Northwestern captures third place at District 11 team districts

BETHLEHEM – Northwestern wanted another shot at Saucon Valley.

But so did Wilson.

The Warriors got the rematch they wanted by knocking off the Tigers in the semifinals of the District 11 Class 2A team championships on Saturday at Freedom’s Joseph J. McIntyre Gymnasium. The victory avenged a loss to Northwestern in the semifinals of the Colonial League tournament a week earlier.

“Obviously, (losing to Wilson) was a letdown,” said Tigers head coach Jim Moll. “The goal coming in was to be district champs. We felt we could push Saucon and be even closer than we were in the past.

“But we had to get by Wilson first and they wrestled a great match. And a lot of stuff went their way today that … they earned it. They wrestled real hard in some close matches, and made it tough on us.”

Northwestern rebounded with two wins in the consolation bracket after losing to the Warriors. The Tigers defeated Tamaqua in a second round consolation match, before rallying to top Pen Argyl in the consolation final.

“It was nice to see our guys bounce back after a tough loss against Wilson,” said Moll. “It was good to see them respond that way.”

Lehighton also advanced to the championship semifinals, but fell to Saucon Valley. The Indians were eliminated with a second round consolation loss to Pen Argyl.

Before being eliminated by Northwestern, the Blue Raiders extended their stay in the tournament with a solid win over Palisades in a first round consolation match.

Panther Valley’s tournament came to an end with a first round consolation loss to Pen Argyl.

Saucon Valley defeated Wilson 57-20 to win its third straight Class 2A title. Bethlehem Catholic reclaimed the Class 3A crown with a dominant 43-12 victory over Nazareth. The Golden Hawks avenged last year’s 33-24 loss to the Blue Eagles in the district final.

Consolation Final

Northwestern-Pen Argyl

Despite having their hopes dashed earlier in the day, the third-seeded Tigers finished strong with a 43-33 win over the No. 10 seed Green Knights.

Trailing 33-27, Northwestern won the final three bouts to take the match. The run started with a major decision from Matt Peters at 138, and was capped off by pins from Colin Rex (145) and Jackson Bernhard to seal the win.

“Harrison (Bernhard) is out for today,” said Moll. “So we had to make some adjustments to our lineup and one of them was … Matty (Peters) and Colin (Rex) bumping up.”

The pin from Rex put the Tigers ahead for good at 37-33.

“I had to bump up when my team needed me for the last match (against Pen Argyl) there,” said Rex. “And overall it worked out really well.”

Pen Argyl took the lead with a flurry of pins, getting falls from Lucas Buskirk (113), Lorenzo Reto (126) and Nick Reto (132) to go in front.

Northwestern got pins from Tyler Watson (182), Quin Moyer (220) and Ben Griffith (120). Griffith’s fall broke a 21-21 tie and gave the Tigers a 27-21 lead before the Green Knights responded with pins from Lorenzo and Nick Reto.

Jake Dellicker (106) won by decision for Northwestern.

Northwestern 43, Pen Argyl 33

160 - Caleb Clymer (NW) won by forfeit; 170 - Chase Anklam (PA) pinned Ryan Havercamp in :33; 182 - Tyler Watson (NW) pinned Tyler Taylor in 5:40; 195 - Sawyer Beltz (PA) dec. Isaac Bredbenner, 10-5; 220 - Quin Moyer (NW) pinned Kyle DiTaranto in :54; 285 - Blake Fox (PA) pinned Hayden Bobbyn in 1:31; 106 - Jake Dellicker (NW) dec. Luke Valeckei, 9-2; 113 - Lucas Buskirk (PA) pinned Blake Brunner in 1:48; 120 - Ben Griffith (NW) pinned Kaden Fox in 2:42; 126 – Lorenzo Reto (PA) pinned Anthony Russo in 2:22; 132 - Nick Reto (PA) pinned Donovan White in 2:24; 138 - Matt Peters (NW) major dec. Jordan Sims, 10-0; 145 - Colin Rex (NW) pinned Antonio Reto in 1:51; 152 - Jackson Bernhard (NW) pinned Gianni Reto 1:27.

Championship semifinals

Northwestern-Wilson

With the Tigers’ lineup in flux, there was little room for error against the Warriors.

The margin of victory was also razor thin.

Wilson defeated Northwestern 37-36 on criteria. Tied at 36-36 after 14 matches, criteria C, unsportsmanlike conduct penalties during the match, broke the deadlock and gave the Warriors the victory.

The Tigers led 24-19 after the first nine matches, but No. 2 seed Wilson won three of the final five bouts to surge ahead.

Pins from Matt Peters (132) and Colin Rex (138) in the final two matches brought the score to 36-36.

Will Dellicker (145) started the match with a pin for Northwestern and Jake Dellicker’s fall at 106 gave the Tigers a 24-19 lead before Wilson started its rally.

Jackson Bernhard (152) and Tyler Watson (195) won by decision for Northwestern.

Despite the loss, Moll knows the experience will only help his team moving forward.

“It’s good. We had a lot of close matches; a lot of close individual bouts,” said Moll. “So that’s always good to see. You get competitive wrestling at this stage of the season, that’s all you need. “ The victory helped the Warriors reverse a 41-24 loss to the Tigers in the league semifinals.

Northwestern was unable to earn a third match against Saucon Valley. The Tigers suffered a 47-22 loss to the Panthers on Jan. 22 and suffered a 37-24 setback in league championship match on Jan. 29.

Wilson 37, Northwestern 36*

145 - Will Dellicker (NW) pinned Zavery Lesher in 6:52; 152 - Jackson Bernhard (NW) dec. Anthony Micci, 10-3; 160 - Caleb Clymer (NW) won by forfeit; 170 - Jon Fischer (W) major dec. Ryan Havercamp, 16-7; 182 - Alec Snyder (W) pinned Isaac Bredbenner in 3:50; 195 - Tyler Watson (NW) dec. Austin Wickman, 9-3; 220 - Kolby Flank (W) pinned Quin Moyer in 3:08; 285 - Roger Russell (W) dec. Hayden Bobbyn, 2-1; 106 -Jake Dellicker (NW) pinned Cameron King in 1:54; 113 - Jon Consorti (W) won by forfeit; 120 - Trevor Batdorf (W) tech. fall Blaek Brunner, 17-2 (5:45); 126 - Zach Poff (W) pinned Ben Griffith in 4:29; 132 - Matt Peters (NW) pinned Ashtyn Berberena in 1:18; 138 - Colin Rex (NW) pinned Dustin Hunara in 1:49.

* - Criteria C, unsportsmanlike conduct during matches.

Lehighton-Saucon Valley

Saucon Valley’s run to the final included a 58-9 win over Lehighton.

The top-seeded Panthers won 11 of the 12 contested bouts against the Indians, getting bonus points in eight of the matches.

Like Northwestern, Lehighton was also without several key cogs in the lineup. The fourth-seeded Indians were without Nate Kemmerer, Jack Zimmerman, Kevin Madea and Alex Hinkle on Saturday.

One wrestler who was in the lineup was Cody Scherer, who recently returned after missing the beginning of the season with injury. With only a handful of matches under his belt, the senior turned in a solid performance to top Braydyn Lugardo 10-3.

“He’s really only been at about four practices so far. So he’s got a couple matches,” Lehighton head coach Floyd Brown said of Scherer, a Schuylkill League runner-up last season. “Today was a nice one, in the Saucon match, he finally got to go six minutes. And it was a tight one. He had to come back to win.”

“He’ll have three more weeks to get ready, and get in shape, and we’ll see how he does. And he’s just a good athlete. He’s always in good shape. It’s just getting him in wrestling shape, and getting three more weeks in terms of conditioning, and hopefully he’s good to go. Three more weeks of practice, and I think he’ll be all right.”

Saucon Valley 58, Lehighton 9

145 - Jason Jones (SV) major dec. Chris Whiteman, 10-0; 152 - Angelo Mahaffey (SV) dec. Tyler Schock, 10-4; 160 - Thomas Spirk (SV) pinned Richard Fronheiser in :28; 170 – Cody Scherer (L) dec. Braydyn Lugardo, 10-3; 182 - Dane Csencsits (SV) pinned Christian Rodriguez in 1:50; 195 - Jarrett Hirschbeck (SV) major dec. Alex Zeigenfuss, 13-3; 220 - Jared Harka (SV) dec. Brett Gasker, 10-4; 285 - Nick Warnke (SV) won by forfeit; 106 - Dane Druckenmiller (SV) pinned Mason Ferguson in :14; 113 - Kevin Dyer (SV) tech. fall Jager Lynn, 17-2 (4:17); 120 - Steven Fritzinger (L) won by forfeit; 126 - Josh Jones (SV) pinned Lucas Sangiuliano in :10; 132 - Nick Rosengrant (SV) pinned Cody Engle in 1:40; 138 - Justin Kyra (SV) dec. Logan Pagotto, 11-4.

Consolation second round

Northwestern-Tamaqua

The Tigers won the first six matches en route to a 50-24 win over Tamaqua.

Moll was pleased with his team’s effort following a disappointing loss to Wilson.

“It’s good that we bounced back,” Moll said. “A loss can be good if they show they can respond well, and wrestle well, after a loss. That’s good. You’re gonna have to do that at districts, regionals and states, if you want to advance.

“Not everybody is gonna win districts. If you lose, you gotta learn to get past it, and move on. To show that they’re capable of doing that is good.”

Jackson Bernhard (152), Caleb Clymer (170), Isaac Bredbenner (195), Quin Moyer (220) and Matt Peters had pins for Northwestern.

Tyler Watson (182) and Will Dellicker (145) also got bonus points for the Tigers with major decisions, while Ryan Havercamp (160) and Colin Rex (138) won by decision.

“It worked out really well,” said Rex. “I haven’t gotten to wrestle any of those guys all season, besides Wilson. I got to see some different styles.”

Tamaqua, the No. 9 seed, closed to within 37-24 after three straight pins from Michael Shlanta (113), Randy Steigerwalt (120) and Aaron Coccio (126). But Northwestern won the final three bouts to close out the match.

“Honestly, we’re still making simple, little mistakes, that they’re capitalizing on on us,” said Blue Raiders head coach Jim McCabe. “If we have a free hand, and we put our hand on our belly, we have nothing to stop us from going to the mat. And if our hand is at our side, not bent, they grab our wrist, we have nothing to stop us from meeting our face off the mat.

“It’s just really small, simple things that can help us reach going three periods with tough kids. We’re young, but they got some experience, and (they) know how to wrestle. Now, we just have to correct these little, little things that give us a better opportunity to win.”

Northwestern 50, Tamaqua 24

152 - Jackson Bernhard (NW) pinned Kahlid Holland in 1:53; 160 - Ryan Havercamp (NW) dec. Nate Wickersham, 7-0; 170 - Caleb Clymer (NW) pinned Carson Krell in 2:22; 182 - Tyler Watson (NW) major dec. Noah Griffin, 15-3; 195 - Isaac Bredbenner (NW) pinned Brandon Eberts in 1:44; 220 - Quin Moyer (NW) pinned Alex Zeigler in 3:16; 285 - Bronson Strouse (T) won by forfeit; 106 - Jake Dellicker (NW) won by forfeit; 113 - Michael Shlanta (T) pinned Blake Brunner in 5:33; 120 - Randy Steigerwalt (T) pinned Ben Griffith in 2:38; 126 - Aaron Coccio (T) pinned Anthony Russo in :46; 132 - Matt Peters (NW) pinned Pierce Demetriades in 1:46; 138 - Colin Rex (NW) dec. Brandon Mader, 3-0; 145 - Will Dellicker (NW) major dec. Reese Szabo, 8-0.

Pen Argyl-Lehighton

The Green Knights won several close matches to knock off Lehighton 42-28.

Pen Argyl won six straight bouts after trailing 19-9 to take control of the match – and avenge a 45-35 loss to the Indians on Dec. 23.

“I thought we could get seven matches, and it was gonna come down to bonus points,” said Brown. “ I thought maybe we could get seven. But with two tight ones, we just didn’t’ get the win there.”

Sawyer Beltz picked up a 3-1 decision at 195 pounds, and Kaden Fox earned a 9-5 decision at 120 for the Green Knights.

Pen Argyl also got bonus points with pins from Luke Velekei (106), Lucas Buskirk (113), Lorenzo Reto (126) and Nick Reto (132). Nick Reto’s fall pushed the Green Knights’ lead to 42-19.

Richard Fronheiser (170) and Chris Whiteman (145) won by fall for the Indians, while Tyler Schock (152) had a major decision. Brett Gasker (220) and Logan Pagotto (138) both won by decision.

“We’ll be back in here in a couple weeks, so it was nice to get to see some kids we wouldn’t normally see,” Brown said, referencing the individual tournament, which begins at Freedom.

“Overall, it was a good day. We qualified, and we got some extra matches. I think we could have wrestled better, but it is what it is. We’ll come back and hopefully be ready for next week.”

Pen Argyl 42, Lehighton 28

152 - Tyler Schock (L) major dec. Gianna Reto, 14-5; 160 - Chase Anklam (PA) won by forfeit; 170 - Richard Fronheiser (L) pinned Tyler Taylor in 1:47; 182 - Cody Scherer (L) won by forfeit; 195 - Sawyer Beltz (PA) dec. Alex Zeigenfuss, 3-1; 220 - Brett Gasker (L) dec. Kyle DiTaranto, 2-1; 285 - Blake Fox (PA) won by forfeit; 106 - Luke Velekei (PA) pinned Mason Ferguson in 3:05; 113 - Lucas Buskirk (PA) pinned Jagur Lynn in 3:54; 120 – Kaden Fox (PA) dec. Steven Fritzinger, 9-5; 126 - Lorenzo Reto (PA) pinned Lucas Sangiuliano in 3:07; 132 - Nick Reto (PA) pinned Cody Engle in :58; 138 - Logan Pagotto (L) dec. Jordan Sims, 5-1; 145 - Chris Whiteman (L) pinned Adam Knecht in 2:32.

Consolation first round

Palisades-Tamaqua

Tamaqua stormed to a 45-28 victory over No. 12 seed Palisades.

The Blue Raiders got pins from Brandon Mader (145), Nate Wickersham (160), Brandon Eberts (195), Bronson Strouse (220) and Aaron Coccio (126). Pierce Demetriades added a decision.

Tamaqua opened the tournament with a statement win over Notre Dame Green Pond to guarantee itself a spot on Saturday, something McCabe was hoping for.

“I said earlier in the week, if we win our first match, we have an opportunity of getting at minimum three matches,” he said. “And if we continue to win, more. But more importantly, you don’t get experience if someone takes you down and puts you on your back and pins you in 20 seconds. You have to be willing to go and try and wrestle three periods. Because if you’re wrestling three periods, that’s when you gain your experience.

“That’s what our main focus was. We got four matches, we went 2-2. I couldn’t be happier. Our goal this year was to get to .500 and that’s where we’re sitting right now.”

Now, it’s about refining those skills ahead of the individual portion of the postseason.

“One hundred percent. It’s all technique,” said McCabe. “You could run 10 miles a day, and you could squat 400 pounds, and bench 300. If you can’t perform the move, it doesn’t matter what kind of shape you’re in. It’s all technique. You get could technique, now you build up the muscular strength, and the cardio, and then you become a well-oiled machine.”

The Blue Raiders will have three chances to do so before districts – and it starts with Lehighton on Wednesday.

“One thing I preach in all the sports I coach is that failure is acceptable,” said McCabe. “Consistent failure isn’t. So if you continue to make the same mistakes, we have an issue. And within these next three matches, we don’t want to have consistent failure. You go out, and you try something and you make a mistake and you fail, that’s fine.

“But if you’re doing the same thing wrong all the time, it has to stop now. It’s three matches left, then we have districts, and then it’s the offseason. But you want to correct that before the offseason, because if you can correct that before the offseason, then we can start working on some other things that we can get better at for the start of next season.”

Tamaqua 45, Palisades 28

145 - Brandon Mader (T) pinned Danny Kelleher in 5:18; 152 - Nathan Haubert (P) pinned Reese Szabo in 3:50; 160 - Nate Wickersham (T) pinned Peter Kandel in :45; 170 – Adam Marsh (P) pinned Carson Krell in 2:54; 182 – Noah Griffin (T) won by forfeit; 195 - Brandon Eberts (T) won by forfeit; 220 - Bronson Strouse (T) pinned Jack Donnelly in 3:17; 285 - Bryan McNally (P) won by forfeit; 106 - Double forfeit; 113 - Randy Steigerwalt (T) won by forfeit; 120 - Zack Wasser (P) won by forfeit; 126 - Aaron Coccio (T) pinned Parker Lambert in 3:34; 132 - Pierce Demetriades (T) dec. Jon DeNato, 4-0; 138 - Mason Smealand (P) major dec. Caleb Sell, 10-2.

Pen Argyl-Panther Valley

Pen Argyl ousted Panther Valley, 54-18.

The Green Knights cashed in on bonus points - with pins in four matches – and took advantage of four forfeits from the No. 6 seed Panthers.

Hunter Kennedy (170), Derrick Beckham (182) and Aaron Eidem had pins for Panther Valley.

A potential match between state ranked Chase Anklam and Hunter Kennedy didn’t materialize with Tanner Kennedy out of action after tweaking his knee Thursday against Northwestern and the lineup in flux.

Anklam got a forfeit at 160 pounds.

“We were hoping Anklam would go up, but he’s on his descent plan, to wrestle Hunter, and Tanner wasn’t there so we didn’t get a match there,” said Panthers head coach Tim Robb. “But Eidem got a nice win. He pinned Blake Fox, and that’s a huge win for him. Derrick wrestled Sayer Beltz, who isn’t bad.

“We got something out of it. Unfortunately, we’re banged up and not everybody’s where they need to be in the lineup. And Pen Argyl came to wrestle. But it is what it is.”

Robb hopes to have Tanner Kennedy, as well as Miguel Santiago and Colby Newton, who wrestle at 113 and 120, respectively, back soon.

“We’re gonna get healthy,” said Robb. “We have two weeks off. We’re gonna have two matches, because I think we’re scheduling Faith Christian the day before (Schuylkill) Haven (on Feb. 14). So two matches then we’ll have another two weeks (before districts).

“So time to get healthy, time to get in shape, and we’ll be fine.”

Pen Argyl 54, Panther Valley 18

145 - Adam Knecht (PA) won by forfeit; 152 - Gianni Reto (PA) pinned Noah Berk in 2:51; 160 - Chase Anklam (PA) won by forfeit; 170 - Hunter Kennedy (PV) pinned Tyler Taylor in :54; 182 - Derrick Beckham (PV) pinned Sayer Beltz in 3:49; 195 - Double forfeit; 220 - Kyle Ditaranto (PA) dec. Chris Walkinshaw, 5-2; 285 - Aaron Eidem (PV) pinned Blake Fox in 1:12; 106 - Luek Vekei (PA) won by forfeit; 113 - Lucas Buskirk (PA) pinned Gage Breiner in 3:17; 120 - Kaden Fox (PA) pinned Louden Breiner in 3:03; 126 - Lorenzo Reto (PA) pinned Bryan Krapf in 2:14; 132 - Nick Reto (PA) won by forfeit; 138 - Antonio Reto (PA) dec. Justin Ogozalek, 8-1.