WILDCATS COME FROM BEHIND AGAIN TO BEAT SHIKELLAMY 29-28
By Joe Walker
MILL HALL – Two teams have met twice this season and in both dual meets the Shikellamy Braves have led the Central Mountain Wildcats heading into the final bout of the dual meet. Back in December, the Braves led 30-29, but Wildcat Head Coach Biff Walizer had Dalton Perry in the bullpen and he recorded a fall to pull out a 35-30 win.
This time the Braves had a 28-26 lead heading into the final bout of the evening and again Walizer was able to send out one of his standouts. This time Walizer had sophomore Gavin Heverly in the bullpen and he came up big with a solid 7-0 decision to give the Wildcats a 29-28 win in the PIAA Class AAA Team Duals first round.
The win boosted the Wildcats to a 14-0 record and a match-up with the Boyertown Bears in the PIAA Class AAA Team Duals quarterfinals at Altoona High School on Friday night at 7 pm. The Bears are the District 1 champions and bring a 22-2 record into the quarterfinals, as they defeated District 3 runner-up Chambersburg 41-20 Tuesday night.
Heverly (28-6) used a first period takedown for a 3-0 lead and then in the second period, he escaped and added another takedown to help post a solid 7-0 decision over the Braves’ Max Hallman (20-12) and seal the win for the Wildcats.
“We had a lot of confidence in Gavin (Heverly) going into the final bout and he came out and wrestled a smart match, as he knew he just had to win and thus wrestled smart and stayed out of any trouble. We have been lucky in both dual meets with them, as we won the flip of the disc both times and that allowed us to get the match-ups we wanted. One of them was getting Bryce (Brungard) against Boestch at 215 as he came up big with a major decision, which was big in the team score”. Commented head coach Biff Walizer after the win.
“We knew we would probably give up six points at 285, know matter who we sent out, as Rebuck is so good, but I told Cael (Dorman) and Gavin (Heverly) we were still going to be in good shape being up four going into the final two bouts. Cael had pinned his guy the first time, as he caught him in a headlock, but tonight his guy was looking for that and things got reversed this time. But again we had confidence in Gavin to win his match.” commented Walizer after the win.
The dual meet started at 121 pounds and Wildcat sophomore Collin Bauman (16-14) posted a solid 9-3 decision over the Braves’ Ryder Borich (20-15). Bauman got revenge as he was pinned by Borich in the December dual meet and gave the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.
The Braves tied it up at 127 pounds when freshman Braylon Chestnut (13-16) used a six point move in the final period to defeat Wildcat sophomore Luke Garman by a 6-2 decision and tied the score up 3-3.
Sophomore Aiden Kunes (30-6) put the Wildcats up with a dominating 17-3 major decision over the Braves’ Eben Kisner (24-11) at 133 pounds to put the Wildcats up 7-3. Sophomore Patrick
Tarantella (28-12) got two takedowns in the first period and went on to win a 6-3 decision over Keatin Lattimore (15-10) at 139 pounds and the Wildcats now led 10-3.
Freshman Hayes Donley (11-7) gave up with a big fall at 145 pounds, as Walizer decided to bump Dalton Perry up to 152. Donley made the move pay off, as he promptly got a takedown and then pinned the Braves Connor Slear (2-3) in 1:18 of the first period and put the Wildcats up 16-3.
Perry (31-2) then promptly stepped on the mat at 152 and pinned the Braves’ Gavin Keefer (10-15) in just 44 seconds of the first period to increase the Wildcat lead to 22-3. The Braves’ Cole Wetzel (23-9) stopped the Wildcat run when he used four takedowns to earn a 14-3 major decision over the Wildcats’ Luke Ananea (25-10) at 160 pounds and cut the lead to 22-7.
The Braves’ A.J. Benedict (19-15) used a big seven point move in the first period and led 9-1 heading into the final period to come away with a 10-6 win over the Wildcats’ Dalton McDermott (18-11) at 172 pounds. McDermott got a reversal and later a takedown in the final period, but could get no closer and with the win the Braves made it a 22-10 score.
Wildcat freshman Todd Caris (5-5) was sent out to face Braves’ Connor Wetzel (26-3), who placed fourth in the state last year and is headed to Lock Haven University next season. Wetzel collected his 123 career win, when he took Caris down and recorded a fall in 46 seconds of the first period and cut the Wildcat lead to 22-16.
The Wildcats then got one of the match-ups they wanted at 215 and senior Bryce Brungard (28-12) did not disappoint, as he posted a solid 8-0 major decision over Christian Boetsch (21-13) to give the Wildcats four important team points and a 26-16 lead.
Then Wildcat freshman Hayes Henry (11-15) was sent out to face the Braves Brody Rebuck, who is now 34-1 on the season and was a regional runner-up last season. Rebuke led 3-0 after one period and then pinned the young Wildcat in 25 seconds of the second period to make it a 26-22 Wildcat lead heading into the final two bouts.
The Braves’ sophomore, Jacob Hendricks (20-12), led 5-4 over Wildcat sophomore Cael Dorman (14-12) after one period at 107. In period number two he was leading 7-5, when he took Dorman down and caught the Wildcat for a fall in 1:23 of the period to give the Braves a 28-26 lead and setting the stage for Heverly to come out with his solid win and move the Wildcats into the state quarterfinals on Friday night.
CENTRAL MOUNTAIN 29, SHIKELLAMY 28
121 – Collin Bauman (CM) dec. Ryder Borich, 9-3 (3-0); … 127 – Braylon Chestnut (Shik) dec. Luke Garman, 6-2 (3-3); … 133 – Aiden Kunes (CM) maj dec Eben Kisner, 17-3 (7-3); … 139 – Patrick Tarantella (CM) dec. Keaton Lattimore, 6-3 (10-3); … 145 – Hayes Donley (CM) pinned Connor Slear, 1:18 (16-3); … 152 – Dalton Perry (CM) pinned Gavin Keefer, :44; (22-3); … 160 – Cole Wetzel (Shik) maj dec Luke Ananea, 14-3 (22-7); … 172 – A J
Benedict (Shik) dec. Dalton McDermott 10-6 (22-10); … 189 – Connor Wetzel (Shik) pinned Todd Caris, :46 (22-16); … 215 – Bryce Brungard (CM) maj dec Christian Boetsch, 8-0 (26-10); … 285 – Brody Rebuck (Shik) pinned Hayes Henry, 2:25 (26-22); … 107 – Jacob Hendricks (Shik) pinned Cael Dorman, 3:23 (26-28); … 114 – Gavin Haverly (CM) dec. Max Hallman 7-0 (29-28)
