2023 PIAA (AAA) WRESTLING TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
ROCKY ROAD IN HERSHEY FOR SOL WRESTLING TEAMS
Pennridge & Council Rock South Drop Down to Consolation Bracket
by Glenn Kaiser
Hershey, PA-Both Pennridge and Council Rock South suffered first-round losses in the Giant Center Thursday, forcing them down into the consolation bracket of the 2023 PIAA (AAA) Wrestling Team Championship. It is now a long road back for either team to medal. Pennridge suffered a heartbreaking loss to Hempfield Area 34-32, and CR South was overwhelmed by Bethlehem Catholic 55-3. The Golden Hawks knew going in that they had a tall task facing off with the number one team in the state and will now have to grapple with Shikellamy Friday morning to stay alive.
Pennridge, on the other hand, had high expectations to advance in the first round but were unable to overcome a 9-point swing at 107-pounds after Colby Martinelli lost by injury default due to an illegal slam. Martinelli was leading in an exciting match 12-9 with just seven seconds left when he got charged with a penalty, as he was riding out an apparent win over Hempfield’s Nico Kapusta. Martinelli was tough on top the entire match, despite getting himself caught a couple of times during the match, and inadvertently sent Kapusta to the mat head first while riding from the top position. Kapusta was injured, and medical staff did not clear him to return, giving the match to the Hempfield wrestler making the score 10-9 instead of 16-3 Rams.
The Rams got off to a good start at 189-pounds as Ryan Rowe posted a 12-3 major decision and Riley Cullen received a forfeit at 215, along with Chase Washington’s late push in his match at 285 to limit the team points to three for Hempfield with a 9-4 loss. Then the Martinelli incident caused a momentum shift, and you could see the Pennridge bench was a bit dismayed. Nonetheless, the Rams Cole Coffin took care of business at 114-pounds, picking up a 12-1 major decision over Ty King. Quinn McBride impressed with a quick fall at 127, giving the Rams the lead at 20-15 after giving up a pin of their own at 121. Perhaps the key match outside of the Martinelli match was at 139-pounds where HA’s Eli Carr decisioned Sam Kuhns 8-2 in a stretch of four consecutive wins by the Spartans. Two of those four wins were by fall, and one by major decision, making bonus points (3 pins, a major decision and injury default) the big factor in Pennridge’s loss. The Spartans forfeited the last two scheduled bouts at 160 and 172 to Ryan Gallagher and Talan Hogan, respectively, making it seven matches won by the Spartans and six by the Rams.
The heartbreaking loss puts Pennridge down in the consi-bracket pitted against a solid Cumberland Valley team that will have a raucous crowd in the arena for this one. CV was downed by Central Mountain 36-30 in their first-round dual.
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