FRANCONIA >> Brady McMahon has put in the time and effort to improve his wrestling and late in his 152-pound match Wednesday night, the Pennridge sophomore’s sweat equity paid off.
Even with Souderton’s Vincent Tomasetti at two points apiece in the third period, McMahon secured a headlock then circled behind to earn a takedown and went on to claim a 5-2 decision.
“The takedown, I was trying to get to my offense, it wasn’t really working,” McMahon said. “I had to work my snap down, I’ve been drilling that all week in practice and eventually I just got to my front headlock, got behind him.”
McMahon’s win provided a valuable cushion to the visiting Rams, extending their lead to 33-25 with two matches remaining in the Suburban League Colonial Division dual meet. An 8-4 decision by the Indians’ Ben Beckett at 160 cut the margin to five but at 172 Ryan Gallagher registered a pin and sealed Pennridge’s 39-28 victory.
“He wrestled maybe his eighth-grade year, this is probably maybe his third year wrestling,” said Rams coach Brian Kuhns of McMahon. “He might have 20 matches under his belt but he shows up every day, rolling in that room, wants to get better, works to get better and a match like that it’s just huge for his confidence.”
The Rams finished with five pins – including three straight by Xavier Dantzler (215), Chase Washington (285) and Colby Martinelli (106) to jump out to an 18-6 lead after four matches – as they bested Big Red for the second straight season and improved their division record to 3-0.
“Colby Martinelli 106 I thought put on a really big win for us, we knew he was giving up six, seven pounds, he’s really light for us at that 106, did not have him down for a pin,” Kuhns said. “Figured that would be kind of his match to win but didn’t think it would go that way. Gallagher at the end, you know he’s had some struggles recently and really been wrestling great over the last week or two so just awesome to see him win a match with a pin where it came down to him.
“Chase Washington, our heavyweight, real light for heavyweight but this kid just works. He’s been working his (butt) off for the last couple of weeks and you’re starting to see it. So many kids in that lineup, I mean Xavier coming out of the gate 215 right after we give up a pin he gets that pin back for us.”
The Rams (7-3 overall) are back on the mat Friday hosting a tri-meet with Central Bucks South and Pennsbury beginning at 4 p.m. Souderton (5-6, 1-1) competes at Lehighton’s Coal Cracker Tournament Friday and Saturday.
A forfeit at 113 gave the Rams a 24-6 lead before the Indians responded by winning the next four. Charlie Arobone got a fall in 3:45 at 120, AJ Stayton made it 24-16 with his 13-3 major decision at 126 while Tyler Geiger’s pin in 5:07 at 132 put the hosts down just two.
“It was a nice, tight, close match, could of gone either way pretty much of the dual meet,” Souderton coach Chris Atkinson said. “But I’m happy the way our guys wrestled and there’s always room for improvement, there’s just a couple little things there that would have made the difference in the match.”
Erick Dominguez, a senior who transferred to Souderton after winning a 2021 Kansas Class 6A state title at Garden City High School, gave the Indians a 25-24 lead as he edged sophomore Sam Kuhns – a PIAA qualifier last year – 4-2 in overtime at 138.
“Just went in there with the intensity that I always go, just go at him,” Dominguez said. “I didn’t know he was a state qualifier so I put that aside me and just go and do my thing.”
Dominguez took a 2-1 lead in the third on a reversal with a Sam Kuhns escape point sending the match to OT. After fighting off a takedown attempt, Dominguez proceeded to get a near fall to claim the decision.
“I was honestly kind of scared a little bit when he got my ankle,” Dominguez said. “Mastered that position so many times just I knew what to do, sat out and got my two. Like I said, I didn’t see that single and he just came out of nowhere. It was a good match, I just got the two.”
Dominguez, who took Kansas state gold at 138, is now 12-1 on the year with his lone loss coming via decision in the Penn Manor Tournament’s 145 final to Garden Spot’s Garrett Gehr Dec. 18.
“Erick transferred in here from Kansas and he knew Pennsylvania wrestlers were going to challenge him and he’s getting it,” Atkinson said. “And we need to get him in some of those tougher matches so he gets accustomed to Pennsylvania wrestling. But he had a really good match.”
Pennridge, however, regained the lead for good as Gio Iadonisi’s pin in 1:14 at 152 had the Rams up 30-25 while McMahon followed with his 5-2 decision at 160 to make it an eight-point advantage.
Beckett’s 8-4 decision at 160 kept Souderton’s chances alive but Gallagher locked up the Pennridge victory with a pin in 1:06 at 172.
“This kind of puts us in that driver’s seat for the Colonial league title,” Brian Kuhns said. “We really went into this trying to get the best matches possible for our kids. We put Sam up a full weight class to go against that Erick kid for this is a solid wrestler, you can kind of test your mettle with it. Lost the match – lost both his contacts at the end so wrestled a little bit blind on it but love it.”
“I mean this is what the sport is about, this is league match stuff, let’s get the best against the best, let’s see who can win it ,let’s have some fun with it and I think a lot of those matches we did that.”
The night ended with a pair of girls exhibition contests, Souderton’s Gisele Ramirez and Kayla Husti-Luca both picking up wins by fall.
Souderton sanctioned a girls wrestling team this season, becoming the 15th school in Pennsylvania – and the first in District 1 – to start a girls program. Per pa-wrestling.com, the state is currently at 32 teams.
“I’ve been talking to almost all of our neighboring schools – Quakertown, North Penn, Pennridge – I mean they’re all on board, I think they’re just working within their own school districts to build things up,” said Atkinson, who is also the women’s director for Pennsylvania USA Wrestling. “But that was perfect to showcase, our girls, they girls. I love that they came in here with a couple girls tonight and we were able to put those matches out there.
“And I would love if next year a couple of our neighboring schools sanctioned and I mean we could throw together a little league thing that would be awesome for the girls.”
Souderton’s Kole Lister began Wednesday’s dual meet by collecting a pin in 3:28 at 189. Dantzler had the Rams level with his fall in 1:12 at 215 while Washington’s pin in 3:11 at 285 gave Pennridge a 12-6 lead.
Martinelli made it three straight falls for the Rams, the freshman’s pin in 5:09 at 106 putting the visiting side up 12.
Pennridge 39, Souderton 28
189: Kole Lester (S) pinned Riley Cullen (P) 3:28.
215: Xavier Dantzler (P) pinned Tom Gonce (S) 1:12.
285: Chase Washington (P) pinned Justin Morales (S) 3:11.
106: Colby Martinelli (P) pinned Luke Ragusa (S) 5:09.
113: Cole Coffin (P) win by forfeit.
120: Charlie Arobone (S) pinned Anthony Granite (P) 3:45.
126: AJ Stayton (S) maj. dec. Nate Weisberg (P) 13-3.
132: Tyler Geiger (S) pinned Andrew Minko (P) 5:07.
138: Erick Dominguez (S) dec. Sam Kuhns (P) 4-3 (OT).
145: Gio Iadonisi (P) pinned Emerson Goering (S) 1:14.
152: Brady McMahon (P) dec. Vincent Tomasetti (S) 5-2.
160: Ben Beckett (S) dec. Talan Hogan (P) 8-4.
172: Ryan Gallagher (P) pinned Brayden Crawford (S) 1:06.
