WILDCATS DEFEAT EAGLES IN OPENING DUAL MEET
By Joe Walker
WINGATE-Using five wins by fall and one by a forfeit, the Central Mountain Wildcats used those bonus team points to defeat Bald Eagle Area 51-9 on Tuesday evening. It was the dual meet opener for the Wildcats, while the Eagles came into the dual meet with a 1-0 record after defeating Bellefonte 38-26.
The Wildcats got falls from Dalton Perry (145), Luke Ananea (152), Dalton McDermott (172), Bryce Brungard (189) and Collin Bauman (121), while Gavin Heverly (114) received a forfeit. Getting regular decision wins for the Wildcats were Aiden Kunes (127), Patrick Tarantella (139), Dakoda Packer-Edwards (160), Kai Fravel (215), and Cael Dorman (107).
The dual meet started at 127 and a bout between the Wildcats’ Aiden Kunes and the Eagles’ Tanner Guenot. Kunes, a regional champion last season, used a third period escape to come away with a 1-0 decision over Guenot, who placed fifth last season in Class AA states. The win was the second one for Kunes over state placewinners from last season, as he defeated Mifflinburgs’ Bradley Wagner (6th last season) in the Top Hat Tournament finals.
The Eagles’ Caden Judice temporarily stopped any Wildcat early momentum, by racking up a 18-1 technical fall over Wildcat sophomore Luke Garman at 133, which put the Eagles up 5-3. Patrick Tarantella gave the Wildcats back the lead at 139, as he held on for an 8-6 decision over Dawson Lomison. Lomison got a takedown with under 15 seconds to go to make it 7-6, but then left Tarantella go for an escape to make it 8-6, but no takedown was to be had.
The Wildcats then got back to back falls by Perry and Ananea to put the Wildcats ahead to stay by a 18-5 score. Perry recorded a fall in 1:39 over Eagle freshman Easton Grimes, while Ananea pinned Eagle sophomore Wyatt Knepp in 26 seconds of their 152 pound bout.
The Wildcats then got a 1-0 decision win from freshman Dakoda Packer-Edwards at 160 and then junior Dalton McDermott recorded a fall at 172 pounds to put the Wildcats up 27-5. McDermott was filling in for injured senior Jacob Weaver. The Eagles were without a standout as well, as three-time state place winner Caleb Close was out of line-up with a injury as well.
Wildcat senior Bryce Brungard recorded a fall over Austin Stein in 1:40 of their 189 pound bout and then Wildcat sophomore Kai Fravel got a late reversal to come away with a 5-4 decision over Eagle sophomore Kyle Watson.
The Eagles got their final win over the night at 285, as veteran Gage Gardner recorded an 11-1 decision win over Wildcat freshman Hayes Hunter to make it 36-9. Wildcat sophomore Cale Dorman used three takedowns and five back points to record a 14-7 decision over Eagle freshman Tyler Corey at 107 for a 39-9 Wildcat lead.
Wildcat junior standout Gavin Heverly was awarded a forfeit at 114 and then Wildcat junior Collin Bauman closed out the Wildcat win, as built up a 12-0 lead before pinning the Eagles Liam Pursell in 56 seconds of the final period to set the final at 51-9.
“It was a total team effort tonight, even the boys who lost their bouts went out and wrestled aggressively. Aiden got us off on a good note with a tough 1-0 win over a very good Tanner Guenot. We also got big one point wins by Dakoda Packer-Edwards and Kai Fravel and that was big for those two you guys. I think that was Patrick’s (Tarantella) first win over Lomison. We did have a couple of bouts where the boys got themselves into some bad positions and we will have to address that, but they were being aggressive when it happened, but still some things we will have to address.” commented a happy head coach Biff Walizer after the win,
The Bald Eagle Area girls defeated the Lady Wildcats by a 30-18 score, the big difference being the Eagles receiving three forfeits in the dual. In the big match-up of the dual meet, the Lady Eagles’ Grace Crestani took down Kendall Wagner and pinned the Lady Wildcat. Both wrestlers were state placewinners last year.
The Lady Wildcats got falls from Austynn Falls (155), Ashlynn Miller (235) and Kaitlyn Scarborough-Perez (124). The Lady Wildcats Emma Scarborugh-Perez (118) had built up an 11-1 lead, but later got two high on a move and was reversed and pinned by Addison Tice in the second period.
In the Junior High match, the Little Wildcats handed the Little Eagles a 49-34 defeat, as Hunter Nace (101), Brayden Wolfgang (115), Evan Batterson (190) and Jack Crawford (210) all recorded falls. Hayden Hanley (122) and Stover Sprague (170) added decision wins, while Rowan Weikel (80), Cael Fredricks (130) and Ashton Falls (138) won by forfeits.
The Wildcats, Lady Wildcats and the Little Wildcats will all travel to Sunbury on Thursday to face the Shikellamy Braves in a Heartland Conference dual meet. The Wildcats varsity boys and the Wildcat junior high are now both 1-0 on the season, while the Lady Wildcats fall to 3-4 on the season. The junior high match will start at 5 pm, while the girls will take the mat at 6:30 and the varsity boys will start around 7 pm.
CENTRAL MOUNTAIN 51, BALD EAGLE AREA 9 (Boys)
127 – Aiden Kunes (CM) dec Tanner Guenot, 1-0 (3-0)…. 133 – Caden Judice (BEA) WTF Luke Garman, 18-1, 3:51 (3-5)….139 – Patrick Tarantella (CM) dec. Dawson Lomison, 8-6 (6-5)….145 – Dalton Perry (CM) pinned Easton Grimes, 1:39 (12-5)….152 – Luke Ananea (CM) pinned Wyatt Knepp, :26 (18-5)…. 160 – Dakoda Packer-Edwards (CM) dec. Alex Aurovec, 1-0 (21-5)…. 172 – Dalton McDermott (CM) pinned Brody Gardner, 2:31 (27-5)…. 189 – Bryce Brungard (CM) pinned Austin Stein, 1:40 (33-5)…. 215 – Kia Fravel (CM) dec. Kyle Watson, 5-4 (36-5)…. 285 – Gage Gardner (BEA) maj dec Hayes Henry, 11-1 (36-9)…. 107 – Cael Dorman (CM) dec.Tyler Corey, 14-7 (39-9)…. 114 – Gavin Heverly (CM) won by forfeit (45-9)….121 – Collin Bauman (CM) pinned Liam Pursell, 4:56 (51-9)
BALD EAGLE AREA 30, CENTRAL MOUNTAIN 18 (Girls)
155 – Austynn Falls (CM) pinned Cameron Corl-Alton, 1:11 (6-0)…. 170 – Grace Crestani (BEA) pinned Kendall Wagner (6-6)….190 – Harley Spade (BEA) won by forfeit (6-12)…. 235 – Ashlynn Miller (CM) pinned Shaylin Harter :30 (12-12)…. 106 – Eden Eveleth (BEA) won by forfeit (12-18)…. 112 – Lily Spicer (BEA) won by forfeit (12-24)…. 118 – Addison Tice (BEA) pinned Emma Scarborough-Perez, 3:59 (12-30)
124 – Kaitlyn Scarborough-Perez (CM) pinned Rebekah Guenot, 2:33 (18-30)
