EAST ROCKHILL — Before defending its District 1-3A Duals Tournament title Saturday, the Pennridge wrestling team made sure to keep its run of success in the SOL Colonial Division going Wednesday night.
The Rams won 10 of the 12 contested matches against visiting Central Bucks East, taking six by fall and two more by technical fall as Pennridge earned a 15th straight division dual meet victory on its Senior Night by topping the Patriots 53-18.
“Just finishing off strong,” Rams senior Cole Coffin said. “We know what we’re capable of, we knew we were going to go out there and just do it. Another match but it was important, Senior Night a lot of seniors on this team.”
After East opened with a forfeit win at 285 pounds, Pennridge’s Kevin McFadden claimed an 18-1 tech fall at 107 six seconds into the second period. Sam Iadonisi’s pin at 114 gave the Rams the lead for good.
“Really pleased with the way they wrestled,” Pennridge coach Brian Kuhns said. “Got a couple things we got to clean up as we head into postseason but we film the matches we review ‘em, I feel like we’ll get there by when we need it.”
Pennridge took the next three matches to build a 26-6 advantage before the Patriots’ Coltan Jones picked up a pin at 139. The Rams, however, ripped off five straight wins, getting pins from Sam Kuhns (152), Ryan Gallagher (160), Talan Hogan (172) and Ryan Rowe (189) in the last four.
“They’ve been working so hard and I feel like we’re that close to being fully healthy, ready to go, everybody on weight,” Brian Kuhns said. “Hopefully it times up right with a little run to states.”
Saturday, Pennridge heads to Upper Dublin for the completion of the district 3A duals championship, the second-seeded Rams taking on No. 10 Council Rock North in the quarterfinals at 8:30 a.m. The top four teams qualify for the PIAA tournament.
Pennridge began districts last Thursday beating No. 15 West Chester Henderson 62-12 in the first round.
“This year, it’s just, I don’t know, a calmness you feel with them,” Brian Kuhns said. “Sometimes we want them to be a little more rah-rah but I think they’re going in really confident, especially knowing, OK, Saturday might be the first time we’ve had all 13 kids in the lineup. And that’s a big excitement for a lot of these kids.”
The Rams captured last year’s district duals title with a win over Spring-Ford in the final. Pennridge lost to Hempfield Area in its state opener, stayed alive with victories over Cumberland Valley and Spring-Ford before falling to Central Dauphin in the consolation third round.
“Not really any pressure,” Coffin said. “It’s our best year I feel like and we’re just going to go out there and have some fun. Potentially we can have our best lineup for the first time this year, that’s exciting. And with that lineup we’re going to win states.”
After going 5-0 in Colonial dual meets, Pennridge can secure its third consecutive division crown Wednesday at the SOL Colonial Championships at Central Bucks South.
“These kids have set the standard,” Brian Kuhns said. “We had that speech with them when they were freshmen, you will be remembered forever for rebuilding Pennridge wrestling and it’s kind of surreal, they’re seniors now and it’s like oh my God, actually it happened like we thought it would happen.”
Reagan McCullough joined Jones in winning via fall for Central Bucks East (4-1 division), the senior capping the dual meet by pinning Riley Cullen in 39 seconds to avenge a 6-1 loss last season.
“Honestly, I couldn’t even tell you what happened,” McCullough said. “We were just hand fighting. I think he did a great job and he did take a good shot. I kind of just punched my under in there and I felt it was advantageous for me so I kind of just threw it, see what happen, put him on his back and I knew I had to stick ‘em there.”
For McCullough, who reached South East Regionals last season, Wednesday’s pin improved his record to 20-3. Knee surgery sidelined McCullough for his senior football season last fall but while recuperating he found the next stop in his wrestling career as he committed the Bellarmine University, located in Louisville, Kentucky.
“I really just fell in love with wrestling more the past few years and I was like bedridden for three weeks, almost a month and I spent all that time reaching out to coaches,” McCullough said. “And Bellarmine was one of maybe five DI schools that even reached out back, there were one of three that were willing to give me a visit and once I got on campus there, I just loved everything about it and I knew that’s where I wanted to go.”
Coffin, who claimed his 100th career win in his first match at the Escape the Rock tournament Jan. 13, gave Pennridge a 15-6 lead over CB East with an 11-2 major decision at 121.
“Little nervous coming into it but once I got on the mat, they just went away and I wrestled,” said Coffin, a two-time state qualifier who is 23-8 this year. “Got to my shots, used my defense, worked on top hard, got out with a win.”
Quinn McBride followed with a pin at 127 with Danny Metzler picked up a 16-0 tech fall at 133 to extend the Rams’ lead to 26-6.
The pin by Jones had East within 14, but Brady McMahon put the Rams back on track with a 10-3 decision at 145. Kuhns collected a second-period pin at 152 while Gallagher got a fall with just a second left in the first period at 160 to make it 47-12.
