CB East Wins Wetzel Classic

CENTRAL BUCKS EAST WINS WETZEL CLASSIC

By Glenn Kaiser

Horsham, PA-Central Bucks East has emerged as a solid tournament team in what’s left of 2019, as the Patriots captured their first Wetzel Classic title in the tournament’s 19-year history this weekend.  The Patriots followed up their third-place finish at the Carlisle Invitational on December 14, 2019, with a team title at Hatboro-Horsham H.S. in the 19^th Annual Wetzel Holiday Classic.  The event featured 35 teams from Pennsylvania’s District 1 (D1), D3, D11 & D12, and several PAISSA schools, as well as Wethersfield from Connecticut.

CB East is one of the original teams that entered the Wetzel Classic in 2001 that had a field of just 13 teams.  Over the years, this event has grown significantly.  In addition to the varsity competition at the Wetzel, a Junior Varsity tournament is held simultaneously to provide tournament experience for team’s up and coming wrestlers.  Although East is no stranger to this tournament, they had never won a Wetzel team title.

The Patriots’ head coach, Dave Scarpill said “it took me 18 years” to win one when asked if East had ever won a Wetzel Classic.  Scarpill, one of the SOL’s longest tenured coaches, was excited for his promising team with their performance over two days in the 32-man bracketed individual tournament.  Scarpill took over for Hall of Fame Coach John Tomlinson 18 years ago, Scarpill was Tomlinson’s assistant coach at the first Wetzel Classic.  Coach Tomlinson was in the gym to witness East’s first Wetzel team championship to make the victory that much sweeter.

Despite not crowning an individual champion, East was able to out-point 34 other teams with 156 points, finishing ahead of a surging Interboro team (146.5 pts.) and third place Pennsbury (134 pts.).  Pennsbury had six place-winners in total.  The Patriots were led by 220-pound runner-up Danny Eckley who lost in the finals to the host’s Logan Flynn by fall in the first period.  Flynn, a two-time Wetzel champ, won the most falls in the least amount of time award as he pinned his way thru the tournament, posting four falls in 10:44. 

East placed seven wrestlers in total.  Quinn Collins, a transfer from Archbishop Wood, won the 195-pound consolation bracket, Marcus Chernyshev (152lbs) and Mason Stein (132) both finished fourth and Andrew Oram was 5th at 113lbs.  Nils Updale (145) and Sean O’Donnell (126) finished 7^th and 8^th respectively at their weight classes to round out the scoring for the Patriots.  Clearly it was in the wrestle-backs where East made the difference. Winning additional matches (both in preliminary championship bouts and the consolations) and scoring bonus points enabled them to conquer the field.  East will look to challenge Quakertown in the new year for a SOL Continental title. 

SOL wrestlers garnered 8 of the 14 individual gold medals.  Bensalem crowned three champions, the most of any team.  Big man John Klewin, a Rider recruit, as expected, dominated the heavy weight division with a 6-1 win over Abington’s Maliq Strother.  Klewin is undefeated on the season at 11-0.  Strother upped his season record to 12-2 and looked impressive on his way to the finals.

The Owls’ Kevin Baker (132lbs) and Connor Eck (145) both had outstanding tournaments, winning their weight classes.  Baker is also undefeated at 12-0 in 2019, and Eck stands at 10-1 overall.  Bensalem finished in the top-10 in 9^th place in the team standings.

Central Bucks East’s neighboring rival and sister school, Central Bucks West, displayed that they have returned to the local wrestling scene with two champions in Teague McCormick at 106-pounds and Carl DiGiorgio at 195lbs.  McCormick, the son of Council Rock South assistant coach Trap McCormick, won his title in dramatic fashion with a quick fall over Interboro’s Victor Quintiliana in 27-seconds.  Coach McCormick was a three-time state champion (Sugar Valley & Bald Eagle Nittany).  DiGiorgio hung on to upset Davis Lee of Pennsbury 7-5 in their title tilt.  The Bucks’ Chris Cleland was fifth at 120-pounds.

Host Hatboro-Horsham had three finalists with two champions in A.J. Taburrino at 152lbs and Flynn at 220.  Tamburrino captured his fourth straight Wetzel title joining an elite group that includes John Bolich (an Upper Moreland and Lehigh grad) who is currently Allentown Central Catholic’s head coach.  H-H’s C.J. Grier finished second to Ephrata’s James Ellis at 182-pounds.  H-H was 8^th overall in the team standings as they had five place-winners.  Joe Martini, III, a transfer from Central High, defeated CB East’s Sean O’Donnell 7-5 for 7^th place at 126-pounds and Jake Wood was 8^th at 170lbs.

William Tennent’s TJ England was named the tournament’s outstanding wrestler as he won his third Wetzel title.  England edged Allentown Central Catholic’s David Kreider 5-4 in the championship finals at 126-pounds.  Cheltenham’s Isaiah Stehman, son of head coach Kirk Stehman, was the runner-up at 160-pounds after dropping a thrilling finals tilt with Grigol Khochiasvilli (Central) 5-4.  Stehman desperately tried to execute and finish a takedown at the buzzer but was unsuccessful as time expired at the completion of the takedown.  Coach Stehman was a two-time state champion for Shamokin.