QUAKERTOWN – With the aid of four of its wrestlers who took title belts, Council Rock South captured its second District 1-AAA East championship in three years Saturday evening (Feb. 27) at Quakertown High School. The Golden Hawks took the team trophy with 191.5 points, more than 30 points ahead of second place Pennridge, with 158.5 points.
The champion and runner-up were flip-flopped last year with South finishing a runner-up to the Rams at districts last season at Interboro HS.
The individual district champions for the Hawks included juniors Zach Trampe (132 pounds), Riley Palmer (138) and Joey Doyle (195) along with senior Dylan Schwartz (152).
CR South junior Cary Palmer (126) – in his first year on the varsity mat – captured a second place trophy and had No. 7 state-ranked wrestler Kordell Rush on the ropes in the third period with the Pennridge senior staring at a 2-1 deficit with 30 seconds to go in the bout.
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South junior Tyler Gettman (182) and senior John Anderson (285) waged successful campaigns through wrestle backs with each grabbing third-place medals and a spot in the upcoming South East-AAA regional tournament set for March 4 and 5 at Souderton High School.
Two additional Golden Hawks – South senior Luke Martoccio and sophomore Mike McKinney – also advanced to the next round after taking fourth-place medals in the tournament.
Council Rock South senior Dylan Schwartz advances to 152# district 1 final @CRHawkWrestling @PaPrepLive @CRSsports pic.twitter.com/YJ8XvV8nao
— BucksLocalSports.com (@BucksLocalSport) February 27, 2016
Neshaminy seniors Bruce Graeber (285) and Ben Stern (195) paced the Skins (114 pts.) to a fourth-place finish with five of their wrestlers moving on.
Graeber was the only D-1 champion for the Skins and he continues to represent Neshaminy with two pins and a decision win in districts. He pinned Hatboro-Horsham senior Matt Chapman in 1:39 for his third consecutive D-1 East title belt. A fifth-place PIAA medalist last season, Graeber continues his quest for PIAA gold in his final campaign on the mat. Bruce is 32-1 this season and has 120 wins in his varsity career.
Stern – after dropping a tough 4-3 decision to eventual D-1 runner-up Andrew Reinhold, a Pennridge senior – took third with a pin of Glen Mills junior Emire Hill and a pair of decision wins over North Penn sophomore Owen Verespy and Abington senior Keshon Guiellmo.
Neshaminy freshman Colton Jordan (106) and Jackson Erb (120) also wrestled all the way back in the tournament to take third-place medals. Jordan decisioned CR North sophomore Shane Thompson, 2-0 and Erb outpaced South sophomore Mike McKinney, 3-1.
Nehaminy junior Kyle Osterhoudt (220), after getting pinned in his second match of the day, wrestled back to a third-place bout with a decision win over decision win over Glen Mills sophomore Jeremiah Jefferson and a win by fall over North Penn senior Tyler Leidy. He fell to fourth place, however, when he dropped a close 5-3 decision to Interboro senior Danny Mea.
Council Rock North (111.5 pts.) finished sixth in the team standings and had three wrestlers in the finals including senior Josh Shalinsky (170), junior Aidan Burke (113) and senior Luke Ely (160). Shalinsky captured the only district championship for the Indians, which he took when he decisioned Quakertown’s Noah Wood, 6-4. Burke and Ely each dropped decisions in the finals to Pennridge wrestlers Matt Parker and Joshua Stillings, respectively. Burke’s match was oh so close at 2-1.
CR North senior Andrius Duncia (220) and sophomore Gianncarlo Flores (120) finished fifth for Rock North.
Neshaminy’s Vince Stabilito in consolation semis at Districts @nesh_wrestling @neshaminyskins pic.twitter.com/ynELUjLCaM
— BucksLocalSports.com (@BucksLocalSport) February 27, 2016
Harry S Truman is advancing only a pair of wrestlers yet they were both champions. Tigers rookie Gunnar Fuss finished off his quest for the 120-pound belt with a 3-0 decision win over Souderton’s Brandon Bach. Truman senior Dustin Stone rebounded from an early 2-0 deficit to outpace Interboro’s Eric Thomas 4-2 in the 152-pound final.
Austin Vossbein, a senior for the Tigers at 152 pounds, decisioned CR North senior Billy Storm to take fifth place in the tournament and Truman head coach Jessie Dunn was named Coach of the Year.
The Tigers finished in ninth place with 60 points.
Meanwhile, Pennsbury finished way back in 15th place with 30.5 points. The Falcons failed to send a single wrestler to regionals though senior Connor Joyce – in his last time out on the mat – and sophomore Antonio Martoccio grabbed fifth-place medals with first-period pins in what was for each of them their last matchup of the season.
Contact the author at ssherman@21st-Centurymedia.com or @BucksLocalSport on Twitterwrestled back to
THIRD PLACE
106 — Colton Jordan (Neshaminy) dec. Shane Thompson (CR North), 2-0
113 — Raymond Calderaio (CB South) dec. Harrison Andrade (Souderton), 3-0
120 — Jackson Erb (Neshaminy) dec. Mike McKinney (CR South), 3-1
126 — Sofiane Bensmail (North Penn) dec. Craig Baldwin (Chichester), 6-4
132 — Evan Widing (Pennridge) maj. dec. Samika Kromah (Academy Park), 10-1
138 — Michael Driver (Central Bucks East) pinned Mohamad Kaba (Academy Park), 2:08
145 — Mikey O’Brien (North Penn) won by inj. default over Lucas Martoccio (CR South)
152 — Tanner Seislove (Quakertown) dec. Jeff Finley (Interboro), 3-1
160 — Thomas Michaels (Souderton) dec. Collin Stevens (CB East), 5-1
170 — Stephen Blanchard (Pennridge) dec. Max Fitzgerald (Academy Park), 8-4
182 — Tyler Gettmann (CR South) dec. Michael Gallagher (North Penn), 3-1
195 — Ben Stern (Neshaminy) dec. Keshon Guiellmo (Abington), 5-3
220 — Danny Mea (Interboro) dec. Kyle Osterhoudt (Neshaminy), 5-3
285 — John Anderson (CR South) dec. Nick Cooper (Bensalem), 3-2
CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
106 — Tyler Williams (Souderton) maj. dec. Josh Stahl (Quakertown), 11-0
113 — Matt Parker (Pennridge) dec. Aidan Burke (CR North), 2-1
120 — Gunnar Fuss (Truman) dec. Brandon Bach (Souderton), 3-0
126 — Kordell Rush (Pennridge) dec. Cary Palmer (CR South), 4-2 OT
132 — Zack Trampe (CR South) dec. Ryan Vulakh (North Penn), 12-5
138 — Riley Palmer (CR South) dec. Abraham Charles (Penn Wood), 9-3
145 — Dustin Stone (Truman) dec. Eric Thomas (Interboro), 4-2
152 — Dylan Schwartz (CR South) dec. Colin Shannon (North Penn), 3-0
160 — Joshua Stillings (Pennridge) dec. Luke Ely (CR North), 7-3
170 — Josh Shalinsky (CR North) dec. Noah Wood (Quakertown), 6-4
182 — Kyle Gentile (Pennridge) maj. dec. Nick Bonomo (Quakertown), 9-0
195 — Joe Doyle (CR South) pinned Andrew Reinhold (Pennridge), 3:07
220 — Gavin Caroff (Quakertown) pinned Jasin Speer (Bensalem), 1:07
285 — Bruce Graeber (Neshaminy) pinned Matt Chapman (Hatboro Horsham), 1:39
