BUCKTOWN >> Steve DeRafelo found himself involved with Owen J. Roberts’ motivation for Wednesday’s match with Spring-Ford.
Not getting his wrestlers worked up for this big pairing of the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s Liberty Division co-leaders, as it turned out. No, the Wildcats’ head coach found himself approaching the proclaimed “match of the week” within District One in a different role.
“My job was to keep things in a good place,” he said following the much-anticipated duel between the neighboring rivals. “Getting them to perform the way they could.”
Mission accomplished.
The night started with the program observing its annual Senior/Parent Night, and it ended with a 34-28 victory over the Rams and a slew of benefits for the ‘Cats.
Connor Quinn OJR works Jason Lepore at 160. pic.twitter.com/9QisTyyQO7
— Jeff Stover (@MercuryXstover) January 24, 2019
Owen J. Roberts’ Richard Nathan, left, celebrates with teammate Cole Meredith after his pin at 220 pounds against Spring-Ford. (Austin Hertzog – Digital First Media)
Sole possession of first place in the Liberty Division was one big prize for Owen J. (4-0 division, 13-2 overall), accompanied by securing a berth in the PAC’s inaugural Championship Dual Feb. 14 pending the outcome of next week’s match with Methacton. And with the District 1 Duals tournament commencing Thursday, third-seeded OJR got a good workout against a quality opponent holding the district’s second seed.
“We knew this was going to be a good one,” DeRafelo said. “There are a lot of teams in the PAC that are tough.”
Spring-Ford (3-1, 13-3) came in with its own designs on claiming the spoils of the match. It held a 16-12 lead through the first six weights, and after OJR won back-to-back at 126 and 132, the Rams closed the deficit to a pair of points (21-19) with Jack McGill’s gritty 7-6 decision at 138.
The Owen J. Roberts’ bench reacts as Richard Nathan closes in a pin of James Albert at 220 pounds Wednesday. (Austin Hertzog – Digital First Media)
But Owen J’s trademark power in the middle weights turned the course and carried the night. Antonio Petrucelli put the Wildcats back on top with a major decision at 145, and Dan Mancini added a technical fall at 152 for a 30-19 lead.
“They’re solid through the middle,” Spring-Ford head coach Tim Seislove said. “But our kids battled there. McGill has been steady for us all year. It was good to see him get the win.”
Connor Quinn staged his own feel-good moment for Roberts. Back from a month of recovery from a shoulder injury, the Owen J. junior clinched the team win with a major decision at 160, giving OJR a 34-19 lead with only two weights left to contest.
“I was so excited to wrestle,” Quinn said after securing a bonus-point verdict with a last-second takedown. “I feel a lot better than I did before.”
Owen J. Roberts’ Antonio Petrucelli, top, controls Zach Needles at 145 pounds Wednesday. (Austin Hertzog – Digital First Media)
Dan Mancini OJR and Dirk Nugent SF duel at 152. pic.twitter.com/fYJj61hukH
— Jeff Stover (@MercuryXstover) January 24, 2019
While Owen J’s middleweights rose to the occasion again, the contributions of its two heavyweights played a big part in the victory.
After Louis Carbajal got Spring-Ford going with a 5-2 decision in the opening bout at 195, OJR’s Richard Nathan and Dylan Bauer answered with come-from-behind pins at 220 and 285, respectively. Nathan went from trailing 7-2 to getting the slap at 5;26, and Bauer overcame a 5-0 deficit by scoring a fall at 3:16.
“Those two big guys getting us started … that was huge,” DeRafelo said. “Two that were going the other way, swung things toward us.”
The Rams recovered at the low end of the scale, a three-bout run putting them ahead by four points. Dominic Ortlip scored a 5:27 pin at 106, Shane Reynolds followed with a 12-3 major decision at 113 and Quinn Tobin added a regular verdict at 120.
Owen J. Roberts’ Josh Jackson bridges out of trouble as Spring-Ford’s Shane Reynolds works for back points at 113 pounds. (Austin Hertzog – Digital First Media)
That proved to be Spring-Ford’s biggest run of the night. It got a 6-4 decision from Chase Smith at 170, and Joey Milano beat the clock for a 1:57 pin three seconds before the end of the first period.
“Our kids wrestled tough,” Seislove said. “We’ll see how they perform (Thursday).”
While the Rams venture south to face host West Chester Rustin in the opening round of district duals, Owen J. heads to Hatboro-Horsham to start out against the host Hatters. Both matches have 5:30 p.m. starting times and serve as a prelude to the duals heading to Upper Dublin next weekend.
“Sometimes it’s hard to go out after an emotional match like this,” DeRafelo said. “But we’ll come back.”
NOTES >> Commenting on the possibility of OJR and Spring-Ford facing off in districts, DeRafelo said Wednesday’s match will help his team get ready for such a possibility. “We could square off against them in a week and a half,” he said. “We have to get better.” … DeRafelo on Quinn’s return to action: “I’m happy to see him get back on the mats. We wanted to make sure he was ready to go. Trainers, coaches and parents were all comfortable with it.”
