Wildcats Hold off Red Raider Challenge for 38-30 Win
CM Draws Philipsburg-Osceola for D6 Duals Feb. 6
BELLEFONTE — If undefeated Central Mountain (8-0) was looking for a stiff test before the District 6 team duals early next month, they certainly got one tonight from a fired-up Bellefonte (11-6) team.
But the Wildcats passed the test, taking 8 of 14 weights and utilizing a successful lineup shift from coach Biff Walizer to come home a 38-30 winner.
Bellefonte had closed to a 32-24 deficit with two weights to go, 170 pounds and 182 pounds. As Central Mountain had won the coin toss prior to the dual, the Red Raiders had to send out their contestant first at 170. Dillon Kephart (20-5) came out for the home team and coach Walizer countered by forfeiting the weight, putting the score at 32-30. Instead the Wildcats bumped up Caleb Turner (10-3) to 182. He responded with a fall in 2:23 over Bellefonte’s Brian McChesney (11-15), putting the final at 38-30.
The Wildcats had sprinted to a 13-0 lead in a match that started at 195 pounds. Isaac Porter (17-4) picked up a decision, Hunter Weaver (20-3) a forfeit and Bryce Bitner (17-8) a major.
After Bellefonte’s Cole Stewart decisioned Central Mountain’s Cody Coleman (8-7) at 106 pounds, Geo Barzona (17-2) answered with a major at 113 to make it 17-3 in favor of the now 8-0 Wildcats. Bellefonte picked up a forfeit at 120 but Seth Andrus (14-8) answered with a 5-point technical fall at 126 to put the score at 22-9 midway through the dual meet.
A trade of falls followed in the next two weights, Colton Weaver (18-6) answering a Bellefonte pin at 132 with one of his own at 138, the score 28-15 at that point. Sophomore Asher Corl (8-8) came through with a major at 145; 32-15 the Wildcat lead. But Bellefonte would use a Brock Port fall at 152, a Dakota Parson decision at 160 and the Kephart forfeit at 170 to make the score 32-30 CM and set the stage for Turner’s clutch pin and the Wildcat win.
District 6 tonight announced the pairings for the Saturday, Feb. 6 team duals at Tyrone. As opposed to previous years, there will be no quarterfinals early next week for seeds three through six. Instead the four semifinalists have been determined: #1 seed Central Mountain draws #4 Philipsburg-Osceola (8-6). The other semifinal sees #2 seed Mifflin County (14-4) wrestle Bellefonte (11-6). This will be the fourth year in a row that Mifflin County and the Red Raiders meet in the semis. Central Mountain and Philipsburg-Osceola did not meet this year.
The Wildcats have two duals prior to the district duals. First up is a trip to State College (7-11) for a 1:30 p.m. match this Saturday and next Tuesday a visit to Selinsgrove.
| Jan. 28, 2016 | TOTAL |
| CENTRAL MOUNTAIN | 38 |
| BELLEFONTE | 30 |
195 – Isaac Porter, Central Mountain, dec. Max Mondy, Bellefonte, 7-1.
220 – Hunter Weaver, Central Mountain, received a forfeit.
285 – Bryce Bitner, Central Mountain, major dec. Sean Irvin, Bellefonte, 8-0.
106 – Cole Stewart, Bellefonte, dec. Cody Coleman, Bellefonte, 7-1.
113 – Geo Barzona, Central Mountain, major dec. Shafiq Blake, Bellefonte, 18-7.
120 – Zach Taylor, Bellefonte, received a forfeit.
126 – Seth Andrus, Central Mountain, tech fall Cameron Coppola, Bellefonte, 4:03 (17-1).
132 – Aaron Witherite, Bellefonte, pinned Logan Long, Central Mountain, 1:45.
138 – Colton Weaver, Central Mountain, pinned Tyler Lucas, Bellefonte, 1:09.
145 – Asher Corl, Central Mountain, major dec. Matt Jacobs, 15-2.
152 – Brock Port, Bellefonte, pinned Tanner Weaver, Central Mountain, 1:29.
160 – Dakota Parson, Bellefonte, dec. Brian Andrus, Central Mountain, 10-3.
170 – Dillon Gephart, Bellefonte, received a forfeit.
182 – Caleb Turner, Central Mountain, pinned Brian McChesney, Bellefonte, 2:23.
