Glenn Kaiser recaps of the weekend’s highlights as well as some of last week’s key matches.
Wrestling Notebook
12/22/15
By Glenn Kaiser
A lot can happen in a week of wrestling, especially when the week carries over to Sunday. This past weekend the Beast of the East featured the nation’s best wrestlers and teams, and Kyle Gentile of Pennridge stood atop the podium as the best at 182-pounds. The Pennridge senior, who is headed to Lehigh, used his unusual speed and freakish strength of a big man to take down his opponents throughout the tournament. He defeated the #1 seed from Malvern Prep, Mike Beard, 7-2 in the finals. Gentile dropped to 182 after wrestling 195 earlier this season, he will most likely stay at 182 the remainder of the way…but you never know with a two-pound weight allowance as a present to all PIAA wrestlers on Christmas day.
Pennridge finished 17th in the team competition, as the Rams Matt Parker (113) won the consolation bracket with a decision over Jonathan Tropea (St. Joseph Regional, NJ), 3-2, for the bronze medal to finish the grueling tourney in third place.
Just one week ago Council Rock South asserted themselves at the King of the Mountain. And over the next several weeks we will have more of the same with the 15th Annual Wetzel Classic at Hatboro-Horsham (Dec. 29 & 30, 2015) and the Escape the Rock at Council Rock South (Jan. 16 & 17, 2016). The most exciting part of these early season tourneys and holiday tournaments is the anticipation of the PIAA Championships, which many of these tournaments forecast where individuals will finish in March. The Rockyard Duals will also feature SOL teams in a dual tourney at Council Rock North (Jan. 6, 2016).
This weekend, North Penn and Quakertown participated in the new Flo-EXCALIBUR at Wilkes University. North Penn’s Ryan Volakh was crowned the champ at 138-pounds as the Knights placed eight overall as a team. Quakertown was 16th as Gavin Caroff finished fourth at 220.
Norristown and Hatboro-Horsham traveled to Donegal H.S. to grapple at the oldest wrestling tournament in Pennsylvania (43rd year). Justin Altrogge (106) captured the title and Eric Fuentes finished second at 132 as the Eagles finished 13th in the 24-team field. H-H finished ninth overall in the team standings with eight place winners, with Nick Chapman leading the way by winning the consolation bracket at 195-pounds.
Souderton placed seventh out of 35 teams at the Sheetz Holiday Classic with Brandon Bach (120) and Thomas Michaels (152) winning titles at Mt. Aloysius College Sports Center.
In dual meet action last week, North Penn sent a message to the SOL Continental that they are back as a team to be reckoned with as they dismantled a solid Hatboro-Horsham team 49-24. The Knights have a solid middle of the line-up with standouts Sofiane Bensmail, Mikey O’Brien, Colin Shannon, and freshmen Ryan Volakh. Jee Ea Gay at 106-pounds looks prized to make a run at Hershey this season as well.
Souderton jumped out of the gate with a nice win over Central Bucks East, 43-30. Souderton used its experience recording the win over a young Patriots squad. Despite not having Phil Stolfi in the line-up, the Indians rode a solid win from Thomas Michaels at 152-pounds with his decision over East’s Ryan Chalifoux, 11-8.
In the American Conference, Norristown edged Plymouth-Whitmarsh in perhaps an early season dual that will decide the league title there. The match was decided on criteria 40-39 with most accumulative first points scored as the tiebreaker. Norristown used their strength down low as Justin Altrogge (106), Grant Rubin (113), Nick Semon (126), and Eric Fuentes all recorded pin falls for the Eagles, and then exposed the Colonials in the upper middle weights notching three straight wins from 160 to 182.
In the National, Neshaminy may have lost some steam as they suffered a huge defeat at the hands of Council Rock South 47-25. CR South heads to Liberty H.S. for the Hurricane Holiday Classic, and CR North to Manheim Tournament over the Christmas Break.
Key dual meets before the break in the SOL include a busy slate in the Continental Conference with:
CB East at North Penn
Quakertown at Souderton
Hatboro-Horsham at CB South
Pennsbury travels to CR North in another match of note in the National.
Stay tuned for SOL Individual Rankings after Christmas.
SOL TEAM RANKINGS:
1-Council Rock South
2-Pennridge
3-North Penn
4-Coucil Rock North
T5-Neshaminy
T5-Quakertown
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