After a late start due to the Tyrone football team playing in the PIAA western final, the Eagle wrestling team dropped a tough decision to Indian Valley 40-35. Tournaments have been the method for the Eagle wrestlers, both new and veteran to round into shape.
In an individual weight class tournament, Tyrone finished fourth of 33 teams in the always tough King of the Mountain Tournament, then traveled to Hanover on Thursday for a dual meet tournament.
After a first round bye, the Eagles edged Saucon Valley 43-36 and hammered Littlestown 50-10 in the next two rounds.
Both matches began with the 135-pound weight class.
To open the second round, David Miller jumped all over Saucon Valley’s Brad Sloend 10-1 before the Tyrone senior pinned him in 0:45. Sam McCloskey (3-4) upped the locals’ lead to 10-0 with a win by major decision. Sam trailed 3-2 after the first period, but poured it on with a second-period reversal and nearfall and third-period takedown and five more back to outscore Andrew O’Toole 11-0 over the final two periods to win 13-3.
First year varsity wrestlers Jacob Smerekar (145) and Justin Schopp (152) both were shown the lights by their opponents as Saucon Valley came back to jump into a 12-10 lead. Smerekar was pinned by Eric Grida in 4:57, and Schopp was pinned by Tanner Fye in 3:26.
The bleeding stopped at 160, however, when Brice Mertiff recorded his seventh fall of the season, all in the first period, over John Limper in 0:59 to move Tyrone into a 16-12 lead, they would never relinquish.
James Updike (3-3) used an escape and takedown in the final two minutes to edge Keegan Kene 5-3 at 171, and Heath Walk (189) pinned Eric Gimbar in 1:53 with time running down in the first period.
After Donnie Conrad, up to 215, so he could wrestle, but actually much lighter, lost by fall to Brandon Boyer of Saucon Valley in 1:09.
Terry Tate took 1:23 to put heavyweight wrestler Paul Dohon away for a pin.
After Tyrone forfeited to Saucon Valley at 103, T. J. Albright got the free six points back with a forfeit win of his own.
Tyrone junior Robert Waite (119) decked Tyler Buddock in 1:12 for the Eagles’ last points and Shayne Tate (125) and Josh Hunter (130) both lost by fall.
In the third round against Saucon Valley, Miller (8-1) took a 7-0 advantage and all Greg Conover of Littlestown, could come back with was a harmless third-period reversal in a 7-2 victory that put the Eagles on the board first. Miller started with a takedown in the first period, added a nearfall in the middle and hit a reversal to begin the final stanza.
At 140, McCloskey was doubled up 20-10 by David Macy to push Littlestown into their only lead at 4-3 after two weight classes had been decided.
Tyrone then went into a pattern, winning three, losing one, winning three, losing one and then doing it all over again, winning three of the final four.
Jacob Smerekar (1-4) picked up his first varsity win at 145. Trailing Justin Taylor 3-0 through the third period, Smerekar reversed Taylor for the pin at the 5:23 mark. At 152, Justin Schopp (2-4) won by fall for the first time in his short varsity career getting Nate Murren in 3:07. Schopp, like his rookie counterpart Smerekar, was trailing 5-0 when he reversed Murren to his back for three nearfall points to tie the score, then again for the fall.
Cotey Beaver became the first foe to go the distance against Eagle senior Brice Mertiff (8-1), although it didn’t help much. Brice opened the match with a five-point move, adding three nearfalls and a reversal to win going away 15-4 to prove that he can go the distance and have the steam left to score big in the third period.
At 171, Evan Hauchett scored all his points in the final two minutes to defeat James Updike 5-1 after the Tyrone sophomore carried a 1-0 lead through the first two periods.
Heath Walk (8-1) won by forfeit at 189. Donnie Conrad (1-1) trailed 3-2 after one period and led just 7-4 after two, but really opened up in the final period, tacking on a reversal and five back points for a 14-4 major decision over R. J. Burns. The Littlestown coach moved Burns up to get away from Walk, but it didn’t matter very much who wrestled who in the end.
Tate (7-0) hardly worked up a sweat at 275, pinning Andy McMaster in just 0:32, his fourth fall of the season.
After Tyrone again forfeited at 103, T. J. Albright (5-3) jumped all over Ben Killeen wrapping up a fall finally in 5:27, after a first-period takedown, second-period reversal and four nearfall points and a third-period reversal, prior to the pin at 112.
Robert Waite (2-0) continued to make his start a good one, putting Dustin Mitchell away in just 0:53 for his second straight pin in his first action of the season. At 125, Shayne Tate was pinned by Mitch Killeen in 2:22.
Josh Hunter (3-4) recorded his first win of the day with five unanswered points in the third period to best Garrett Smith 12-7. Hunter was tied with Smith 7-7 after two periods, but hit a third-period reversal and turned Smith to his back for three nearfall points to nail down the victory.
For complete results of the tournament check Monday’s Daily Herald.
