PENNRIDGE HOLDS OFF CB EAST, AND PINS DOWN A WIN
Pennridge 30-CB East 29
by Glenn Kaiser
Buckingham, PA-Nothing like being mat-side for an exciting dual meet, especially when the stakes are high, and pride is on the line. The Pennridge wrestling team traveled to Central Bucks East H.S. for a SOL Colonial Division showdown Wednesday night and headed home with a huge win after holding off the Patriots late surge. The Rams secured two falls from Cole Coffin (120-pounds) and Sam Kuhns (132) and were gifted two forfeits to build an early 24-4 lead over East.
But it was really the grit, and determination of the Rams that secured the win that propelled Pennridge (6-3) to the front of the Colonial standings, with Souderton looming next week for the league title. With the win over CB East (6-2) and last week’s win over North Penn (3-5), the Rams are rolling.
This young, rugged Pennridge squad wrestled hard for all six-minutes and beyond using superior riding skills on top (cross-wrist bar and tilt series) to control a Patriots team that was ranked #5 in District One by PA-Wrestling.com. The Rams wrestled to win in all of the contested bouts, and it clearly showed they wanted it more, as the Patriots seemed flat and out of gas at times.
The Rams’ unsung heroes of the night were not household names, at least not yet. Pennridge’s Andrew Minko upset East’s Luke Wilson at 138-pounds with a 7-5 decision and Gio Iadonisi followed with a late scramble at 145lbs. to secure a 6-5 decision over Tyler Tanner (CBE). These two wins extended the Rams lead to 30-4 halfway thru the match (the match started at 106).
From there, CB East knew what they had to do - win out and secure bonus points. They responded with six straight victories, but could not nail down the extra bonus points they needed to surpass the Rams. Joseph Mignon got things going for the Patriots with a major decision at 152, and Mason Stein (160) and Quinn Collins (189) took care of business with falls. But at 172, Nils Updale (17-2), who has been on fire for the Patriots, needed all he had to handle Rams’ sophomore Ryan Gallagher. Gallagher looked good in the 8-2 loss and limited the Patriots to only three team points with his effort.
At 215-pounds, East’s Reagan McCullough secured a late takedown to decision Tyler Wetzel 9-8 and keep the Patriots’ comeback alive. And what you don’t see happen much anymore these days, happened. It all came down to the big men at 285-pounds with Pennridge holding a 30-26 lead over East. Patriot Joe Collins needed a tech fall or pin over his Ram opponent Chase Washington to make it happen for East.
The two heavies grappled like warriors, wrestling to a 0-0 tie after seven periods, as Collins was awarded the win 1-0 on criteria in the ultimate tie breaker. The criteria used was the first stall warning, which went against Washington. But the match captured the entire night’s efforts of both teams, as Washington could have easily given up a takedown at the start of sudden death to secure the team win, but both he and his coaching staff pushed on for the win the hard way. The two battled in a great bout, atypical of heavyweights with multiple shots and scrambles on the mat.
Both Pennridge and Central Bucks East will be in contention for a spot in the upcoming District One Duals (Round 1-January 27th).
The match can be viewed on YouTube via the PA-Wrestling.com website (link below) along with an interview of Pennridge Coach Kuhns and Gio Iadonisi.
Pennridge 30, Central Bucks East 29
on Wednesday, January 12, 2022
at Central Bucks East
106 - Colby Martinelli won by forfeit (6-0)
113 - Alma Lector won by forfeit (12-0)
120 - Cole Coffin pinned Ethan Bean, 3:35 (18-0)
126 - Max Bean maj. dec. Jesse Rose, 11-2 (18-4)
132 - Sam Kuhns pinned Andrew Oram, 5:29 (24-4)
138 - Andrew Minko dec. Luke Wilson, 7-5 (27-4)
145 - Gio Iadonisi dec. Tyler Tanner, 6-5 (30-4)
152 - Joseph Mignon maj. dec. Brady McMahon, 11-3 (30-8)
160 - Mason Stein pinned Talan Hogan, 3:26 (30-14)
172 - Nils Updale dec. Ryan Gallagher, 8-2 (30-17)
189 - Quinn Collins pinned Riley Cullen, 1:47 (30-23)
215 - Reagan McCullough dec. Tyler Wetzel, 9-8 (30-26)
285 - Joe Collins dec. Chase Washington, UTB 1-0 (30-29)
Pennridge wrestlers in bold.
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