ABINGTON >> Abington took a 22-point lead over Plymouth Whitemarsh after the first four matches Wednesday night and carried that momentum to a 40-28 Suburban One League American Conference win at Abington Senior High School.
“We know that coming out and starting strong is where we’re best at,” Abington assistant coach Shane Hughes said. “We always try to make sure we set the tempo early — dominate the match from the first whistle unttil the last. Jumping out to a lead is something we look for.”
Adam Andrews got the Ghosts started, earning four points after an 11-1 win in the 120-pound match.
“My mindset is just dominate,” Andrews said. “Just be stronger than the other person, faster than the other person and do your best. If the kid is stronger than you, try to be stronger than him. I never look for the pin right away. I look for the points.”
Abington’s Jake Rose works to control Plymouth Whitemarsh’s Bobby McGuire during their dual meet on Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. (Gene Walsh/Digital First Media)
After a 126-pound Plymouth Whitemarsh forfeit, Jake Rose and Shane Kibler recorded back-to-back pins for Abington. Rose, in the 132-pound bout, finished off his opponent in 1:28. Kibler, 138, picked up the win in 1:06 to make it 22-0.
“Starting at 120 is right in the heart of their strength,” PW coach David Luthy said. “It was a little tougher. We had a forfeit at 126 — that didn’t help. It does hurt a little bit going behind that early and trying to claw back, but we started to at the end. Just didn’t get quite as much as we needed.”
Isaac Avellino got the Colonials on the board in the 145-pound match. He controlled the first and third rounds to pick up a 7-4 win and earn three points for PW.
Michael Clarkson made it back-to-back PW wins at 152, finishing strong to register a 9-5 decision and trim the Colonials deficit to 22-6.
Abington’s Nasir Mason tallied a pin in 1:45 in the 160-pound bout to extend the lead back to 22, 28-6.
The SOL American rivals traded wins at 170 (Abington’s Joseph Bernstein) and 182 (PW’s David Garcia) before the Ghosts picked up a forfeit win at 195 to take a commanding 37-10 advantage.
Plymouth Whitemarsh’s Jake Ginesin wrestles Abington’s Naseer Mason during their dual meet on Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. (Gene Walsh/Digital First Media)
The Colonials grabbed six points in three of the final four matchups. Paolo DiSanto pinned his opponent in less than two minutes in the 220-pound bout and Dylan Moore quickly disposed of his opponent in 11 seconds at 106 pounds.
“Paolo DiSanto is a returning state qualifier at 220,” Luthy said. “Dylan Moore is a senior at 106. They’re both seniors and are two of our stronger guys.
“(Moore is) stronger than most of the freshman that are there (106). It’s definitely an advantage. You can see how he walks out against a lot of these kids — he’s a lot bigger than them.”
The third six-point match for PW was a scary one. PW’s Jake Williams and Abington’s Colin Hamsher butted heads in the 113-pound contest and the match was stopped. Hamsher remained on the mat when medical help arrived.
Maliq Strother gave Abington its final win of the night in the 285-pound match. He worked his way to a 7-4 decision.
