The Exeter Township Senior High School wrestling team had never won the team championship at the BCIAA Individual Tournament in its 15 years of existence.
Despite entering as favorites for this year’s tournament on Jan. 15 and 16, senior standout Brett Kulp knew there was work to be done.
Exeter’s Brett Kulp takes down Wilson’s Tyler Wilkes in the 132-pound final during the BCIAA Championships on Jan. 15. Kulp won by fall and was named tournament Outstanding Wrestler. (Photo courtesy Exeter wrestling)
“I knew coming in we had to take care of business,” Kulp said. “We were the favorites to win it all at the tournament, which we’ve never done, so we came and took care of business like we knew we could.”
Kulp pinned his way to the 132-pound title and was named Outstanding Wrestler while leading a charge of six Eagles to win their weight class and give Exeter its first team championship at the event.
Joining Kulp atop the podium was senior James Harkness (138), juniors Tyler Bagoly (160), Austin Desanto (126) and Oscar Daniels (285) and sophomore Dennis Karas (195).
Bagoly said to prepare for the tournament, the team had to come to practice each day and push each other and try to get in the best shape and work as hard as they could.
It led to a number of satisfying performances, including Kulp’s.
“I had three falls in three matches, so I think I performed up to my level,” he said.
“I was pleased, to say the least,” Bagoly said. “I won my portion of the tournament, but I would’ve liked to score more points in my final bout, and have a bigger margin of victory.”
Exeter’s Tyler Bagoly, left, takes on Wilson’s Tommy O’Brien in the 160-pound final at the BCIAA Championships on Jan. 15. Bagoly won 3-1. (Photo courtesy Exeter wrestling)
Bagoly said that his opponent was going to be particularly tough (Wilson’s Tommy O’Brien).
“He was ranked in the state, and I knew he was going to be a tough matchup,” Bagoly said.
With six individual champions and the team championship, one could surmise that will only bode well for the squad moving forward.
“I think those wins will outline the rest of our season pretty well. It’s not the ultimate goal, but it’s a nice stepping stone,” Kulp said. “As a team we’ve never won that (a team championship) before, and that’s huge for our program. However, getting to the postseason is our ultimate goal, and that’s what we’re driving toward.”
Exeter’s win of the team championship seems to signal that the squad is on the right track moving forward.
“I think it shows that we’re doing everything right, but we have to continue pushing and getting better each day,” Bagoly said.
Each of the wrestlers noted that they can translate their successes to matches coming up throughout the rest of the year.
“If you win, it’s a success, and you have a drive going through the rest of the season,” Kulp said. “If you’re winning, you’re definitely doing something right.”
Exeter’s Austin DeSanto, right, takes on Twin Valley’s Aaron Wildonger in the 126-pound final of the BCIAA Championships on Jan. 15. DeSanto won 12-6. (Photo courtesy Exeter wrestling)
“You just have to keep winning and have that desire to get to the next level,” Bagoly said.
Kulp noted that he hopes none of his teammates have a hangover from the success of the tournament moving into the rest of the season.
“I hope we can keep striving to achieve the next step as a team, and individually performing like we know we can, and if we do that, there shouldn’t be any let down at all,” he said.
Looking toward the rest of the wrestling season, DeSanto said he was looking forward to states, and Bagoly is looking to make a good team run and making the state tournament as a unit and individually as well. Kulp concurred that making the state tournament individually and as a team was the next step in his mind. The team quest begins on Feb. 2 when the District 3 Team Championships begin.
In his final season, Kulp is trying to help set a new standard.
“Obviously if we perform well as a team this year, we’ll have something to drive for right now, and we’ll have that same drive moving forward,” Kulp said.
Desanto and Bagoly see themselves as being leaders on the squad next season.
“We see ourselves being role models for the underclassmen next year,” Bagoly said. “We want to be able to show them how to be successful.”
From head coach Jon Rugg’s perspective, there were a lot of things to like about his squad’s performance in the tournament.
“I think the big thing was in some cases, with Oscar (Daniels) and Denny (Karas), we had a game plan to go into the match,” Rugg said. “The difference I saw was mentally, they were all more into the matches. Mentally, the team was in it for all the right reasons, whether it was a game plan or a strategy. They executed perfectly, and I think it played a major role during the tournament, and it factored in to our success, and can only bear fruit moving forward.”
