Pottsgrove edges Phoenixville 44-34 to claim first outright PAC Frontier Division title

LOWER POTTSGROVE >> It wasn’t in a mood to share.

And reliance on tiebreaking criteria wasn’t an option, either.

Pottsgrove wanted to be unquestionable champions of the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s Frontier Division this season. The Falcons achieved that goal Wednesday, albeit in a closer-than-it-looked 44-34 victory over Phoenixville.

Pins by Zach Van Horn and Avery Shivak in the final two contested weights carried the day for Pottsgrove (5-0 division, 12-6 overall), fueling a comeback against the Phantoms’ tenuous 34-32 lead. Van Horn’s second-period fall at 195 put the Falcons back in front 38-34, and Shivak sealed the deal with a first-period drop at 220.

“That was our No. 1 goal at the beginning of the season,” Van Horn said. “We’re happy, and excited.”

Congratulations to our wrestling team. Frontier Division Champions. @PacTenSports @AustinHertzog @pgsdfalcons @PGHSnews @PaPrepLive pic.twitter.com/wmoEsO6CmD

— Pottsgrove Falcons (@PGSDAthletics) January 31, 2019

Pottsgrove was coming off successive 4-1 Frontier showings the past two years. It was matched by Upper Perkiomen in 2017-18, though the Indians were acclaimed division champs on a tiebreaker. Two years earlier, the two clubs were joined by Pottstown in the 4-and-1 club leading the Frontier ranks.

So this outright title, and the accompanying berth in the league’s first-ever PAC Championship Dual Feb. 14, made for a happy atmosphere in the Pottsgrove gym.

“I thought our strength is up top,” Pottsgrove head coach Jeff Madden said. “The last three … win or lose, that was the way we wanted to go. If they beat us up there, they deserved it (championship).”

Forfeits and fast pins factored in an 18-18 draw through the first six weights. The Grove went up 32-24 by taking three of the next four bouts, but Phoenixville (2-2, 8-16) got its first — and only — lead of the night with Alex Washington pinning at 170 and Travis Pannella posting a major decision at 182.

“We’re not at full strength,” Phantom head coach Brandan Clark said, citing illness as a factor. “We went with what we got, and gave Pottsgrove a run for its money.”

With four of the first five weights scored as forfeits (three for Pottsgrove), Justin Meyers scored a 21-second pin at 113 in counter to forfeits awarded to Pottsgrove’s Manny Allen (285) and Tony Lindgren (106). Meyers and Bobby Krause, who got a 1:17 pin at 132, meshed with a forfeit to Mason Koch (120) to pull the Phantoms even with the Falcons.

“Them moving their 106-pounder up, I thought that was a good deal for us,” Madden said. “I thought that would be our best matchup.”

Walter Pack’s 6-3 decision at 160 enabled Pottsgrove to break up Phoenixville’s 3-for-4 run between 152 and 182. Pack, a junior who came to Pottsgrove from Northeast High, took a 4-2 lead into a third period in which he took down Jimmy Hammaker after Hammaker closed the point gap to 4-3 at the start of the period.

“I had no idea what it (PAC divisional competition) was,” he said, “but I’m happy for the team. There are good people here, and a good situation for me. A lot of opportunities.”

Josh Cerrito contributed a fall at 138 to Pottsgrove’s point total, and Stephen Hennelly followed with a four-minute technical fall at 145.

Like Phoenixville, Pottsgrove had wrestlers dealing with a stomach virus. One notable example was Josh Cerrito, whose 3:10 pin at 138 got the Falcons’ stretch run going.

“Josh did a great job, even while feeling sick,” Madden said. “With the sickness, we were fortunate to get this one.”

Pottsgrove will be dueling for the PAC championship with Owen J. Roberts, which finished atop the Liberty Division with its 58-12 win over Methacton. It will work to stay in tune with a series of non-league matches with Brandywine Heights (Jan. 31), Oley Valley (Feb. 6), Downingtown East (Feb. 9) and Wilson-West Lawn (Feb. 13) prior to squaring off against the Wildcats at Boyertown.

“We’re going to enjoy this at least one day,” Madden said, “then see where we’re at.”

Phoenixville, in turn, will host Kutztown Feb. 5, visit Upper Merion Feb. 6 to close out its PAC schedule, and participate in Upper Dublin’s Cardinal Invitational Feb. 9 in preparation for the District 1-AAA North tournament at Pottstown Feb. 22 and 23.

“I feel good about our team,” Clark said. “Tonight was a good example. The kids fought, which gives us good hopes for the post-season.”

NOTES
Pottsgrove will observe Senior/Parent Night in conjunction with the Brandywine Heights match.