Upper Moreland wins Battle at Valley Forge
KING OF PRUSSIA — The mats were rolled up and the crowd had all but emptied from the stands.
But the feelings of elation were just beginning to set in for the Upper Moreland wrestling team.
“This is why we love it,” said standout senior, Owen Dunleavy. “It was fun. I had a lot of fun – we all had fun.”
The Bears had fun and put in the work, amassing a perfect 5-0 record at the Battle at Valley Forge, held Saturday morning and afternoon at Upper Merion High School.
Upper Moreland, striving for a Suburban One League Freedom Division title this winter, earned victories over Norristown (48-23), host Upper Merion (70-6), William Tennent (58-16) and Archbishop Carroll (70-6).
That set up a thriller of a final against Upper Darby, and the Bears came through with a 42-29 victory.
Said Upper Moreland coach John DeFranco of the first-place finish: “For our team, it’s a huge step forward. We have worked so hard. We had some struggles early in the season but we just keep grinding, working and working. And it just paid off too.”
Against Upper Darby, the screws began to turn for Upper Moreland when freshman Nick Ley surpassed expectations and was able to win by fall at 145 pounds. At the time, it brought the Bears within 11-6, but it meant even more.
“That was the match right there,” DeFranco said. “I knew we were gonna struggle in the middle weights so I moved some of my guys around. We were gonna take those hits early on in the middle and then I knew we’d be real tough up top and our best kids are the four at the bottom. So it kind of ended up the way it should have.”
Upper Moreland pushed ahead for good at 113 (pin by sophomore Michael Muncer) and then closed out with another two pins, those applied by juniors Collin Evanson at 120 and Charles Hogan at 126.
“It feels really good. We had a freshman step up and do really well. And then two of our juniors just sealed the match with pins,” Dunleavy said. “You can’t ask for a better championship match.”
Dunleavy was a rock for the Bears. He went 4-1 at 215, including a win by fall against Upper Darby.
“I would have liked to get the first match (against Norristown) but you just have to keep wrestling,” he said. “(Winning the title here) is a huge boost. We’re looking to win our league this year.”
“We were just trying to come in and do our stuff,” Ley said. “This is pretty big.”
Dunleavy would like to see his senior season as a Bear extend to regions and hopefully states.
“The coaches got us ready all week,” he said of the weekend. “We worked hard for this.”
Next up for the Bears is a trip to Freedom Division rival Cheltenham on Wednesday night at 7, taking with them a huge heap of momentum.
“We went into it, expecting to get to the finals, and that was a terrific match against Upper Darby,” DeFranco said. “They’re a tough, tough team, and we came out on top. I’m thrilled.”
