Beard wins at Escape the Rock, Malvern 4th

 

HOLLAND — Malvern Prep’s Mike Beard was hoping for some revenge coming into the Escape the Rock tournament at Council Rock South.

He didn’t get it exactly how he hoped, but Beard bettered his runner-up finish a year ago to earn the championship belt and climb to the top of the medal stand at 182 pounds.

Malvern Prep finished fourth as a team in the very competitive, two day tournament, finishing 7.5 points behind Boyertown and two behind Council Rock South.

Zane Black (195 pounds) took third for Phelps School, while Malvern had six other medalists — Rashon Lusane (second at 195), Seth Janney (second at 220), Shane Hanson-Ashworth (third at 106), Nick Lattanze (third at 126), P. J. Crane (eighth at 132) and Chris Hisey (eighth at 152).

Beard was expected to get another shot at Pennridge’s Kyle Gentile after losing to him in the Beast of the East finals, but Gentile fell to Hayfield’s Antonio Agee. So Beard took it to Agee instead, scoring 10 in the first period and coasting to a 14-5 major decision.

“I was looking to get revenge, but I just wrestled whoever stepped out in front of me,” Beard said. “I wanted to get the belt this year. I got second last year and that didn’t feel really good.”

Beard used a technical fall and a pin to get to the semifinals, where he met Boyertown’s returning state medalist, Greg Harvey. Beard was unstoppable on top, tilting his way to a 14-0 win.

“Mike works hard and he came out and finished strong in a great tournament,” Malvern coach Nate Lautar said. “We got the match we wanted in the semis, and we wanted a rematch against Gentile, but so be it.”

Lusane, who became a four-time placer at Escape the Rock, fell to Stroudsburg’s John Jakobsen, a returning PIAA runner-up, 3-0. To get there, the Friars’ senior had to get past Black in the semis, and he did so, 1-0.

Black managed to wrestle back and edged Council Rock South’s Joe Doyle, 3-2, for third place. Black was the only medalist for Phelps, as Jameel Coles (220) was a win shy of placing.

“The end game is prep states and prep nationals, so everything in between is a stepping stone to get there,” Black said. “Everything leads to them.”

Janney, who transferred from South Western High in the offseason, got a rematch of the PIAA finals last winter, with Boyertown’s Jordan Wood. For the second time, though, Wood was the victor, this time, 5-1.

Janney had two first-period pins and another in the second to give him 99 career wins.

Freshman Hanson-Ashworth had an impressive day, eking past Owen J. Roberts’ Luke Resnick, 3-2, to clinch a medal, and then two more one-point wins to get to the consi finals.

Lattanze was upset by Boyertown’s fifth-place state medalist, Lucas Miller, 1-0 in the semis, but the senior rallied back and beat Pennridge’s Kordell Rush, 4-3, for third.

“That threesome up top is tough to beat,” Lautar said. “Usually there’s a couple kids at the same weight and we’re fortunate to have groups of two or three at different spots in our lineup to push each other in the room.”

Crane scored a 4-1 decision over Boyertown’s Garrett Mauger to secure his trip to the medal stand, but lost his next two. Hisey dropped a major to Belle Vernon’s Derek Verkleeren in the consis, dropping him to the seventh-place bout.

Malvern may have had a chance at second place as a team, but only had 11 wrestlers in the tournament, and senior Matt Lattanze (145) did not make weight.

Team Results

1. Belle Vernon, 221.5; 2. Boyertown, 156.5; 3. Council Rock South, 151; 4. Malvern Prep, 149; 5. Cumberland Valley, 135.5; 6. Parkland, 128; 7. Northampton, 113.5; 8. Bethlehem Liberty, 105; 9. Huntingdon, 94; 10. Don Bosco Prep, 91.5; 34. Phelps School, 26.5

Championship Finals

152- Mandarino (Don Bosco Prep) dec. Schwartz (C. R. South), 6-5

160- Bierdumpfel (Don Bosco Prep) dec. M. Hartman (Belle Vernon), 5-0

170- Bell (Belle Vernon ) inj. def. Oliver (Huntingdon)

182- Beard (Malvern Prep) maj. dec. Agee (Hayfield), 14-5

195- Jakobsen (Stroudsburg) dec. Lusane (Malvern Prep), 3-0

220- Wood (Boyertown) dec. Janney (Malvern Prep), 5-1

285- Gunning (Liberty) dec. Chakonis (Don Bosco Prep), 3-2

106- Kassis (Parkland) dec. Lane (Southern Columbia), 4-2

113- Chlebove (Northampton) dec. Parker (Pennridge), 1-0

120- Moran (Northampton) dec. Prata (St. Christopher’s), 6-4 SV

126- Fenstermacher (Liberty) dec. Miller (Boyertown), 5-3

132- Trampe (C. R. South) maj. dec. Long (Cumberland Valley), 13-5

138- R. Palmer (C. R. South) dec. Kaldes (Cumberland Valley), 8-4

145- Verkleeren (Belle Vernon) dec. Hong (Kiski Prep), 6-4