The young, struggling Tyrone Area wrestling team traveled to Mill Hall for the annual King of the Mountain Tournament sponsored by Central Mountain. The two day event brings together many of the top Double-A and Triple-A schools in the state and other areas. Each year, many eventual state placewinners get a chance to grapple with one-another during this early-season tournament. This year there were 33 teams entered,
Tyrone, minus a large portion of last year’s record-setting squad has been struggling to find an identity of their own, wrestling in the only dual meet and the King of the Mountain tourney against superior competition. Leaders need to step forward to replace departed seniors who had become fixtures on victory stands in just about every tournament the Golden Eagles have been engaged in for the past three years.
Eagle senior Robert Waite was the only placewinner for the Tyrone wrestling squad last weekend. Waite (5-3) won five of seven matches to place fifth. In the filth place consolation final, Waite reversed a loss to Indian Valley’s Chad Frankhouser by doubling up the Warrior 119-pounder 6-3 to claim the fifth place medal.
Waite opened the tournament at 119, with a 16-0 tech fall over J. C. Hammond of Corry, and an 11-5 victory over Chris Moyer of Exeter Township. A loss by tech fall to Walter Peppleman of Central Dauphin, sent Robert down to the consolation brackets, where he shut out two opponents, before running into an 11-3 loss to Parkland’s Matt Bogusz to set up his rematch with Frankhouser. Waite majored Steve Heide of Greater Latrobe, 10-0 and downed Rob Vollrath of Council Rock South, 7-0. In the dual meet last Wednesday, Frankhouser recorded a takedown to just beat the buzzer at the end of the opening period and then traded escaped to defeat Waite 3-1.
Anthony Romano (125), Jon VanAllman (135), Sam McCloskey (145) and Justin Schopp (160) each won two of four matches in the tournament.
Romano (2-3) edged Brian Cavaliere of Upper Marion, 7-6, before falling to Eric Zelina of General McLane, 7-1. In the consi rounds, Anthony decisioned Alex Depew of Wilson Area, 7-2, but was eliminated from the tournament losing by fall to Addison Snyder of Bellefonte, in 4:23. VanAllman (2-3) dropped into the consolation at the start by falling by pin to Bloomsburg’s Casey Kauffman, then proceeded to win a pair of matches. Jon pinned Mike Mazza of Pius X, in 4:09 and Jeramie Joy of Corry, in 2:54. Shane Everett of Pleasant Valley then dropped VanAllman out of the tournament with a fall in 0:51. McCloskey (3-2) also dropped his first match, by 9-4 decision to Council Rock South’s Brian Knoblauch. Sam then decisioned Paul Brungard of Central Mountain, 9-3 and pinned Skyler Reese of Hughesville, in 3:20, but lost to Josh Knecht of Athens, 9-5. Schopp (2-3) doubled up Pat Schmidt of Upper Marrion, 10-5 to begin the tournament, before losing a 6-3 decision to Indian Valley’s Adam Picketts. Justin pinned Luke Berkey of Penns Valley, in 2:30, but then was eliminated by fall to Steven Depew of Wilson Area, in 1:35. In the dual meet, Picketts had pinned Schopp in 4:29.
?At 103, Cody Weaver (1-3) was pinned by Nic Bedelyon of Indian Valley, in 3:15, pinned Billy Heemer of Downingtown East, in 2:43 before falling by 13-2 major decision by Matt Yanovich of Pleasant Valley. Josh Hunter (1-3) doubled up Robbie Rick of Corry 6-3, then dropped two straight, 9-4 to Adam Lynch of Mifflinburg, and by disqualification to Line Mountain’s Cody Geise, at 130. Heath Walk (2-2) won by 21-5 tech fall over Quay Ward of Canton, then suffered a 6-2 loss to Parkland’s Maher Kholi 6-2 and defaulted to Kyle Goss of General McLane at 189.
Matt Moore (0-2) was pinned by Brock Livorio of Penn Trafford, at 112, and then by Kelly Strouse of Penns Valley. At 140, John Markel (0-3) was pinned by Lewis Baker of Upper Marrion, then dropped a 9-1 major decision to Line Mountain’s Josh Nguyen at 140. Shayne Tate (1-2) lost by 12-1 major decision to Mike Lorenzo of Bellefonte, and was edged by Trevor Benner of Penns Valley, 5-4 at 152. At 171, James Updike (0-3) lost a pair of decisions, falling to Buddy Gouger of Pleasant Valley, 9-5, and to Penns Valley’s Eric Herrold 7-6. Donnie Conrad (0-3) was pinned by Kevin Kriner of Red Lion, in 5:42 and then forfeited to Chad Evans of Northern York, following an injury at 215. At heavyweight, Brandon Oswalt (0-3) was pinned by Sean Tetrault of Hughesville, and dropped a 3-1 decision to John Mohr of Exeter Township.
Council Rock South won the tournament team race with 191 points, followed by Indian Valley with 167.5, Red Lion with 130, Central Dauphin with 127.5 and Penn Trafford closing out the top five with 127.
Bellefonte was a close sixth with 126.5 points. Penns Valley was 10th with 102, host Central Mountain scored 99 points to finish 11th and Hollidaysburg was 13th with 91,5 points.
