HOLLAND >> He saw it not as an end result, but a stop on the way to bigger things.
That sized up Joey Milano’s championship showing at the Escape the Rock Tournament this weekend. He became Spring-Ford’s first-ever wrestler to score one of the championship belts awarded at this prestigious competition with his 4-3 victory over Samuel Fisher of Fauquier (Va.) in the 182-pound final, yet the junior doesn’t plan to revel in the achievement for long.
“I’m not satisfied yet,” Milano said. “All I’ve been thinking about is getting back into the room. I’m excited now, but I’m looking to get back into the room Monday.”
Milano led a group of six Mercury-area medalists that also featured Spring-Ford teammate Jack McGill (sixth at 152), The Hill School’s Kelvin Griffin (fifth at 126), Sam Beckett (eighth at 138) and Derek Schmaeling (seventh at 195) and Owen J. Roberts’ Antonio Petrucelli (seventh at 145),
Milano (23-0) led the rest of the way following a scoreless first period. He tilted Fisher, who started the second on the bottom, then bolstered his 2-0 lead with a pair of escapes in the third.
His two escapes in the third were equalized by Fisher scoring a takedown. Things got tighter when Milano was whistled for stalling, but he succeeded in keeping Fisher at bay to reach the top step of the medal stand at Council Rock South.
“I feel like I let off the gas at the end,” Milano said. “That’s not good. I will fix that.”
Spring-Ford’s Joey Milano tries to trip Fauquier’s Sam Fisher in a 4-3 win in the 182-pound final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Milano put together a 4-0 record at the Rock, a performance highlighted by a pin and technical fall. He and teammate Jack McGill, who came away with a medal at 152, headed a team effort that saw the Rams score 59 points to finish among the top 20 teams in the tournament.
“We’re honored to be here,” Spring-Ford head coach Tim Seislove said. “We felt our kids deserved to be here. They all wrestled well, and it was nice to see Joey win a championship.”
McGill had two reasons to enjoy Spring-Ford’s ETR experience. The junior 152-pounder reached both the medal round and the 100-win mark for his scholastic career, the latter setting the stage for the former.
McGill opened Sunday’s session with 10-3 decision of Parsippany (N.J.) opponent Dominick Delinitis. That put him in position to compete for fifth place, though he ended up sixth off a loss to New Kent’s Nick Vafladis.
“A big win in a tournament like this … it’s exciting, ”McGill said. “The intensity, having teammates and a lot of fans here.”
McGill, who went 6-2 on the weekend, was confident of getting the milestone win before the bout was completed.
“A second period takedown put me up 3-0,” he said. “That was the turning point in the match. I knew I got it.”
Spring-Ford’s Jack McGill ties up with New Kent’s Nick Vafiadis in a 3-1 overtime loss in the fifth-place bout at 152 pounds. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
On the way to becoming a 100-win performer, McGill drew inspiration from Spring-Ford’s current win leader.
“My freshman year, I beat Brandon Meredith’s freshman win record (37 vs. 34),” Jack recalled. “He got to 150 wins, and after that I knew I was going to go for it.”
Petrucelli came to the Rock with designs on achieving a lofty finish … namely, one of the gaudy championship belts. But the Owen J. Roberts senior didn’t meet his expectations, placing seventh at 145 with a 5-4 decision of Council Rock North’s Sam Hayes.
“It didn’t go my way,” the University of Pittsburgh-bound Petrucelli said after the awards presentations. “I didn’t do well. I need to make some changes.”
Petrucelli qualified for the medal round with a 4-3 decision of JW Robinson’s Liam Gordon. He finished the weekend with a 4-2 record, the highlights a technical fall and major decision in his first two bouts of the weekend.
A sixth-place finisher at the Rock his junior year, Petrucelli came back this year looking to improve in one aspect.
“I wanted to keep my cool,” he said. “If I lost, to move past it.”
Hill School’s Kelvin Griffin rides Council Rock North’s Luke Lucerne during a 2-0 win in the fifth-place match. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
The Hill School had the area’s largest number of medalists at the Rock: Kelvin Griffin (126), Sam Beckett (138) and Derek Schmaeling (195). It also represents a program high for its years of competing at the Rock.
Griffin placed fifth following a 2-0 win over Council Rock North’s Luke Lucerne. Griffin went 6-2 for the weekend, scoring three pins.
Schmaeling was seventh at 195, escaping with 2-1 decision of Bethlehem Catholic’s Justus Bozzi. Schmaeling’s weekend saw him go 2-3.
Beckett ended up eighth off a loss to St. Joseph’s Regional’s Michael Cetta. Beckett compiled a 3-3 record at the Rock, winning three decisions by a combined score of 18-11.
“It’s hard to be up all weekend,” Hill head coach Dave Hoffman said. “We try to keep things light, doing a lot off the mat.”
The Blues’ schedule to date has been heavy on tournaments and competitions focusing on the individual. With a team championship and two seconds to date, they are working toward the state and national preps in February.
“They’re not going to see anything different from here,” Hoffman said in regard to the level of competition the Hill faced at the Rock. “There’s a lot we do to build their confidence.”
The Hill’s big weekend came about even with one of its Rock high seeds unable to compete. Jacob Craig, pre-seeded fourth at 113, was injured at practice during the week and forced to scratch.
“It would have been nice to have four out of six (medalists), instead of three out of five,” Hoffman said. “But all in all, it was a pretty good weekend.”
Two other local wrestlers making it to Sunday’s session fell out of medal-round contention in their first bouts of the day.
Boyertown’s Jay Maldonado lost to Bethlehem Catholic’s Dante Frinzi at 113. The Bear junior went 3-2 in the tournament.
The Hill School’s Kade Davidheiser also bowed out, his run at 106 halted by BC’s Cael McItyre. Davidheiser also went 3-2 for the weekend.
NOTES >> The championship bouts started at 132. … Milano became the first Pioneer Athletic Conference wrestler to finish as a Rock champion since Boyertown’s Jordan Wood in 2016. … Spring-Ford and Owen J. Roberts continue their busy week on the mats Wednesday, when they face off in Royersford in a dual that will go a long way toward deciding the Liberty Division’s regular-season and PAC’s team championships; and Thursday, when both kick off District 1-AAA Duals action with matches at West Chester Rustin.
