FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — Survival.
If Wednesday’s Lehighton at North Schuylkill dual meet is any indication, that will be the theme throughout Schuylkill League Division I this season. Survive and advance.
Trailing most of the night, the Spartans swept the final four bouts to rally past the Indians 34-26 in a 1-hour, 50-minute battle of attrition.
“Division I is so balanced this year,’’ North Schuylkill coach Chris Edwards said. “A match like this, on any night, anybody can win it. It’s just a matter of showing up in all the weight classes, not just some.’’
Through 10 bouts, Lehighton (1-1, 0-1 D-I) led 28-16. The Indians won their seventh match when powerhouse football star but wrestling newcomer Wyatt Clements edged Dane Tarantelli 3-2 in the ultimate tiebreaker at 220 pounds. Trading escapes throughout, Clements held Tarantelli down for the final 30-second tiebreaker.
Tegan Durishin (138) and Dustin Koons (152) added falls for Lehighton. The Indians pushed the action, scoring the opening takedown in seven straight matches to start the night.
“We knew we had to be aggressive,’’ Lehighton coach Dan Williams said. “... We always talk about bonus points. We knew this match would come down to bonus points, so we wanted to come out and get as many (team) points as
we could.’’
In a few spots, North Schuylkill’s standouts did the job. Alek Hummel (195) and Nate Gadinski (285) notched falls to keep the dual alive.
When Gadinski flattened Joel Kuneck in 3:07, the Spartans trailed 28-22.
In the next two bouts, though, Lehighton entered as the favorite. North Schuylkill’s Owen Boyer (106) and D.J. Zaharick (113) had other ideas.
Boyer (6-0) scored a reversal with 32 seconds left in regulation for a 7-5 decision over Nate Kemmerer (4-2).
Then Zaharick rode out Antonio Lorenzo for the entire third period, winning 3-2 on a stalling point awarded with three seconds left in regulation.
At 120, Mason Madden-Edwards put the Spartans (6-0, 1-0) over the top when he scooped Grant Wetzel’s head and pressed the Lehighton wrestler’s shoulders to the mat at 2:39.
“I just needed a win. I wanted to pin him to seal the match,’’ Madden-Edwards said.
And how did you feel watching the first 13 matches?
“Pretty worried,’’ Madden-Edwards added. “We weren’t favored in them. If we lost those two (106 and 113), it might have been over.’’
Early on, Lehighton’s Cody Scherer (132) topped Jess Wetzel 5-3 in sudden victory and Dylan Schock (145) stopped Joe Alexander 4-1. The Indians won five straight bouts from 132-160.
“That’s two matches in a row we started off slow,’’ Edwards said. “Tonight was a little different. Against Waynesboro (a 34-33 criteria win), we were favored in the bouts at the end. Today we weren’t. ... Two sophomores stepped up huge.
“It has to be a wake-up call,’’ Edwards added. “I just said that to them back there (in the locker room). I blasted them a little bit. It was a great win ... As a coach, I’m a little disappointed in some of the efforts. I thought we were practicing too hard. I don’t think that’s the case. I think we’re not practicing hard enough. ... We’ve got to fix some things.’’
One thing Lehighton will have to fix is its composure. The Indians lost three team points for unsportsmanlike conduct — two on wrestlers and one on the head coach.
They lost one in the opening bout when North Schuylkill’s Shane McGrath nipped Zach Kemmerer 8-6 and two after Zaharick’s decision in the next-to-last bout.
“That’s something I’ll have a discussion with them about, and also myself,’’ Williams said.
Overall, though, on the night that North Schuylkill unveiled its banner for winning last season’s Schuylkill League Division I dual-meet title, Lehighton served notice that it will be a factor.
“These group of kids battled hard,’’ Williams said. “We’re excited. This is our first year in the Schuylkill League, and we want to try to come in and make some noise. We knew our first match would be against a real tough North Schuylkill team.
“If this is what wrestling in the Schuylkill League is going to be like, I’m really looking forward to it.’’
Meet Summary
North Schuylkill 34, Lehighton 26
126 — McGrath (NS) dec. Z. Kemmerer, 8-6*; 132 — Scherer (L) dec. Wetzel, 5-3 SV; 138 — Durishin (L) pinned Reinoehl, 1:34; 145 — Schock (L) dec. Alexander, 4-1; 152 — Koons (L) pinned Elliott, 1:02; 160 — Cann (L) maj. dec. Fisher, 12-0; 170 — Mickatavage (NS) won by forfeit; 182 — Frey (L) dec. Steinhilber, 7-1; 195 — Hummel (NS) pinned Strohl, 1:10; 220 — Clements (L) dec. Tarantelli, 3-2 UTB; 285 — Gadinski (NS) pinned Kuneck, 3:07; 106 — Boyer (NS) dec. N. Kemmerer, 7-5; 113 — Zaharick (NS) dec. Lorenzo, 3-2**; 120 — Madden-Edwards (NS) pinned Wetzel, 2:39
JV Score: North Schuylkill 9-3
*Lehighton had one team point deducted for unsportsmanlike conduct on wrestler
**Lehighton had two team points deducted for unsportsmanlike conduct, one on wrestler, one on head coach