FRANCONIA >> One after another, the pins began to pile up.
“We’ve really put on an emphasis on if you get a guy on his back, you better seal the deal,” Souderton Area coach Tristan Boyd said after Wednesday night’s clash with rival Central Bucks West, “because we’re still young enough where we make ‘oopsy’ mistakes. And we can’t take the risk of having a guy on his back, (not getting the pin) and then later in the match making a mistake that comes back to bite us.”
Souderton Area made few mistakes against the Bucks. In fact, young Big Red was precise across the board in wrestling to a 58-15 victory in a Suburban One League Continental Conference match on the mats at Souderton.
Big Red began the night by winning by forfeit at 113 pounds, and then earned three consecutive pins in the lower weights, including Trevor Alderfer’s at 126.
“I was pretty excited,” Alderfer said. “As a freshman, wrestling at 126, so far I’ve wrestled two other freshmen this year, and I pinned them both.”
Souderton would go on to win six matches by pin, including two in the final seconds of the third period by Harrison Andrade (120) and Thomas Michaels (152).
“They’re buying into the system,” Boyd said of his team, which improved to 2-1 in the conference, a year after going winless in the Continental. “That’s the biggest thing. They’re trusting the technique that we’re coaching and even when they’re not scoring with it, they’re attempting it.
“It’s putting them in good positions throughout the match and giving them a chance to win.”
Brandon Bach (132), Jake Phaup (170) and Tyler Williams (106) all won by fall for Big Red, which officially locked up the victory when Josh Baker battled to an 8-0 major decision over Ryan Hieber at 160, providing the Indians a 43-0 lead.
The Bucks (0-3 conference) got their first victory of the night when Spencer Piligian worked into overtime to win 9-4 over Ryan Voss at 195 pounds.
West also won a pair of matches by forfeit before Williams closed out with a pin for Souderton at 106.
Souderton hosts the Big Red Duals on Saturday while the Bucks travel to the Church Farm Tournament.
