PHLIPSBURG – Bellefonte fell into a 29-0 hole against Philipsburg-Osceola on Dec. 9 at the Philipsburg-Osceola gymnasium, but the Red Raiders dug out of that hole as energetically as some dug out from a snowstorm less than a week later.
The Red Raiders won six of the final seven bouts, including four by fall. The fourth fall by Luke Hockenberry at 285 pounds in 5:17 in the final bout secured a 33-32 win over the Mounties.
Bellefonte also got pins from Andrew Gall (152), Ezra Swisher (160) and Jackson Long (215). Gavin Lucas (172) won by forfeit to give the Red Raiders another six points, Wyatt Long earned a pivotal 4-1 decision over Averi Gable at 145 to start the comeback.
P-O earned pins by Ace Foster (133) and Conner Guenot (139) to make the score 29-0. P-O’s Three-time state qualifier Caleb Hummel (127) racked up a 17-1 technical fall in only 2:27. Hayden Koptchak (107) won by forfeit to begin the dual meet.
The Mounties got decisions by Jacob Dugan and Devin Long at 114, respectively, to help create that big early lead. Dugan earned a 3-0 win over Colin Harter, and Long followed with a 6-3 overtime victory over Blake Glace.
P-O’s Colton Chapman broke up Bellefonte’s run in the second half of the dual meet with 5-1 win over Jack McHail at 189. The Mounties held a 7-6 edge in bout wins, but Bellefonte’s four falls made the difference.
PENNS VALLEY
Unbeaten Penns Valley also built a big lead in its home dual meet with Bald Eagle Area on Dec. 9, charging out to a 27-0 lead, but the Rams kept up the pressure. They went 4-4 in the final eight bouts, including two pins, to beat the Eagles, 49-18.
Penns Valley (7-0) had the big lead early because of pins by Blake Brumbaugh (114) and returning state third-placer Max Dinges (133). Cayden Myers (107) and Conner Myers (127) won by forfeit, while Evan Lisowski earned a 6-0 win over Tyler Corey at 121.
Seth Fetterolf (160) and Brayden Lisowski (172) had back-to-back pins for PV, while Cael Smith (189) won by forfeit and Robert Martin (215) earned a 13-3 major decision over Kyle Watson.
Gage Gardner (285) had the only fall for BEA, which also got bonus points wins in two other bouts. Returning state fourth-placer Caden Judice racked up a 16-1 technical fall in 5:00 at 152, while two-time state placer Tanner Guenot dominated in a 14-0 major decision over state qualifier Erik Carlisle.
BEA’s Dawson Lomison beat Tripp Watson, 6-4 at 145.
The Rams were scheduled for another big match at 3-0 Huntingdon, which beat Bellefonte, 29-25, to start the season, on Dec. 16.
BALD EAGLE AREA
Bald Eagle Area bounced back from the Penns Valley by going 5-1 and finishing second at the Dandy Duals on Dec. 13 at Towanda High School.
The Eagles beat Wyoming Area, 60-16, Jersey Shore, 45-19, North Penn-Liberty, 48-29, Honesdale, 40-35, and Wilkes-Barre Area, 41-31. They lost to Montgomery, 44-28, in the second match of the Duals.
Guenot and Lomison went 6-0 with four falls, respectively, while Judice also went 6-0. Coach Ron Guenot earned his 100th career win during the Duals.
There was drama in the win over 11th-ranked Honesdale. BEA shot out a 28-6 lead, but Honesdale went on a winning streak to take a 35-28 lead. Corey won by fall in 40 seconds to draw the Eagles to within a point going into the final bout.
BEA 127-pounder Liam Purcell then built a 12-6 lead before getting a pin in 4:48 to clinch the team win.
The Eagles (5-2) were scheduled to wrestle Philipsburg-Osceola Dec. 16 in another Centre County matchup.
STATE COLLEGE
State College won its second dual meet, 47-22, over Cedar Cliff on Dec. 11 before finishing fifth in the Penn Manor Holiday Tournament on Dec. 12 and 13.
The Little Lions finished with 157.5 points. Norwin won the team title with 214.5 points. Central Mountain (165 points) placed third.
State College didn’t have a champion, but it had seven placewinners. Luke Young made the 121-pound finals, but he lost by technical fall, 18-1 in 1:28 to Norwin junior and Penn State commit Landon Sidun.
Noah Young (114) finished third, while Teag Sanderson (172) placed fourth. Kael Davis (127) and James Whitbred (160) placed fifth, while Noah Williams (189) took sixth. Jon Whitbred (133) finished seventh.
Against Cedar Cliff, Noah Young (114), Luke Young (121), Davis (127) and Reagan Dillon (215) had pins. James Whitbred (160) won by technical fall.
PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA
In addition to the Bellefonte loss, Philipsburg-Osceola also lost at Clearfield, 40-27.
Dugan (114) had the only fall for P-O. In a battle of state qualifiers, Hummel beat Bo Aveni, 4-0, at 133. Koptchak (107), Matt Rowles (121), Long (127) and Chapman (189) won by forfeit.
TICE, SCOTT WIN GIRLS TITLES
Bald Eagle Area’s Addison Tice won the 112-pound title, while Bellefonte’s Bailee Scott (155) won at 155 at the Lady Phoenix Christmas Classic on Dec. 13 at Sugar Valley Rural Charter High School.
Tice went 3-0 with falls in 54 seconds or less, including a 13-second pin of Central Mountain’s Emma Scarborough-Perez in the finals. Scott went 2-0 with two first-period falls, including a pin of Jersey Shore’s Taylor Ross in 1:22 in the finals.
BEA’s Ariana Mayes was pinned in the 100-pound finals by Wellsboro’s Isla Twoey.
Bellefonte’s Victoria Schellenberg (142) and Ella Johnsonbaugh (148) placed third, while Lily Spicer (106) was fourth.
PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA GIRLS
The Philipsburg-Osceola girls team went 1-1, beating Bellefonte, 26-6, on Dec. 9 at home and losing at Clearfield, 36-18, on Dec. 11.
Kendyl Meersand (155) had the only pin for P-O against Bellefonte, while Charli Hunt (142) won by technical fall. Hunt (136) had the only fall against Clearfield, while Daisy Glessner (235) won by injury fault.
STATE COLLEGE GIRLS
The State College girls team finished 25th out of 27 teams in the Redbank Valley Tournament on Dec. 13. The Lady Little Lions didn’t have any place winners.
