ELVERSON — With Unionville and West Chester Rustin in the same gym Saturday, there was a sense of anticipation.
Four days away from their unofficial Ches-Mont American Division championship dual meet, the two squads were no doubt taking some peeps at the other during the Twin Valley duals.
Both teams fell victim to Penncrest, however. Unionville was one point short in the first dual of the day, while the Golden Knights were outdueled, 33-27, in the championship finals. Unionville won four in a row to take third.
Malvern Prep placed fifth and Phelps School were eighth.
With the big dual meet coming up on Wednesday and the District 1 Duals beginning Thursday, both Unionville and Rustin got a taste of what to expect later this week.
“The guys wanted to win it, but overall it was a good day,’ Rustin coach Brad Harkins said. “They wrestled tough, but just came up short in the last match.’
Rustin (9-4) beat Brandywine Heights (50-21), York (54-21), Twin Valley (40-34) and Phelps School (72-7) on its way to the finals.
Golden Knight freshman Brett Kaliner (106) went 5-0 with four pins and a major decision, and senior Matt Ricci (138) was undefeated as well with three falls, a major and a decision.
Thomas Hatzipavlides (145) and Christos Moscharis (285) went 4-1 for Rustin, and Shane Boyer (160), Costas Hatzipavlides (170) and Isaiah Spriggs (220) were 3-2.
“A day like today with five matches and five dual meets it’s a chance to see where our kids stand,’ Harkins said. “It’s a big week and we’re gearing up for some big challenges.’
Unionville (16-6) fell to the Lions, 32-31, in the opener and then rattled off wins against Kutztown (70-12), Reading (54-24), Malvern Prep (45-24) and finally Twin Valley, 38-34, in the third-place meet.
Jake Taylor (106) and Ian Larson (138) were 5-0 for the Indians, while Nate Chaclas (132), Mike Caldwell (152), Tyler Crossman (160) and Will Hart (285) were 4-1. Chaclas fell 14-4 to Malvern Prep’s Matt Lattanze, and Caldwell was edged 3-1 in sudden victory by Penncrest’s Ryan Dougherty.
Against Twin Valley, trailed by five points with two to go, but Taylor pinned at 106 and Sam Immediato (113) sealed the victory with a major decision.
“We came up a little short in the first match against Penncrest,’ Unionville coach Chris Matz said. “We battled and wrestled well and it could have gone either way. They were very resilient in coming back and winning the last four matches.’
Malvern went 3-2, beating Kutztown (66-0), Reading (54-22) and Brandywine Heights (35-33). Nick and Matt Lattanze (106, 132) went undefeated for the Friars, as well as Brian Gola (113), Frank Satriale (120) and Jake Anderson (220). Ryder Harkins (182) was 4-1.
Phelps Schools only had half of a roster, but got some terrific performances for its trio of stars. Fred Mase (113) was 4-1 with a 5-0 win over Rustin’s Jon Reardon, Jake Forsman (120) went 5-0 and Al Ciccitto (132) was 3-0 before exiting with an injury.
