In 50th anniversary season, Exeter enjoys top 8 finish in state

HERSHEY >> Its golden-anniversary season has been full of memorable moments.

A particularly significant one occurred this past week, when the Exeter wrestling team joined 15 other elite programs in Pennsylvania’s Class AAA for the PIAA Team Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center. Fresh from a first-ever District 3 Class AAA duals championship — the first by a Berks County team since Boyertown in 2001 — the Eagles opened with a win over Boyertown Thursday. It was the first time this decade Exeter won its first state match staged at Hershey.

That proved to be the high point of the team’s state-duals experience, bowing out of the double-elimination tournament with subsequent losses Friday to North Allegheny (36-26) and Canon McMillan (42-21). Yet it capped a successful regular season for the Eagles, who compiled a 23-3 overall record and went 7-0 against the other teams in the Berks Conference’s Berks I division.

Exeter 36, Boyertown 26 >> The Eagles kicked off their stay in Hershey against a Bear program known for making deep runs into the Class AAA field in recent years … most notably a runner-up finish to Bethlehem Catholic in 2016. But they emerged triumphant from a back-and-forth tussle, their winning surge fueled by pins from Denny Karas and Jonathan Greenleaf.
Karas (195) and Greenleaf (220) dropped their Boyertown opponents in identical 2:49 times. Coupled with Tyler Bagoly’s decision of Elijah Jones at 182, they overturned the Bears’ 26-21 lead to qualify for the tournament’s quarterfinal round.

“I don’t think this shocks us in any way,” Rugg said. “I don’t see them being extra nervous.”

After opening a 10-point lead at the start, off a forfeit to Oscar Daniels (285) and Jacob Keller’s major decision at 106, Exeter saw Boyertown go ahead 14-10 off major decisions by Matt Wilde (113) and David Campbell (120) and Jakob Campbell’s pin at 126. Austin DeSanto got the Eagles back a 15-14 lead with Austin DeSanto’s tech-fall at 132, touching off the first stage of a back-and-forth flurry that ended with Jacob Miller putting the Bears up by five through 170.

Brett Breidor answered DeSanto’s victory with a decision at 138 (17-15 Boyertown), Gage Moran followed with a pin at 145 (21-17 Exeter), then Chris Berry and Hunter Vogels posted back-to-back decisions at 152 and 160 (23-21 Boyertown) before Miller added what would be the Bears’ final three points.

“Our kids are doing a better job staying up,” Rugg said. “They do a great job supporting each other.”

The victory moved Exeter to a quarterfinal-round matchup with North Allegheny, the District 7 third seed that dispatched Father Judge (District 12 champ) in the first round, 45-12. The heady start notwithstanding, Rugg was taking a cautious approach toward the rest of the tournament.

“We’re taking it one match at a time,” he said.

North Allegheny 36, Exeter 26 >> Though the Eagles led through the first 11 bouts, they were undone by the Tigers’ sweep of the last four weights in the quarterfinals.

Two pins and a shutout decision put NA over the top for good. The District 7 third seed had gotten to within one point (18-17) of the Eagles at 120, but Chris Matthews gave Exeter wiggle room with his one-point decision at 126, and DeSanto followed with a tech-fall at 132.

The Tigers’ comeback started with Zach Stedeford’s major verdict at 138, before Jake Hinkson got a pin at 145 that put them up 27-26. Jon Hoover upped NA’s lead to 30-26 with a decision at 152, and Eric Hong closed the door on an Exeter come-from-behind victory by pinning at 160.

The Eagles’ fast start featured Bagoly’s 49-second pin at 170, Nolan Buck’s decision at 182 and Karas’ one-minute fall at 195. Oscar Daniels’ decision at 285 gave Exeter an 18-4 lead with the card switching to the lower end of the scale.

With the loss, Exeter found itself in the consolation bracket against Canon McMillan. The District 7 second seeds, dropped into wrestlebacks with a 30-29 loss to Council Rock South in Thursday’s opening round, were coming off a 46-14 victory over District 9 champ Dubois.

Canon McMillan 42, Exeter 21 >> The Eagles’ state-duals run was halted by the Big Macs scoring 24 unanswered points to overturn Exeter’s initial 9-3 lead.
Karas’ pin at 195 and Greenleaf’s 2-0 decision at 220 gave Exeter a 9-3 lead through three weights. It proved a short-lived one, though, as CM took the next five bouts — three on pins — for a 27-9 lead halted by a forfeit to DeSanto of the 132-pound weight class.

The Macs got back on pace with pins at 138 and 152, sandwiched around a decision at 145, for the clinching margin of victory. Exeter rounded out the match with decisions by Tyler Borton (160) and Bagoly (170).

“That one win doesn’t feel so good now,” Rugg said at the end. “The close loss to North Allegheny took the juice out of the guys. Every loss can be so devastating.”

DeSanto’s 3-0 run at the state duals got him to the 150-win plateau for his scholastic career. His former teammate, Brett Kulp, holds the program’s record with 172.

* * *

With the regular season ended, Exeter now looks ahead to the individual tournament grind spanning the next four weeks.

The Eagles start it Saturday (Feb. 18) with the District 3-AAA Section 1 competition at Gov. Mifflin Intermediate School. The next weekend (Feb. 23-25), they revisit the Giant Center for the Southcentral AAA Regional; two weeks later, the Exeter qualifiers are back in Hershey for the PIAA Class AAA Championships March 9-11.

“We now have to switch gears from team to individual,” Rugg said. “We’ll be ready to go. The week will be focused on that.”

DeSanto’s main focus will be to move up to the top step on the medal podium. He missed a gold-medal finish to his junior season, a tech-fall at the hands of Franklin Regional’s Spencer Lee leaving him with silver at 120.

“Last year, I got way too excited,” DeSanto said. “I’m working to change that this year.”

DeSanto is still considering whether to compete at 126 – where a rematch with two-time junior world champion Lee would likely await – or at 132, a decision he will have to make this week.
Karas and Daniels will also be looking to improve on their 2016 state showings. Daniels bowed out in the third round of 285 consolations while Karas made a second-round exit at 195.