Unionville wins Interboro tourney, Sheffield tops Taylor
PROSPECT PARK — As the regular season turns into postseason, Unionville and Oxford got one final tuneup in before the league tournament next Saturday.
Ten Unionville wrestlers reached the finals of the Interboro tournament, Saturday, guiding the Indians to the team title with championships from Garrett Rogers (106 pounds), Mitch Camp (132), Dylan Smallacombe (182) and Jack Baccellieri (285).
Oxford sent four to the finals to finish second, getting wins from Harry Marr (113), Brandon Sheffield (120) and David Cox (160).
Sheffield, a freshman, had one of the finer wins of the tournament, out-dueling Unionville’s Jake Taylor, 5-2, in the finals.
“I’ve gotten more offensive and smarter than I was in middle school,” Sheffield said. “It’s a good thing for me. I used to be really bad offensively and never shoot, but it’s been something I’ve been working on.”
Sheffield is 28-3 in his first season, with one of his losses against West Chester Rustin’s returning state qualifier, Brett Kaliner. The two are expected to compete in the 120-pound bracket at the Ches-Mont Championships next Saturday and Sheffield is confident he can reverse a 9-7 loss at the end of January.
“I should’ve won that match,” Sheffield said. “I didn’t eat before and I was kinda gassed, but I’ll be more prepared for the postseason and I’ll be ready for that one.”
Camp earned some revenge of his own, Saturday. Pitted against Lower Merion’s Robbie Hazard, Camp scored two takedowns and was a 5-1 winner in the finals, avenging a 7-4 loss in the same scenario last year.
“I was thinking about it the whole day,” said Camp, who has 94 career wins. “I wanted to come back and get first in this tournament.”
Unionville got runner-up finishes from Joey Caldwell (126), Sam Immediato (138), Spencer Larson (145), Nick Raffety (160) and Mike Maguire (195). Jacob Lehman (113) took third for the Indians.
Oxford’s fourth finalist was Zach Davis (220), while Tim Davis (170) took third. Cox gave the Hornets their third champ when he pinned Raffety in the first period.
Though a junior, Cox will be making his first trip to the postseason after injuries cut his first two
seasons short. He is 28-1 and currently ranked No. 4 in District 1.
“I’ve had good times with my team, being with them and working hard in the room,” Cox said. “Also,
I’ve enjoyed being healthy.”
In the final bout of the evening, Baccellieri squared off against Ches-Mont foe, Nick Garvey. Despite giving up the first takedown, Baccellieri tilted Garvey for two near-fall points before pinning him midway the second period.
“I knew I had to win, not only for my team, but for seeding points,” Baccellieri said. “If I want to get to the finals of leagues and districts I had to beat Garvey and be ahead of him. It’s huge for me and it sets me up better for the postseason.”
Christian Bateman (152) of Sun Valley was one of eight Ches-Mont champs in the eight-team tournament. The individual postseason begins Saturday with the league tournaments. The Ches-Mont Championships will take place at West Chester Rustin with the top seven finishers moving on to the Class AAA District 1 Central tournament at Oxford.
Team Standings
1. Unionville, 196; 2. Oxford, 147; 3. Interboro, 106.5; 4. Mariana Bracetti Academy, 89.5; 5. Lower Merion, 76.5; 6. Perkiomen Valley, 76; 7. Upper Dublin, 58; 8. Sun Valley, 51
Championship Finals
106- G. Rogers (Unionville) maj. dec. D’Agostino (Interboro), 17-4
113- Marr (Oxford) dec. Rowley (Perk Valley), 6-4
120- Sheffield (Oxford) dec. Taylor (Unionville), 5-2
126- Starkey (Lower Merion) maj. dec. Caldwell (Unionville), 12-3
132- Camp (Unionville) dec. Hazard (Lower Merion), 5-1
138- Devlin (Upper Dublin) pinned Immediato (Unionville), 1:32
145- Palmer (Mariana Bracetti) dec. Larson (Unionville), 7-1
152- Bateman (Sun Valley) dec. Brush (Lower Merion), 8-5
160- Cox (Oxford) pinned Raffety (Unionville), 1:17
170- Morales (Mariana Bracetti) tech. fall Forte (Interboro), 2:57
182- Smallacombe (Unionville) medical forfeit Williams (Mariana Bracetti)
195- Winebrake (Upper Dublin) pinned Maguire (Unionville), 3:34
220- Mea (Interboro) pinned Z. Davis (Oxford), 1:24
285- Baccellieri (Unionville) pinned Garvey (Sun Valley), 3:01
