowing his team already
had an insurmountable lead. He could have stopped fighting. Instead, Rinker hit a five-point move as time ran down
in the third period and walked away with a 9-8 victory over Choate.
"I knew the score, I knew I was down," Rinker said. "But it's the Northampton style that you never
stop wrestling. It's not just me. That's what makes our whole team so successful."
Successful, as in, the back-to-back District 11 Class AAA dual-meet champion. The Konkrete Kids earned their second
consecutive title, seventh overall and improved to 19-0 this season with a 47-19 victory over Blue Mountain at
Freedom High School.
When the tournament's top two seeds won their Saturday morning semifinals, a closer final seemed like a distinct
possibility. In fact, Northampton coach Terry Daubert figured the match could come down to three key weights --
171, heavyweight and 125.
But Blue Mountain forfeited in three of the first six weight classes -- 145 to Phil Marano, 160 to Jimmy Sheptock,
and 189 to Joe Piro. After Northampton's Erik Schaffer pinned Keith Graeff with just six seconds left in the third
period at 285, the Konkrete Kids had a 38-0 lead with six bouts remaining.
And, incidentally, Northampton swept those toss-up matches.
"We won all three and got two falls," Daubert said. "That was just huge for us."
More than that, the coach was thrilled to see how his wrestlers maintained their focus even after the outcome was
apparent. Schaffer and Jordan Glykas had the pins for Northampton, while Seth Csaszar, Aaron Chamberlain and Rinker
won with one-point decisions.
Blue Mountain's returning state champ Corte Choate and state runner-up Josh Kindig finished with pins at 130 and
135, respectively, to make the final score a bit tighter.
"Regardless of what the score is, we want to put on a good performance," Daubert said. "Rinker coming
back was a huge win for him. Hopefully, that'll get him rolling."
Meanwhile, Blue Mountain coach Tod Kindig used two words to sum up a day when his Eagles knocked off Lehigh Valley
Conference power Easton, 32-29, to reach the district final and the PIAA Team Wrestling Championships for the first
time.
"Exhilarated and exhausted," said Kindig, adding that he and his staff discussed plans over lunch. "We
put so much emphasis on the Easton match, they kept nothing in reserve. There was nothing left in the tank. You
take a deep breath, you remember your sole purpose."
The Eagles simply wanted to move on to states and stay as healthy as possible. Already battling fatigue and a couple
of injuries, Kindig opted to forfeit three bouts. He also promised his team would be ready to go in Tuesday's opening
round.
"We will represent against Lower Dauphin," Kindig said.
Northampton, on the other hand, will head directly to Friday's Class AAA state quarterfinals at the Giant Center
in Hershey.
Unless a dramatic upset occurs, the Konkrete Kids are expected to run into District 3 champion Central Dauphin,
the returning state champ, in Saturday's semifinals. The Rams beat the K-Kids 37-21 in the 2008 state final. Daubert
said winning the close matches will be the key this time.
Still, this Northampton team seems to have a strong will, and the wrestlers aren't particularly worried about past
results.
"When we wrestle hard, we're good," Schaffer said. "We all help each other. It's more of a team
thing. We just go out and do what we do."
Beth Hudson can be reached by e-mail at sports@express-times.com.
Wilson Area High School wins
District 11 Class AA Duals title with thrilling win over Pen Argyl
Sunday, February 01, 2009
By MICHAEL BLOUSE
The Express-Times
BETHLEHEM TWP. | The road the Wilson Area High School Warriors took to the District 11 Class AA Duals championship
was not the easiest.
And that's exactly what made the result so satisfying.
Coach Tom Mertz's fourth-seeded Warriors knocked off the Nos. 5, 1 and 2 seeds en route to the tournament title.
Wilson's impressive two-day showing was capped with an exciting, down-to-the-final-bout 29-27 win over Colonial
League wrestling rival Pen Argyl in Saturday night's final at Freedom High School.
The Warriors upset top-seeded Bethlehem Catholic 34-32 in Saturday's semifinal and defeated No. 5 Northern Lehigh
34-33 in Friday night's quarterfinal round.
Mertz sent 10 seniors to the mat Saturday night, and all seven of the Warriors' winners were 12th-graders.
"To be honest, I had so much confidence in our team coming into today," said one of the senior stars,
215-pounder Chad Little. "Once we beat Northern Lehigh, I felt a shot of energy our entire team felt. And
then when we beat Bethlehem Catholic, there was no doubt in my mind."
Wilson's top three wrestlers, D.J. Hartrum at 125 pounds, Austin Warman at 152 and Alex Depew at 171, all won their
bouts. Hartrum scored a fall, Warman a tough 3-2 decision over Tylor Mutton and Depew a forfeit.
Jeff Jungblut and Korey Kilpatrick picked up wins along the way, too.
But two decisions in particular were especially crucial.
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District thumbs its nose at MVC's
marquee match
Mike Kuhns
Sports Writer - Pocono Record
January 30, 2009
Mark Getz is steamed. Really steamed.
And, he has every right to be.
Hours after the Pleasant Valley wrestling coach learned on Thursday his team
will take on Stroudsburg in the today's opening round of the Class AAA District 11 Team Championships, Getz voiced
his displeasure.
"We're putting our JV team in," Getz said. "I'm pretty irritated with what the district did."
Just days before what should be a winner-take-all Mountain Valley Conference title showdown between PV and the
Mounties on Wednesday, the district committee locked in the Bears-Stroudsburg opening round match today at 4:30
p.m. at Freedom High School.
The nine-member district committee, which uses subjective judgement to seed its teams, thumbed its nose at the
Mountain Valley Conference and said, go away, you and your conference don't matter. Your title is a farce and we're
reminding you how little you matter.
Pleasant Valley athletic director Jake Percey was present at the seeding meeting, which includes a media representative,
athletic directors and an officials representative who make up the committee.
Percey said he relayed to the committee that his school and Stroudsburg did not want to wrestle in today's opening
round. His plea fell on deaf and callous ears.
"They felt it would change the integrity of the seeding if they moved teams," Percey said.
Changing a pigtail matchup wasn't going to change the integrity of the tournament. Stroudsburg and Pleasant Valley
have no chance of earning a state tournament berth and they know it. All they wanted was a chance to avoid one
another prior to their match Wednesday at Stroudsburg.
"I wasn't surprised," Getz said of the committee's lack of understanding. "Being from the Lehigh
Valley, I know how things work down there. I kind of expected it."
Pleasant Valley was willing to take the 10th seed and wrestle No. 7 Whitehall in the opening round - anything but
a first-round matchup with Stroudsburg was acceptable.
Getz also said that Stroudsburg deserved a better seed than No. 8.
"I think they can beat (No. 6) Nazareth and maybe (No. 5) Liberty," Getz said of the Mounties. "I
think they are right there with them."
Getz spoke with Stroudsburg coach Matt Kleinle on Thursday, letting him know his plans to wrestle mostly junior
varsity wrestlers. Getz said he is considering wrestling three or four varsity wrestlers, including Matt Yanovich,
a senior who has 99 career wins.
Maybe Getz should consider sitting Yanovich for a more meaningful bout on a more meaningful night. We all know
the feel of this match is tarnished with disgust.
Kleinle has Mounties on the rise
Mike Kuhns
Sports Writer - Pocono Record
January 30, 2009
Matt Kleinle and his Stroudsburg wrestling program have flown under the District
11 radar this season.
Northampton has received most of the attention in the Lehigh Valley as the K-Kids are the favorite to win this
weekend's Class AAA District 11 Team Championships as the top seed. Blue Mountain has wiggled its way into the
conversation of possible state tournament qualifiers, earning a No. 2 seed, joined by perennial contender No. 3
Easton.
But from the northern tier of the district come the 11-3 and eighth-seeded Mounties, dominating the Mountain Valley
Conference so far at 4-0 with ES South (Monday) and defending champion Pleasant Valley (Wednesday) to go.
Tonight, Stroudsburg takes on the ninth-seeded Bears at 4:30 p.m. in the opening round of the District Duals at
Freedom High School. The Mounties will be joined by No. 10 Pocono Mountain East in the first-ever 10-team field.
The Cardinals tackle No. 7 Whitehall in the opening round.
In Class AA, No. 8 Pius X earned a rematch with No. 9 Lehighton at 4:30 p.m. also at Freedom. Lehighton edged the
Royals 40-31 earlier this year.
"We want to do more than show up," said Kleinle, who in his fourth year has arguably assembled Stroudsburg's
best dual meet team in a decade. "We want to wrestle well and get ready for the end of the year. It'll be
nice to go down there and show some of the teams from the Lehigh Valley how well we wrestle. We don't want to go
down and lay an egg."
Anytime a team travels to the Lehigh Valley, the bar is raised. In the past few years, some wrestlers from the
MVC have met the challenge.
Last season two MVC wrestlers - Pleasant Valley's Buddy Gouger and PM East's Robert Knopf - won district titles.
Four area MVC wrestlers eventually qualified for the state tournament and PV's Chris Servian finished seventh at
152 pounds.
As far as team districts go, PV has been the most consistent at reaching the tournament. Winning has been an issue,
though. The Bears fell 74-2 to Northampton in last year's tournament and 46-13 to the Kids in 2007.
PV owns the last tournament victory, a 34-31 win over Parkland in 2006.
Stroudsburg's rise has been a steady one under Kleinle's tenure. Kleinle took over for Ron Spinner four years ago
after serving as an assistant under Spinner and longtime assistant Karl Detweiler. Spinner and Detweiler groomed
Kleinle for the head job then most likely because the veteran coaches knew he'd bring a new attitude, a new breath
the program needed. And even in his first year, Kleinle's aspirations were high.
"My first year of coaching I looked at the future at the junior high and I said to Spinner, 'You wait, three
or four years from now, we could send eight or nine kids to regionals,'"Š"Š"Š" Kleinle said.
"He said, 'Are you sure about that?' That's definitely a goal we threw out to the team already. They know
it, we know it and they expect it to happen."
The Mounties are a team whose balance creates matchup problems for opposing coaches. The team is centered around
senior Jordan Kays (10-1 at 152) and junior Matt Transue (20-4 at 171), but has gotten solid performances from
Zach Dugan (18-7 at 160), Eric Howey (16-7 at 119), Kevin Knowles (11-3 at 189), Tyler Lauchaire (14-6 at 140)
and Allen Marvin (20-5 at 215).
Throw in Eli Angradi's nine wins at 130 (he had just four all of last year) and freshman Jeffrey Fernandez's eight
wins at 103 and the Mounties have high expectations over the next few weeks.
How high? It should include at least one victory during the district duals this weekend and they carry the label
of favorite to win the MVC title next week.
"We've been in this chase before," Kleinle said of the run at the conference title. "The big difference
is we're the ones who are favored. PV will be tough ... I think it's going to be a real battle. Teams that have
won it six times in a row won't just hand it over. It'll be a battle."
Easy wrestling win for S-burg
before buzzsaw
By Mike Kuhns
Pocono Record Sports Writer
January 31, 2009
BETHLEHEM — We'll all have to wait for the real Pleasant Valley-Stroudsburg match, which will be on Wednesday.
Friday's preliminary matchup in the Class AAA District 11 Duals was anything but a preview.
PV coach Mark Getz sent out on the mat a majority of junior varsity wrestlers as the No. 8 seeded Mounties needed
just 40 minutes in a 66-18 victory over the ninth-seeded Bears at Freedom High School.
The Mounties were eliminated in the quarterfinal round by top-seeded Northampton 57-10. It was the third straight
year the Kids have eliminated a MVC team after beating Pleasant Valley in 2007 and 2008.
In another preliminary match, No. 7 Whitehall knocked off No. 10 Pocono Mountain East, 63-17. It was the Cardinals'
first appearance in the district duals.
In Class AA, Pius X avenged a loss from earlier this season, topping Lehighton 45-26 in the preliminary round.
The Royals then lost, 45-24, to Bethlehem Catholic in the quarters.
Getz has coached the Bears to the last three MVC titles and PV is winners of the last six titles in a row. PV's
biggest competition over the years has been Stroudsburg, and this year's Mountie team may be their best in a decade.
PV asked tournament officials not to pair it with Stroudsburg to no avail. When the seedings came out Thursday,
Getz said he would send his JV team to the tournament. For the most part, he followed through on that statement.
Matt Yanovich was the most notable starter to hit the mat at 119 pounds, earning his 100th career victory.
Junior Jordan Toledo sat out while getting an MRI.
"Unfortunately, with all this controversy a lot of the integrity was taken off of Stroudsburg and how good
they are," Getz said. "They are a really good team. Matt (Kleinle) has done a great job and I still think
they should have been a top-six team."
Getz said he did not have a chance to talk with tournament officials, but wanted to give them some ideas to avoid
similar situations in the future.
Kleinle said his team didn't feel slighted that PV didn't bring its varsity.
"We're looking forward to Wednesday," said Kleinle, who was quick to point out the Mounties first have
to beat ES South on Monday. "I think it's going to be a battle. We compliment ourselves as far as our lineups
go. They have some strong lightweights and we have some really strong upperweights. It's going to come down to
bonus points and like any championship match, that one surprise."
Pocono East made its first duals appearance in some time and possibly ever. At the very least, it's been 15 years
since the Cardinals wrestled on the district stage. After the loss to Whitehall, coach Chris Potter told his team
he expected more next year.
"We wrestled somewhat well, but we're not getting the job done," Potter said. "We're not staying
off our backs. Again, it's a great accomplishment to be here for us. We didn't expect it at the beginning of the
year, but at the same time we're going to keep pushing forward and we're not going to be satisfied with just getting
here."
Pius X looked solid in two matches. Justin Mazza battled back from a 5-1 deficit to knock off Bethlehem Catholic's
Jaydon Rice 7-6 at 112 pounds.
Parkland wrestlers get their
wish in Northampton at District 11 Class 3A team duals
By Mark Wogenrich | Of The Morning Call
January 31, 2009
Now that his team has cleared the district quarterfinal hurdle, Ryan Nunamaker turns his attention to a higher
one: Northampton.
''If you want respect,'' the Parkland coach said, ''you have to earn it.''
The Trojans turned back Liberty 36-25 on Friday, advancing to the semifinals of the District 11 Class 3A Team Wrestling
championships for the first time in Nunamaker's five years as coach. Parkland meets top-seeded Northampton in today's
semis, hoping for a better result than the 52-point loss it absorbed last month. The Konkrete Kids began defense
of their district title with a 57-10 win over Stroudsburg.
In today's other semifinal at Freedom High, Easton meets Blue Mountain for a shot at one of the district's two
bids to states. Third-seeded Easton eliminated Nazareth 36-15; No. 2 Blue Mountain ousted Whitehall 45-28. The
semis begin at 1 p.m., with the championship match scheduled for 6.
For Parkland, and Nunamaker, this district quarterfinal match has been a thorn. Two years ago, Liberty ousted the
Trojans in the same 4-5 matchup. Which is why Nunamaker didn't expect his team's 41-27 win over Liberty last week
to carry over.
''We knew it would be a tougher match,'' he said. ''These guys went after it tonight and made it happen.''
Parkland won eight bouts, including four of five in the decisive middle weights, to take the match. Andrew Moore's
critical decision at 140 pounds and pins from from Brandon Davis (112), Mike Ottinger (135) and Ian Heist (152)
carried the Trojans. Josh Heft clinched the match with a technical fall at 171.
''That's what it means to be a three-year starter,'' Nunamaker said of Heft. ''I think he got seven points in the
last 30 seconds, which put us over the top.''
In January, Parkland fell 57-5 to Northampton at the Cedar Cliff Duals. Nunamaker said his team ''rolled over''
that day, giving Northampton a bit too much respect.
''We'll be ready to wrestle hard and take it to them,'' he added. ''That's what you have to do.''
Easton won 11 bouts in beating Nazareth for the second time in two weeks. Highlights included Chris Wilson's 100th
career win and the latest defensive duel between Mark Hartenstine and Ryan Krecker (Hartenstine won 2-1 in overtime).
Now, the Rovers face a motivated Blue Mountain, which last week won the Schuylkill League title and seeks to break
the Lehigh Valley Conference's grip on state qualifiers. The teams have some familiarity, having worked out together
over the years, but dual meets are uncertain propositions.
''They're good wrestlers who got a whole lot of pins [five] against a good Whitehall team,'' Easton coach Steve
Powell said. ''But I think everybody wants a shot at Northampton and a shot at states.''
In the preliminary round, a seeding curiosity produced some disruption between Pleasant Valley and Stroudsburg.
The two teams wrestle a Wednesday match that could decide the Mountain Valley Conference championship. As such,
neither coach was particularly thrilled by the prelude.
Pleasant Valley coach Mark Getz chose to sit out more than half his varsity lineup, including wrestlers who were
injured, sick or on the weight bubble. One who did wrestle was 119-pounder Matt Yanovich, who won his 100th career
bout. As a result, Stroudsburg coach Matt Kleinle knew his team's 66-18 victory wasn't a preview of Wednesday.
''It was a little frustrating, but those are the cards you're dealt,'' said Kleinle, who wrestled his full varsity
roster against Pleasant Valley and Northampton. ''It would have been nice not to wrestle them tonight, but I can
see the district's point of view. You don't want to set a precedent for the future.''
Pleasant Valley is going for its seventh consecutive MVC title. Getz said he thought the district undervalued Stroudsburg
as the eighth seed. As a result, he didn't want to tip his hand.
''To me, this took the integrity of a title match away from us,'' Getz said. ''The district didn't see it that
way. They have their opinion, I have mine.''
mark.wogenrich@mcall.com
Wilson squeaks past Bulldogs
and into semis
Warriors to face Becahi; Pen Argyl to meet Saucon Valley.
By Tim Shoemaker | Special to The Morning Call
January 31, 2009
Wilson wrestling coach Tom Mertz had a number of motivational strategies to choose from when he sent 135-pounder
Jake Hunter out to wrestle Northern Lehigh's Joe Grammes on Friday night in the District 11 Class 2A duals quarterfinals.
Wilson led by three points, and both coaches -- Mertz and Northern Lehigh's Todd Herzog -- knew that Wilson had
the criteria advantage if the match ended in a tie.
In other words, all Hunter, who lost a 10-3 decision to Grammes two weeks ago, had to do was not give up any bonus
points, and the Warriors would advance to this morning's semifinals.
The emotional pendulum swung both ways. Hunter nearly won in regulation, then fought off a pin in overtime. Grammes
won the battle 11-6, but the Warriors won the war, a 34-33 win over the Bulldogs at Freedom High School.
''I don't like to tell our kids to go out and not get pinned,'' Mertz said.
''If that was the case, we would have told him to fall on his face and let [Grammes] spin behind him for two [points].
We're in this tournament not to win in the quarters, then bail out. We won't be happy getting to the finals and
taking second.''
Fourth-seeded Wilson (15-2) will wrestle top-seed Bethlehem Catholic (14-3), a 45-24 winner over Pius X, in this
morning's 11 a.m. semifinals. Saucon Valley (14-2) advanced to the semis by beating Tri-Valley 45-24 and will face
Pen Argyl (11-1), which knocked off Catasauqua 46-25. The top two schools advance to the PIAA Class 2A tournament.
Grammes led by 2-0 after one period and 2-1 after two. Grammes increased his lead to 4-2 with a minute left in
the third, but Hunter got a takedown and two nearfall points to lead 6-4 with about 40 seconds left.
Grammes escaped to lead 6-5, then tied it at 6-6 when Hunter was called for fleeing the mat with about 10 seconds
to go. In overtime, Hunter nearly got the first takedown, but Grammes countered with a five-point move and nearly
got the fall -- and win for Northern Lehigh -- but Hunter wiggled out of the predicament and settled for merely
a loss, which won the match for Wilson.
The Warriors got big wins from Alex Depew, who beat Colin Hedash 10-5 at 160, DJ Hartrum, who pinned Dylan Hoffman
at 125, from Chad Little, who knocked off Troy Silfies at 285, and Billy Connor, who outlasted Brandon Olewine
11-9 at 189.
''We knew it was going to be a tough [as a No. 4 seed],'' Mertz said. ''When the brackets came out, this was not
the team we wanted to meet. Coach Herzog is a great coach. We knew their guys were going to bring it.''
Second-seeded Pen Argyl, in its first district duals since 2004, won nine of 14 bouts to eliminate Catty, which
opened the duals by beating Northwestern in the first round.
''This program hasn't been to district duals in five years,'' Pen Argyl coach Scott Kupec said. ''We've been itching,
but we've always had an injury ... something always has thrown a monkey wrench into us trying to get here. We've
all stayed healthy.''
Pen Argyl beat Saucon Valley 32-30 on Jan. 21. Saucon coach Chad Shirk said his team has a simple formula if it
wants to have a chance to reverse that decision.
''Every kid has to wrestle hard for six minutes and not give up any bonus points,'' he said. ''We had some good
spots and we had some places where we could have wrestled a little bit better. We have our work cut out for us
[today].''
Tim Shoemaker is a freelance writer.
Northampton wins second consecutive
District 11 Class 3A wrestling team title
By Mark Wogenrich | Of The Morning Call
February 1, 2009
Northampton already had clinched the title when Greg Rinker found himself trailing by four points with 10 seconds
left in the 112-pound bout. A loss there wouldn't have mattered.
Except to Rinker and his teammates, that is.
''That's what makes this team great,'' the Northampton junior said after eventually winning his bout 9-8. ''We
battle to the end of every match, every day, no exceptions.''
That attitude served the Konkrete Kids well Saturday, when they clinched their second consecutive District 11 Class
3A Team Wrestling title. Northampton won the first eight bouts, without giving up a takedown, in defeating Blue
Mountain 47-19 in the championship match at Freedom High School.
With the victory, its seventh since the duals began in 1990, Northampton advanced to next week's PIAA duals in
Hershey. The Konkrete Kids (19-0) earned a bye into Friday's quarterfinals and are targeting a rematch with Central
Dauphin in the semifinals. Northampton lost to Central Dauphin in last year's state title match.
Blue Mountain, meanwhile, became the first team other than Northampton, Easton or Nazareth to earn one of District
11's two bids to states. The Eagles clinched their spot with a 32-29 victory over Easton in the afternoon semifinals.
After that, coach Tod Kindig said, the team was ''exhilarated and exhausted,'' which resulted in Blue Mountain
taking forfeits against Northampton at 145, 160 and 189 pounds.
''The kids had nothing left in the tank [for the final],'' Kindig said. ''So we stopped, regrouped and remembered
our sole purpose this weekend. We will represent against Lower Dauphin [in Tuesday's first round] and will be in
Hershey on Friday.''
Northampton secured the district title when Erik Schaffer pinned Keith Graeff at 285 pounds, giving the team an
insurmountable 38-0 lead. Schaffer weighed 50 pounds less than Graeff, and lost to him last year, giving the personal
victory deeper meaning.
Schaffer's win also capped a run from 140-285 (including the three forfeits) in which Northampton did not give
up a takedown.
''It felt good, like I helped the team,'' said Schaffer, wrestling at 285 pounds despite weighing in at 221 pounds.
''Last year, this was all pretty new and I didn't know what to expect. I think I've improved a lot since then.''
Two bouts later, Rinker faced Blue Mountain's Brandon Choate with the victory in hand. Down 8-4 with 10 seconds
remaining, Rinker went for one of Northampton's signature moves (the Konkrete Special), catching Choate with it
perfectly. Rinker scored five points with the move to take a 9-8 decision.
''That was huge win for him,'' Northampton coach Terry Daubert said. ''Hopefully, it will get him rolling.''
Two more tight victories (Seth Csaszar's 3-2 win at 171 and Aaron Chamberlain's 6-5 win at 215) gave Daubert an
even greater sense of satisfaction.
''Regardless of the score, we want to put on a good performance,'' the coach said. ''Winning the close battles
is what I'm looking for, and it's what we need both this week and next.''
Austin Sommer (140) and John Lambert (152) got the night started with decisions for Northampton. Jordan Glykas
added a pin at 125.
By the championship match, Blue Mountain (11-1) already had accomplished its mission. The Eagles came to Freedom
thinking solely of states, and Cort Choate's semifinal pin clinched it.
Choate, the defending state 3A individual champ at 125, pinned Easton's Richie Drey at 130 pounds in the match's
final bout to seal the victory. Easton had qualified for state duals eight of the past nine years.
As a result, Kindig said his team was exhausted and chasing against Northampton with ''nothing left in the tank.''
It also didn't help that the match began at 140, leading into the strength of Northampton's lineup. Blue Mountain
won four of the last six bouts.
''They might not be too pleased right now, but they will party tonight,'' Kindig said. ''This has been a community-in-waiting
for something like this.''
mark.wogenrich@mcall.com
Warriors nip Knights in last
bout
Pressure-packed: Wilson takes 2A crown with 29-27 win.
By Tim Shoemaker | Special to The Morning Call
February 1, 2009
Wilson wrestling coach Tom Mertz said that he could have done without the drama his team gave him this weekend
in the District 11 Class 2A wrestling duals at Freedom High School.
But the end result of his team squeaking out its three toughest wins of the year? He'll take it.
For the second straight night, Wilson hung on to win when its final wrestler had to avoid a bonus-point loss, and
the Warriors handed Colonial League rival Pen Argyl a 29-27 defeat for its seventh district championship in 11
trips to the finals since the district duals started in 1991.
This time, the hero of the final bout was 103-pounder Brandon Hartrum, who lost to Jamie Welsh 12-6. Wilson led
29-24 after 285, and Welsh took Hartrum down in the first 10 seconds with a cement mixer.
Hartrum bridged his way out of the predicament and eventually escaped. Welsh led 7-1 after one period and 10-1
after two, but Hartrum settled down in the third with a takedown, then a reversal in the last five seconds.
''This means a lot,'' Mertz said. ''We had two years with these seniors. Last year, there were some growing pains
because we tried to implement a new system. Over the summer and in preseason this year, you could see the kids
starting to turn the corner. It transpired into some pretty good wrestling.''
Wilson (17-2) won its three matches by the slimmest of margins, a total of four points. The Warriors, the fourth
seed, defeated Northern Lehigh on bout criteria in the quarterfinals. They knocked off top-seed Bethlehem Catholic
34-32 in Saturday morning's semis.
Wilson 145-pounder Austin Warman said he didn't count anything until it was almost over.
''I really didn't,'' Warman said. ''Welsh is a wonderful wrestler. He just pinned a kid from Saucon with a [concrete]
special to win the match. Then when Brandon Hartrum got turned, I was like, 'Oh, man.' I didn't feel confident
until there was one second left on the clock.''
Wilson will wrestle in the PIAA quarterfinals Friday against either the District 6 runner-up or the District 5
champion.
Pen Argyl (12-2), 0-4 all-time in District 11 championships, will wrestle in the state duals for the first time.
The Green Knights, 5-10 a year ago, will face District 4 runner-up Montoursville on Tuesday night at Shikellamy.
''I'm proud of my kids,'' Pen Argyl coach Scott Kupec said. ''From being told they weren't supposed to do anything,
to taking second in the entire district, and going to the state tournament -- I'm proud of them. I'm very happy.
They might not think so right now, but I'm happy for them.''
Pen Argyl advanced to the championship with a 41-26 win over Saucon Valley, then got off to a good start in the
final.
Rex Lutz (119), Luciano Burriesci (130), Austin Williams (135) and Phil Racciato (140) all won to give the Knights
a 15-7 lead after six bouts.
Wilson got back in the match with a second-period fall at 145 to make it 15-13. Warman followed with a difficult
3-2 win over Tyler Mutton, then Matt Hunter's 14-2 major at 160 pushed the Warrior lead to 20-15.
Alex Depew's forfeit at 171 gave Wilson a 26-15 cushion. Tyler Horn defeated Billy Connor 7-6 on a takedown with
16 seconds left to pull the Knights back to 26-18, but Wilson immediately regained the points when Chad Little
defeated Ryan Barry 3-0 at 215.
The Warriors forfeited to Kirby Mutton at 285 to make it 29-24 in Wilson's favor and set up Hartrum-Welsh.
''I wanted [Welsh] there,'' Kupec said. ''He's the guy you want if you need something big pulled off.''
Jeff Jungblut (112) and DJ Hartrum (125) also won for Wilson.
The district title is Wilson's first since 2004 and especially gratifying for Mertz, who put his alma mater back
in the state duals in just his second season.
''I was at a loss for a words, because I know how bad the seniors wanted it,'' Mertz said. ''Our whole motto this
weekend was, 'Leave no doubt.'''
Tim Shoemaker is a freelance writer.
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