By Alex Frazier
Rob Basile needed a lift.
After a week of taking SATs, fighting sickness and getting pinned in his first match by Souderton’s Rob Smothers, Basile was ready for something positive to happen.
It came at just the right time.
As the Quakertown 215-pounder sat on the bench watching his team’s 29-10 lead against Council Rock South dwindle to three points, he knew it might come down to him.
When 189-pounder Seth Grey decisioned Council Rock South’s Mike Bennett 6-3, Basile knew that if he won, he could put the match away.
He was facing the Golden Hawks’ Bobby Lavelle, who had come on to beat him last year.
“I was pretty nervous and tense,” he said, “but after my match last night, I knew I owed it to the team. This is a pretty good team. My teammates worked their butts off and I wasn’t going let it be my fault that all their effort went to waste, so I went out there and gave it all I got.”
Lavelle countered Basile’s first takedown attempt and then cut him to take a 2-1 lead after one period. Lavelle let him up to start the second to tie it, and then Basile shot in on a double at the edge of the mat.
Back in the middle, Lavelle used a granby to reverse and then cut Basile again to trail 5-4 to start the third. Lavelle used his granby again to escape, but once again Basile used the edge of the mat to his advantage again for another takedown. Lavelle turned once again to his granby to reverse but cut Basile with less than 30 seconds to go.
The tension mounted as Basile fought off Lavelle without giving up a stalling point. His 8-7 victory gave Quakertown an unassailable 35-26 lead with one match left.
“I wanted to show to myself, to my team, to my parents that I’m a better wrestler than I was before,” said Basile. “I owe this team a lot.”
With Anthony Hibbert’s 7-2 win at heavyweight, Council Rock South closed the final score to 35-29.
“That (215-pound) match summed up the whole meet,” said Quakertown coach Kurt Handel. “You had a little bit of excitement, some close calls, questionable calls. This is two great programs going at it. It’s great for the kids, it’s great for both programs, it’s great for the fans. It’s a fun night.”
It was the first time since Council Rock South was founded that the Panthers had defeated the Golden Hawks.
“We didn’t train to win this match,” said Handel. “We’ve been going 100 percent. They’re not fresh. They’re not ready to go. I wasn’t sure if we were going to be able to pull this out tonight.
“This win is awesome. It’s a great feeling, but in the same breath, it’s just a win and it’s a long season. The post-season it what it’s all about.”
Both teams were missing a key wrestler. Rock’s Matt Martoccio is out for a while with a broken thumb, and the Panthers’ Nick Lubenetski missed the match because his father is seriously ill in the hospital. In fact, the team dedicated the match to the Lubenetskis.
For a coach who had just lost his second straight dual meet of the season, Rock South’s Brad Silimperi couldn’t have been more ecstatic.
“This is practice for the post-season,” he said. “I’m not in this to get dual meet wins. I’m in this to get my kids ready for the district dual meet tournament and the individual post-season tournaments.”
In that vein, Silimperi was pleased with the growth he saw in his wrestlers in just one day.
“We have freshmen going out there, sophomores going out there with no varsity experience going with guys that have been to the regional tournament and losing by two or three points,” he said.
A case in point was freshman Tim Riley, who gave Quakertown’s Eric Koch a tough match before he succumbed 5-3. The score was tied at three when Koch took him down with 55 seconds left in the bout.
In just his second varsity bout, Conner Moore held state qualifier Matt Rust to a 9-5 win.
Wes Moran, who didn’t even wrestle last year, wrapped up Alex Fries in a double bar and pinned him in the first period.
“These kids are going to be a fun group to coach and watch get better,” said Silimperi. “They made huge strides in one night.”
It probably won’t be the last time this year the two teams will face each other. Arguably the two best in District One, they could well meet again in the District One Dual meet Tournament.
And for Silimperi, at least, that’s when it will count.
Quakertown 35, Council Rock South 29
103—Scott Wolfinger (Q) tech fall Billy Rappo, 5:56
112—Nick Ronzano (Q) pinned Ian Krouse, 1:05
119—Wes Moran (CRS) pinned Alex Fries, 1:26
125—Colin Bynum (Q) pinned Brian Heckman, 5:50
130—Matt Rappo (CRS) major dec. John Collins, 14-3
135—Matt Rust (Q) dec. Conner Moore, 9-5
140—Eric Koch (Q) dec. Tim Riley, 5-3
145—Briar Malischewski (Q) pinned Mike Sullivan, 2’30
152—Jim Vollrath (CRS) pinned David Malischewski, 3:16
160—Marc Helfrich (CRS) major dec. Edwin Gonzalez, 11-3
171—Ed Shupe (CRS) pinned Tyler Wolfe, 1:31
189—Seth Grey (Q) dec. Mike Bennett, 6-3
215—Rob Basile (Q) dec. Bobby Lavelle, 8-7
285—Anthony Hibbert (CRS) dec. Greg Walker, 7-2
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