Wrestling

Attilio, Richards stave off exhaustion to get Spring-Ford into PIAA Duals quarters

by
Nate Heckenberger
February 9, 2023

HERSHEY >> Spring-Ford senior, Anthony Attilio, could barely muster his body back to mid-mat.

Freshman Mason Richards, in the following bout, found himself in a similar predicament.

Two exhausted Rams, holding on for dear life, were the perfect metaphors for Spring-Ford as a team, who simply refuses to accept defeat.

Attilio pulled a last-second takedown and back points out of his hat, while Richards went from the bottom position to pinning his foe with 36 seconds left to push Spring-Ford through to the Class 3A PIAA Duals quarterfinals.

Spring-Ford’s Anthony Attilio uses a dump to set up a takedown against Erie Cathedral Prep’s Jaden Crockett in an 11-6 win at 160 pounds. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)

“That was stressful,” Attilio said. “Very stressful. My knee was cramping up but I knew I had to pull through.”

The Rams were the lone winner from District 1, Thursday, topping District 10 champion, Erie Cathedral Prep, 33-25. Spring-Ford won three of the last four bouts to advance and will now face District 7 champ, Canon McMillan, Friday at 2 p.m.

“We knew going in it could go either way,” Spring-Ford coach Tim Seislove said. “It was a good matchup. On paper it looked pretty dead-even, so I’m thankful we got that draw and the kids came through.”

Spring-Ford’s James McGill manages a takedown against Erie Cathedral Prep’s Xavier Domkowski in a 5-0 win at 145 pounds. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)

The Rams trailed 22-21 with four to go, when James McGill pulled off a workmanlike 5-0 win at 145 pounds. The Ramblers went back on top with a 1-0 win at 152.

Attilio stepped in and shook off an early takedown with a last-second takedown in the first period to head to there second up, 3-2. There he used a reversal to push his lead to three, before giving up an escape.

In the third, Attilio did all he could to just survive. Slowly slogging back to the stripe for restarts, Attilio gave up a takedown midway through the third and was let up, to give him a 6-5 lead. Attilio called injury time a second time, but Jaden Crockett elected to stay neutral and eventually got a stalling point to tie things up.

In the final seconds, Attilio found enough in the tank to take Crockett to his back for a five-point move.

Spring-Ford’s Anthony Attilio lifts Erie Cathedral Prep’s Jaden Crockett in an 11-6 win at 160 pounds. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)

“I knew I would get the win for the guys,” Attilio said. “I’m coming back from a knee injury but I knew I was better than him and that I wasn’t going to lose.”

Up two, Spring-Ford sent out Richards, who took a 3-0 lead in the second. But the weight of the moment got to Richards too, and Erie’s Owen Shetler tied the match at three midway through the third.

From bottom, Richards used a switch to reverse Shetler to his back, where the frosh finished the job.

Spring-Ford’s Mason Richards locks up against Erie Cathedral Prep’s Owen Shetler in a win by fall at 172 pounds. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)

“It’s a big atmosphere here,” Richards said. “It’s definitely different than a high school gym. … Bottom is my strong suit, so when I saw there was 50 seconds left I knew there was still plenty of time for two or one. I just told myself, ‘this is it, you have to wrestle.’”

Daniel Borzillo (215) won a decision for the Rams, and Gus Smith (107), Cole Smith (114) and Quinn Smith (127) scored pins.

Spring-Ford’s Gus Smith pins Erie Cathedral Prep’s Aidan Carter at 107 pounds. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)

It will be a bit of a jump in competition level against the Big Macs, Friday, but Seislove’s goal is already coming to fruition.

“Our goal here is to have fun and wrestle hard,” Seislove said. “Our kids did that. When they wrestle hard and do what they’re taught, good things happen.”