CR South Wrestling Eliminated by Kiski Area

Council Rock South Runs Into Buzz Saw
Golden Hawks Eliminated by Kiski Area

By Glenn Kaiser

Council Rock South ran into a buzz saw Saturday morning in Kiski Area. The Golden Hawks never threatened Kiski in the match, losing by a 42-14 margin.  It was the second loss in a row for South at the 2017 PIAA AAA Team Championships, after two wins in a row that put them in the semifinals.  Their loss to Kiski eliminated them from the tournament and denied them a medal.

CRS was shorthanded without Ben Radner available, and the Golden Hawks were forced to bounce around their line-up down low with Max Mendez bumping up from his normal 106-pound spot to 113. None of the moves paid off with big bonus points, and with the Palmer brothers both down in weight - Cary at 138 and Riley at 145, the Golden Hawks could only put up four wins on the board.  The Cavaliers were dominant. They denied Zack Trampe (132) and Joe Doyle (220) big bonus points, only surrendering major decisions there.

Mendez could not secure bonus points either, and Cary Palmer notched the other CRS victory with a 5-1 win over Cam Conner.  Like Nazareth, which went on to win the team title, Kiski went on to capture third, winning the consolation final 41-21 over Erie Cathedral Prep.  Not only did CRS have a tough draw, the entire tournament was loaded with talented teams, making this year’s team championships the most competitive ever.  Nazareth nipped Bethlehem Catholic 30-29 in the title match, winning on criteria of most bouts won. 

Essentially, the Golden Hawks are right there with the best teams in the state, knocking off previously ranked #4 Cannon Mac, and downing Prep, which finished fourth.  South will have one more dual against Abington on Wednesday, allowing Ben Radner to return for the postseason individual championships as he was disqualified Friday night, and he is required to sit out the next scheduled event according to PIAA rules.  The Golden Hawks can walk away with their heads up after a fine performance in the state team duals, and prepare for the next journey to Chocolate Town, USA, in early March.

The match versus Kiski did not start well for the Golden Hawks, as they fell into an early 13-0 hole and were down 23-4 after the 106-pound bout with Doyle’s only points on the scoreboard after a 12-0 shut out over Tom Starr.  Starr stalled the entire match to avoid the much needed pin fall for CRS.  Mendez was solid in an 8-2 win over the Cavs Jared Curcio but was unable to get bonus even as he pressed for a late takedown in the match.  There was confusion at 132-pounds when Zack Trampe appeared to receive a forfeit after getting his hand raised by the official only to come back out and wrestle Jake Blumer (KA).  Trampe, as usual, turned up the heat in the third with a series of takedowns to win 18-6 and add four more points for South, but with the team score at 33-11 in Kiski’s favor, the match was well out of reach with the Cavaliers solid line-up.  Riley Palmer suffered a tough loss 6-5 to Jack Blumer as a late takedown gave Blumer the win.