FORT WASHINGTON — Gregg Harvey reached a career milestone, adding his name to an ever-growing list of Boyertown wrestlers who had similar achievements over the years.
Jordan Wood got on the mats for the first time this season, recovered from a shoulder ailment that had him on the sidelines for the season’s first two months.
And Boyertown set itself up for a repeat of its District 1 Class AAA duals championship with a pair of wins Friday evening.
Just another day at the office for the Bear mat program? Not quite.
A team that had been handling opponents by an average of 40 points found itself in a tougher go during its second match of the night at Upper Dublin High School. Boyertown had to work back from an early deficit against Pennridge. But come back it did, dealing the Rams a 34-22 defeat.
“They came to wrestle,’ Boyertown head coach Pete Ventresca said of a team that had advanced through a 41-22 quarterfinal-round win over Owen J. Roberts. “It was a knockdown, drag-out fight, but we hung in there.’
Well enough, in fact, to secure one of the district’s four berths in PIAA Class AAA duals action starting next week. The Bears (17-0) will face Council Rock South — a 38-23 winner over Spring-Ford in the other semi — for the district crown the Bears won in convincing fashion one year ago.
In prelude to that challenge, Boyertown got several other matters out of the way.
Harvey (29-6) reached the 100-win mark for his scholastic career in the Pennridge match, his 8-1 decision of Andrew Reinhold at 195 also got the Bears on the scoreboard in the second bout of the match.
“I was looking to sharpen my skills,’ Harvey said. “Everyone was on top of their games.’
Following a scoreless first period, Harvey needed just the first four seconds of the second period to escape from a bottom start. He went on to take an 8-1 decision that made him the program’s latest grappler to reach the century mark in victories.
“One of my goals was to get to 100,’ the Boyertown junior said. “Now that I have it, it’s one more thing I can check off.’
Wood found himself in a nip-and-tuck duel with Pennridge’s Ezra Outlaw at the start of their 220-pound bout. He got a 2-0 lead in the first period, then was only able to double it in the second.
But the Bears’ junior star and two-time PIAA silver medalist kicked it into gear in the third, piling up points for an 11-1 major decision.
“It’s exciting,’ Wood said of his first action against an opponent this winter. “I felt a bit rusty, but I was happy to be back.’
He came out to wrestle in Boyertown’s quarterfinal with Upper Perkiomen — a 40-18 Bear victory — but the Indian coaching staff elected to forfeit the bout.
Like Harvey, Lucas Miller was also in the hunt for his 100th career win. Like Harvey, he came into the Pennridge match one away from three-digit fame. And like Harvey, he appeared to be in position to claim it through a hard-fought match with the Rams’ Josh Stillings.
Going scoreless through the first two periods of the 132-pound bout, Miller did a sit-out escape from a bottom start 38 seconds into the third. But with the clock ticking down, Stillings pulled off a last-second takedown for a 2-1 victory.
“It’s a heartbreaker,’ Ventresca said. “The Pennridge kid got it (win) before the end.’
In Boyertown’s opener with Upper Perkiomen, Mike Felix got the Indians on the scoreboard in the 170-pound opener, rolling up an 11-5 decision on Dylan Wertz. But the Bears answered with Harvey’s 2:40 pin at 182 and Will Scholl posting a 5-0 decision of Billy Brower at 195.
Tommy Killoran followed with a 9-2 decision of Mahlon Schaffer at 285, and Matt Wilde kept the Boyertown roll going with a 5-1 decision of Jared Kuhns at 106.
The Indians stemmed that run at 113, where Dustin Steffenino posted a 7-4 decision of David Campbell. But Boyertown got back on track at 120 with Garrett Mauger’s 41-second pin and Lucas Miller’s 9-0 major decision of Noah Folk at 126.
J.T. Cooley got the clincher for the Bears with his 8-2 decision at 132, giving Boyertown a 34-6 lead with four weights to contest. The Indians answered with Erick Miller’s 7-3 decision of Chris Berry at 138, but Boyertown came back with Hunter Vogels’ pin at 145.
* * *
Owen J. Roberts joined two of its PAC-10 brethren in the hunt for berths in the PIAA Class AAA Duals tournament.
Not in the two-wins-and-in fashion of Boyertown, but in a manner equally as fulfilling.
The Wildcats bounced back from a 41-22 loss to Pennridge in the first round with a 45-25 victory over Upper Perkiomen in the consolation quarterfinals. They will face Spring-Ford Saturday, with the winner remaining in the hunt for a return trip to states.
“This match we turned it around,’ OJR head coach Steve DeRafelo said afterward. “We were hand fighting much better. We finished periods and matches.’
Opening against Pennridge, the ‘ Cats trailed by a 31-3 mark at the midway point on the card. They were able to take four of the next six bouts, but were unable to cut down the Pennridge lead.
“We looked flat,’ DeRafelo said. “We didn’t see that kind of fight in the first round.’
But they recovered against the Indians, scoring 15 points between 126 and 132 for a 30-15 lead expanded by Demetri D’Orsaneo’s technical fall at 145, Dominick Petrucelli’s major at 152 and Nick Duliakas’ pin in the 170-pound finale.
“This time of year, it’s a dogfight. The kids got it done,’ DeRafelo said. “You never know what kind of team shows up. But they’re paying the price.
“I know the seniors want to get back there (states). That’s a bit of a motivator.’
NOTES: Another noteworthy performance for Boyertown came from Killoran. The junior 285-pounder, facing Pennridge’s Joe Kracz for the fourth time this year, avenged his three previous losses to the Ram senior with a 7-4 decision. “That was a big win for Tommy,’ Ventresca said. “They battled each other. It was impressive.’ … Boyertown’s annual hair-coloring ritual for the district duals saw the Bears go with the blonde look this year. “We were thinking about blonde with a black Mohawk,’ Wood said, “But that would have been too much work.’ … In prelude to Harvey’s milestone accomplishment, Pennridge’s Kyle Gentile became a 100-win performer in the 170-pound opener.
District I-AAA Duals
Semifinals
Boyertown 34
Pennridge 22
182-Kyle Gentile (Pr) maj. dec. Will Scholl, 14-2 (0-4)
195-Gregg Harvey (BT) dec. Andrew Reinhold, 8-1 (3-4)
220-Jordan Wood (BT) maj. dec. Ezra Outlaw, 12-1 (7-4)
285-Tommy Killoran (BT) dec. Joe Kracz, 7-4 (10-4)
106-Matt Parker (Pr) pinned Matt Wilde, 3:55 (10-10)
113-David Campbell (BT) won by inj. default over Kordell Rush, 5:09 (16-10)
120-Micah Visuwan (Pr) dec. Garrett Mauger, 2-0 SV (16-13)
126-Dominic DeRafelo (BT) won by forfeit (22-13)
132-Joshua Stillings (Pr) dec. Lucas Miller, 2-1 (22-16)
138-J.T. Cooley (BT) pinned Ethan Clemmer, 0:49 (28-16)
145-Chris Berry (BT) dec. Dylan Gerhart, 7-0 (31-16)
152-Hunter Vogels (BT) dec. Will O’Shea, 9-2 (34-16)
160-Stephen Blanchard (Pr) dec. Reuben Maldonado, 6-2 (34-19)
170-Zach Tuerke (Pr) dec. Dylan Wertz, 7-5 SV (34-22)
Consolation Round
Owen J. Roberts 45
Upper Perkiomen 25
182-Michael Felix (UP) dec. Connor Mitchell, 8-6 SV (0-3)
195-Will Dawson (OJR) dec. Owen Leister, 9-4 (3-3)
220-Xavier Ferrizzi (OJR) pinned Michael Modugno, 1:07 (9-3)
285-William Scherfel (OJR) pinned Mahlon Schaffer, 1:49 (15-3)
106-Jared Kuhns (UP) pinned Tyler McCutchen, 5:16 (15-9)
113-Dustin Steffenino (UP) won by forfeit (15-15)
120-Ryan Resnick (OJR) pinned Jarek Svanson, 0:26 (21-15)
126-Derek Gulotta (OJR) pinned Jacob Folk, 3:23 (27-15)
132-Stone Bissland (OJR) dec. Levi Homan, 4-2 (30-15)
138-Eric Miller (UP) maj. dec. John Ruckle, 13-3 (30-19)
145-Demetri D’Orsaneo (OJR) won by tech. fall over Jacob Folk, 3:13 (35-19)
152-Dominick Petrucelli (OJR) maj. dec. Mike Lockhoff, 10-0 (39-19)
160-Trevor Weeks (UP) pinned Micky Kohn, 2:19 (39-25)
170-Nick Duliakas (OJR) pinned Mickey Hopkins, 1:40 (45-25)
Quarterfinals
Boyertown 40
Upper Perkiomen 18
170-Michael Felix (UP) dec. Dylan Wertz, 11-5 (0-3)
182-Gregg Harvey (BT) pinned Owen Leister, 2:40 (6-3)
195-Will Scholl (BT) dec. Billy Brower, 5-0 (9-3)
220-Jordan Wood (BT) won by forfeit (15-3)
285-Tommy Killoran (BT) dec. Mahlon Schaffer, 9-2 (18-3)
106-Matt Wilde (BT) dec. Jared Kuhns, 5-1 (21-3)
113-Dustin Steffenino (UP) dec. David Campbell, 9-4 (21-6)
120-Garrett Mauger (BT) pinned Jarek Svanson, 0:42 (27-6)
126-Lucas Miller (BT) maj. dec. Noah Folk, 9-0 (31-6)
132-J.T. Cooley (BT) dec. Levi Homan, 8-2 (34-6)
138-Eric Miller (UP) dec. Chris Berry, 7-3 (34-9)
145-Hunter Vogels (BT) pinned Jacob Folk, 1:31 (40-9)
152-Mike Lockhoff (UP) dec. Elijah Jones, 6-2 (40-12)
160-Trevor Weeks (UP) pinned Reuben Maldonado, 1:28 (40-18)
Pennridge 41
Owen J. Roberts 22
170-Zach Tuerke (Pr) dec. Nick Duliakas, 1-0 (3-0)
182-Kyle Gentile (Pr) maj. dec. Connor Mitchell, 20-8 (7-0)
195-Xavier Ferrizzi (OJR) dec. Andrew Reinhold, 3-0 (7-3)
220-Ezra Outlaw (Pr) pinned Will Dawson, 3:47 (13-3)
285-Joe Kracz (Pr) pinned William Scherfel, 4:20 (19-3)
106-Matt Parker (Pr) pinned Tyler McCutchen, 3:50 (25-3)
113-Kordell Rush (Pr) won by forfeit (31-3)
120-Ryan Resnick (OJR) pinned John Snyder, 0:07 (31-9)
126-Derek Gulotta (OJR) dec. Micah Visuwan, 2-0 (31-12)
132-Joshua Stillings (Pr) maj. dec. Stone Bissland, 11-0 (35-12)
138-Ethan Clemmer (Pr) dec. John Ruckle, 6-4 (38-12)
145-Demetri D’Orsaneo (OJR) won by tech. fall over Dylan Gerhart, 15-0 5:29 (38-17)
152-Dominick Petrucelli (OJR) won by tech. fall over Will O’Shea, 15-0 3:44 (38-22)
160-Stephen Blanchard (Pr) dec. Micky Kohn, 4-3 (41-22)
