Glenn Kaiser recaps CR South’s road to a District One Team Championship and also looks ahead to this week’s team state championship.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH GOLDEN IN DISTRICT ONE DUAL FINALS
The Council Rock South Golden Hawks are back on top as the #1 dual meet team in D1 after capturing the 2017 District One Team Championships Saturday at Pottsgrove H.S.
The Golden Hawks downed district rival and nemesis Boyertown 38-24 in the championship bout and have advanced to the 2017 PIAA Team Championships this Thursday, Feb. 9, through Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA. The Golden Hawks will wrestle Cannon Mac, the second place team from District 7, in the first round of the 16-team bracket. Preliminary bouts will be held this evening, and the main event kicks off Thursday at 6 pm for CRS. South is the overall #1 seed based on the bracket, as they are in the top half of the championship bracket.
All the talk about who the best dual meet team was in District I was finally decided on the mat this past weekend. In Friday’s quarterfinal match, Spring-Ford never challenged the solid dual meet line-up sported by the Golden Hawks, as South won handily 45-16. In Saturday’s semifinals, CRS needed everyone to contribute against a solid Methacton team, and they got the job done, downing the Warriors 31-24 to reach the finals. The Golden Hawks jumped out to a 16-3 lead with bonus points from Zack Trampe (138), Cary Palmer (145), and Riley Palmer (152) as they posted two Tech Falls and a pin respectively. Trampe took out Dylan Henry 25-9. Henry had been a big point getter for Methacton throughout the season, and Riley Palmer decked another Warrior standout in freshmen Roman Moser.
Joe Doyle scored bonus points with his pin fall at 220-pounds and Maximino Mendez scored a solid 6-0 decision over Corey Morabito at 106 to keep South ahead 25-21. So it was left in the hands of Braden Ricchini (113), Ben Radner (120), and Mike McKinney at 126 to secure the victory for CRS. And Ricchini and McKinney both came up big with 4-0 victories to garner six needed team points. Freshman phenom Kibwe McNair (Methacton) kept the Warriors hopes alive with a Sudden Victory OT win over Ben Radner (CRS) 7-5 at 120-pounds, but McKinney sealed the deal with his win over Jorge Carmona to catapult the Golden Hawks to the finals and a rematch of the 2016 team final, which CRS dropped a 40-21 decision to the Boyertown Bears.
This time around it was a much stronger CR South team that faced off with the Bears. Boyertown suffered some big losses to graduation in 2016 but still was predicted to be right where they were in the finals against South. The Golden Hawks, with their most productive and healthy line-up of the season, trailed only once against Boyertown as they were hot out of the gate, posting a 17-3 lead after the first five bouts. South’s Zack Trampe posted a 15-7 major decision over Jakop Campbell at 132-pounds, Campbell finished seventh last year at States and third in 2015. Riley Palmer added a fall at 152 to give the Golden Hawks a cushion they would need. Boyertown was able to take the lead in the team score 20-17 after the 195-pound bout, but Joe Doyle moved up to 285 for the Golden Hawks and secured a fall to put them ahead for good 26-20. Tyler Gettman (220), Max Mendez (106) and Ben Radner (120) all had clinching victories as well respectively with a decision, and two falls to thwart any chance of a Boyertown comeback.
Handicapping the PIAA (AAA) Team Championships won’t be easy, as the tournament is loaded with talented teams, including Bethlehem Catholic, the defending champs who find themselves in a prelim bout versus Cumberland Valley (D3’s #4 team) after losing to Nazareth 24-33 in the D11 championship finals. CR South will be challenged early and often against Cannon Mac, the District 7 runner-up. Should South get by Cannon Mac, they will face a district champ in either DuBois (D9) or Erie Cathedral Prep (D10). Regardless, it will take a strong team effort with individuals securing bonus points and resisting falls if the Golden Hawks are to reach the podium of the team championships. Coach Sil will surely have his team ready, as he would like nothing more than a PIAA Team title to kick off the postseason. The wrestle-backs will be a war zone, so the best way to advance is to stay in the championship bracket, which if all goes well, could mean a match-up with Nazareth in the semis. CRS has already defeated Exeter and Boyertown, who will square up in round one Thursday at 8 pm. Exeter is the 2017 District 3 champ.
Click here for the 2016-17 PIAA AAA Team Wrestling Championship bracket:
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