Garnet Valley comes up short in District 1 duals

UPPER DUBLIN — By all accounts, Garnet Valley has built a successful program over the years.

Fighting the ebbs and flows of high school athletics, the Jaguars have managed to stay relevant and this season’s senior class was determined to put its own unique stamp in the program’s history books.

Saturday, in the consolation semifinals of the District 1 Class 3A Duals at Upper Dublin, the No. 6 Jaguars came up just a bit short against No. 5 Boyertown, 38-25. Though the Jaguars were denied entry to its first PIAA Duals since 2014, they walked out of the gym, heads held high.

“We’re not the most talented group, but we work hard in the room,” Garnet senior Gavin Hollingsworth said. “We bust our behinds and try to outwork kids and over my four years here I’ve really seen that. We work hard in the room and hard on the mat.”

Garnet got started on the wrong foot when the Bears won two swing matches by decision. Hollingsworth (138 pounds) tied the dual up with a first-period pin, but Boyertown won the next four to open a 20-point lead.

“We wanted to get off to a good start and get control of the match and get the momentum,” Garnet coach Rocco Fantazzi said. “Those first two didn’t get the spark we needed right away and that hurt a little bit, but our guys didn’t quit. They came back and tried to get back in the match.”

Dillon Conlon (182) stopped Boyertown’s run with a pin, and after Jacob Miller (195) won by technical fall for the Bears, Joe Morrone (220) won a decision and Coltin Deery (285) pinned to bring Garnet within 10 points with three matches to go.

“We’re a young team, but we made a statement that Garnet Valley can do stuff and make things happen,” Deery said.

The Jags had to present first at 106, and Boyertown got the matchups it wanted there and at 113. The Bears won both, by decision and major decision, respectively, to clinch the contest.

“I thought we wrestled well,” Hollingsworth said. “A couple things here and there we could’ve done differently, but we’ll turn the page and try to win our next match (against Lower Merion) on Wednesday. We can’t hang our heads, though. We wrestled well.”

Griffin Hollingsworth (120) closed out the dual with a major decision. Garnet is 15-4 on the season, with two losses coming against Owen J. Roberts (who defeated the Jags on Friday night) and two against Boyertown.

With the Central League Championships slated for Saturday and the individual postseason beginning February 22, the Jags have plenty of opportunities to add to another successful season.

“We’re a young team,” Fantazzi said. “We only have three seniors in the lineup. I told the seniors to enjoy the run we’re having and embrace the opportunity to leave a little mark on the program. For the underclassmen it was about soaking in all the energy and excitement of this tournament, because this is where we want to be the next three, four years. We want this to be the norm.”

No current Jaguar has reached the individual state tournament and just Griffin Hollingsworth (honorable mention at 120 pounds) and Deery (first at 285) are ranked in the district on pa-wrestling.com.

The path to Hershey will be a familiar one for Garnet, as the Jaguars will have to exceed expectations once again.

Deery is chasing a bit of history, himself. He’s 25-4 on the year with 20 pins, putting him in striking distance of Matt Idelson’s school record of 27 falls in a season, which he did in 2011.

“I’m proud of these guys,” Fantazzi said. “It’s a great group to be around. They work hard. They’re a small, tight-knit group and they deserve everything they get and more.”