Wildcats Stay Unbeaten With 38-22 Win Over Huskies

By Joe Walker

LEWISTOWN- The Central Mountain Wildcats used a smart line-up adjustment by head coach Biff Walizer to go along with a lot of bonus points and in return not surrendering many bonus points to come away with a solid 38-22 win over the Huskies of Mifflin County. 

The dual meet started at 145 pounds and Walizer elected to insert freshman Hayes Donley and bump Dalton Perry and Luke Ananea up a weight. Donley got the line-up switch off to a good start when he used a big seven point move in the final period to come away with a 10-4 decision over Huskie sophomore Brian Albert and got the Wildcats out 3-0. 

Perry then followed up at 152 pounds with a fall in 36 seconds of the second period over Colby Seiler, who was a state qualifier last season. Perry was leading 12-4 at the time of the fall. Ananea then promptly walked out at 160 pounds and recorded a fall in 1:21 of the first period to give the Wildcats a quick 15-0 lead. 

The Huskies stopped the Wildcat run at 172 pounds, when Reese Christine used three takedowns enroute to a 10-2 major decision over junior Dalton McDermott, who was in the line-up in place of injured senior Jacob Weaver, who could be lost for the season. 

Huskie Senior Avery Aurand recorded four takedowns in defeating Wildcat senior Bryce Brungard by a 14-3 major decision at 189 pounds. The four point win by Aurand cut the Wildcat lead top 15-8. Sophomore Kai Fravel got the Wildcats six points at 215, as he pinned the Huskies Alonso Torres in 27 seconds of the second period, Fravel was leading 11-1 at the time of the fall and put the Wildcats up 21-8. 

Veteran Huskie 285 pounder Payton Kearns used five takedowns to win an 18-3 technical fall over promising Wildcat freshman Hayes Henry at the 5 minute mark. The win cut the lead to 21-13, but it quickly went back up at 107, as sophomore Cael Dorman received a forfeit to make it a 27-13 Wildcat lead. 

Sophomore Gavin Heverly used two takedowns to record a 6-1 decision over rival Andrew Alexander in a battle of state qualifiers at 114 pounds and a 30-13 Wildcat lead. Huskie Paxton Shawver then used two takedowns to defeat the Wildcats’ Collin Bauman at 121 pounds, setting the team score at 30-16. 

Sophomore Aiden Kunes then went out and locked the dual meet up for the Wildcats, as he dominated the Huskies’ Laylen Bowersox with a 17-2 technical fall that ended at the end of the first period. The win by Kunes set the team score at 35-16 and assured the Wildcats would stay unbeaten at 3-0 on the young season. 

The Huskies got some bonus points at 133, as sophomore Jake Knable recorded a fall in 19 seconds of the second period over Luke Garman to make it a 35-22 Wildcat lead. Then in the final bout of the night, the Wildcats’ Patrick Tarantella held on for an 8-6 decision win at 139 pounds, as the sophomore was leading 8-3, when in the final 20 seconds he gave up a takedown and almost put onto his back, but the buzzer sounded and gave him the win that set the final score at 38-22. 

“Just like the Bald Eagle Area match we had some real dogfight matches and we were able to come away with most of them. With Hayes (Donley) going out in his first varsity match and getting the win and almost a pin was a great start for us. Then with Dalton (Perry) and Luke (Ananea) getting the falls we got off to that quick 15-0 lead really set the tone for us.” commented Head Coach Biff Walizer after the win. 

“We won most of what looked like toss up matches and we got the bonus points where we needed to get them. Even the guys who lost wrestled tough and allowed us not to give up a lot of bonus points. The intensity was there tonight, just like the BEA match, but we have a short time to get ready for the King Of The Mountain Tournament, which will give us a lot of stiff competition,” continued Walizer. 

The Wildcats will be among 33 teams to compete in the KOM Tournament, which starts Friday at 11:00 am and continues through Saturday. Joining the host Wildcats will be Altoona, Bald Eagle Area, Bellefonte, Bethel Park, Boiling Springs, Boyertown, Brookville, Canon-MacMillan, Central York, Chambersburg, Chestnut Ridge, Cranberry, Cumberland Valley, Ephrata, General McLane, Hempfield, Line Mountain, Mifflin County, Montoursville, Muncy, Owen J. Roberts, Parkland, Pottsville, Red Lion, Shaler, State College, Upper Merion, Warrior Run, West Allegheny, West Chester Rustin and Williamsport. 

The Wildcat junior high squad lost a 60-30 match to the Mifflin County junior high, as winning bouts by fall for the Little Wildcats were Jack Stout (87) and Ashton Falls (130). The other Wildcat winners were all by forfeit, as Maverick Shultz (138), Evan Batterson (190) and Kaiden Daniels (250) all received free six pointer passes. 

CENTRAL MOUNTAIN 38, MIFFLIN COUNTY 22 

145 – Hayes Donley (CM) dec. Brian Albert, 10-4 (3-0) …… 152 – Dalton Perry (CM) pinned Colby Seiler, 2:36 (9-0) ….. 160 – Luke Ananea (CM) pinned Brayen Aurand, 1:21 (15-0) 172 – Reese Christine (MC) maj dec Dalton McDermott, 10-2 (15-4) ….. 189 – Avery Aurand (MC) maj dec Bryce Brungard, 14-3 (15-8) ….. 215 – Kai Fravel (CM) pinned Alonso Torres, 2:27 (21-8) ….. 285 – Payton Kearns (MC) tech fall Hayes Henry, 18-3, 5:00 (21-13) ….. 107 – Cael Dorman (CM) won by forfeit (27-13) ….. 114 – Gavin Heverly (CM) dec. Andrew Alexander, 6-1 (30-13) ….. 121 – Paxton Shawver (MC) dec. Collin Bauman, 6-1 (30-16) ….. 127 – Aiden Kunes (CM) tech fall Laylen Bowersox, 17-2, 2:00 (35-16) ….. 133 – Jack Kanble pinned Luke Garman, 2:19 (35-22) ….. 139 – Patrick Tarantella (CM) dec. Kamden Everly, 8-6 (38-22)