HOLLAND >> It’ll be some time before Malvern Prep sneaks up on anyone in the wrestling realm. But at the Escape the Rock tournament, Sunday, a few Friars made impressions.
Eight Friars earned top-eight medals and five of them out-placed their initial seeding. Malvern won its third straight team title at this tournament, that perennially draws top talent from multiple states.
Malvern Prep, 2023 Escape the Rock champions. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Malvern’s Nik O’Neill (127 pounds) and Owen J. Roberts’ Dillon Bechtold (215) were the only champs from Chester County, but a pair of locals made surprising runs to the finals.
The first was freshman, Lukas Littleton Mascaro (114), who made his tournament debut with the Malvern starters.
“I was at 120 (pounds) and they needed me to cut down,” Littleton Mascaro said. “I realized I was too small at 120, so 114 is a better weight for me and I made the best of it.”
Malvern Prep’s Lukas Littleton Mascaro tries to control Bethlehem Catholic’s Nate Desmond in a 3-1 loss in the 114-pound final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
The Berwyn-area native had been backing up multiple-time prep All-American, Tommy Link, but got his chance on a big stage with nationally-ranked starter, Anthony Mutarelli, out with an injury.
Littleton Mascaro started the tournament as the No. 6 seed and began day two of the tournament in the semis, against No. 2 Leo DeLuca of Blair Academy. Littleton Mascaro used two stall points in the third period to knock off DeLuca, who was ranked No. 6 in the country at 120 by MatScouts.
Malvern Prep’s Lukas Littleton Mascaro gets his hand raised after defeating Blair Academy’s Leo DeLuca in the 114-pound semifinals. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
In the finals, Littleton Mascaro dropped a 3-1 decision to Bethlehem Catholic’s returning state champion, Nate Desmond.
“I did pretty good, making the finals,” Littleton Mascaro said. “I didn’t expect that in my first varsity tournament. After I beat (DeLuca), my confidence was really high. I wanted the win and obviously didn’t get the result I wanted, but I’m definitely happy with it all.”
Malvern’s Nate Rickards was seeded 10th, but after beating the seventh, second and sixth seeds, to get to the finals, the Bucktown-area resident’s heater ended.
Malvern Prep’s Nate Rickards eyes up Southern Regional’s Matt Henrich in a 5-3 overtime loss in the 152-pound final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Against Matt Henrich of Southern Regional (NJ), Rickards scored a takedown with 12 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. In the sudden victory period, Henrich scored two for a 5-3 win.
“I’ve been wrestling a lot better and finishing shots,” Rickards said. “I’ve been close in every tournament, I just haven’t been coming out on top.”
Malvern Prep’s Nick O’Neill scores the winning takedown against Blair Academy’s . (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
O’Neill went from the fifth seed to champ, Duncan Christensen took third at 172 after being seeded seventh, and Nick Wehmeyer (189) won the consolation bracket as a No. 10 seed.
“It’s time for everyone to step up,” Rickards said. “We don’t have the No. 1 kid in the nation (Nick Feldman) anymore, so everyone has to step up and place high.”
In the semis, O’Neill made his move, locking up Dillon Campbell of Legacy Christian Academy (OH) in a cradle. Campbell is ranked No. 3 in the country by MatScouts, while O’Neill is No. 19.
“Getting that cradle locked up gave me a ton of confidence and kind of drove me to win in the finals.”
Malvern Prep’s Nick O’Neill scores the winning takedown against Blair Academy’s Matty Lopes in the 121-pound final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
There, O’Neill went to overtime with Blair’s Matty Lopes, but won a scramble and scored a four-point move to earn his first championship belt.
“Taking fourth last year and coming back to the same weight class, that win felt really good,” O’Neill said.
Malvern’s Jack Consiglio started as the No. 2 seed and found Central Mountain’s Dalton Perry, a Penn State recruit, in the finals. Perry managed a four-point move out of a scramble in the third to win, 5-3.
Malvern Prep’s Jack Consiglio. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
“I felt good and felt a lot more confident with my shots,” Consiglio said. “The final didn’t go my way, but that’s life and I just have to move on and deal with it.”
Tommy Link (121) and Reed Fullmer (160) took fifth for Malvern, in their finales at ETR.
Owen J’s Bechtold used the tournament as a gauge for a potential weight change. Wrestling at 189 most of the year, Bechtold bumped up to 215 and gave up only two takedowns in five matches.
Owen J. Roberts’ Dillon Bechtold scrambles for the first takedown against Mt. Olive’s Anthony Moscatello in a 7-1 win in the 215-pound final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
“It definitely gives me something to think about,” Bechtold said. “I’ll have a conversation with my coaches, but I came here to see how it felt to wrestle with the big boys and it was a good turn out for me.”
In the finals, Becthold defeated Anthony Moscatello of Mt. Olive (NJ), 7-1, converting a scramble for a takedown in the second, and claiming OJR’s first title at the tournament.
Owen J. Roberts’ Dillon Bechtold. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
“It means a lot,” Bechtold said. “Last year I went 1-2. I didn’t even make it to day two. I put a lot of work in, and have been wrestling at Chance Marsteller’s club and it’s paying off.”
Owen J. Roberts’ Dillon Bechtold. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Team Standings (top 10)
1. Malvern Prep, 206.5; 2. Blair Academy, 181; 3. St. Joseph Regional, 147; 4. Faith Christian Academy, 127; 5. Bethlehem Catholic, 122; 6. St. Peter’s Prep, 115; 7. Notre Dame Green Pond, 113.5; 8. Christian Brothers Academy, 105.5; 9. Southern Regional, 83.5; 19. Central Mountain, 83
Championship Finals
107- Smith (Notre Dame) dec. T. DeKraker (Blair), 3-2 UTB
114- Desmond (BECA) dec. Littleton Mascaro (Malvern), 3-1
121- Knox (St. John Vianney) dec. Botero (Faith Christian), 9-2
127- O’Neill (Malvern) dec. Lopes (Blair), 6-2 SV
133- Perry (Central Mountain) dec. Consiglio (Malvern), 5-3
139- Rath (BECA) dec. Manville (State College), 3-1
145- Gaj (Quakertown) dec. George (Christian Brothers), 6-2
152- Henrich (Southern Regional) dec. Rickards (Malvern), 5-3 SV
160- Queen (St. John Vianney) Sadriddinov (Council Rock South), 5-3
172- Waters (Faith Christian) dec. Garcia (Notre Dame), 5-2
189- Griffith (Sanford) dec. Dellagatta (South Jersey Regional), 5-2
215- Bechtold (Owen J. Roberts) dec. Moscatello (Mt. Olive), 7-1
285- Neves (Blair) dec. Mullen (South Jersey Regional), 10-7
