D11Wrestling.com

PIAA State Duals 2008

at The Giant Arena, Hershey, Pa.

February 5-9, 2008

last updated February 9, 2007 5:15pm

AA Champion Bracket	AAA Champion Bracket
AA Consolation Bracket	AAA Consolation Bracket

Express-Times Articles Wednesday, February 6, 2008 Friday, February 8, 2008 Saturday, February 9, 2008 Sunday, February 10, 2008

Morning Call Articles Wednesday, February 6, 2008 Friday, February 8, 2008 Saturday, February 9, 2008 Sunday, February 10, 2008

AA - Championship
First Round Tues Feb 5 - 7pm	Second Round Fri Feb 8 - 8am	Quarterfinals Fri Feb 8 - 12pm	Semifinals Sat Feb 9 - 11am	Finals Sat Feb 9 - 3pm	Champion
		D3 #1 - Bermudian Springs (19-0)
		|
D9 #1 - Ridgeway (19-4)		#5	Bermudian Springs 36 - 27
|	Forest Hills 33 - 30	|	|
D6 #2 - Forest Hills (18-2)	#1	NW Lehigh 38 - 24	|
	D11 #1 - NW Lehigh (23-1)		|
			#15	Bermudian Springs 33 - 28
	D5 #1 - Bedford (14-0)		|	|
D7 #2 - Shady Side (21-2)	#2	Bedford 34 - 32	|	|
|	Shady Side 45 - 22	|	|	|
D10 #2 - Harbor Creek (8-1)		#6	Bedford 38 - 22	|
		|		|
		D4 #1 - Towanda (27-4)		|
				|
Single Elimination Round				#20	Burrell 37 - 29
				|
		D10 #1 - Reynolds (16-0)		|
		|		|
D1 #1 - Octorara (6-11)|		#7	Reynolds 42 - 21	|
|	Brandywine Hgts 60 - 10	|	|	|
D3 #2 - Brandywine Hgts (23-1)	#3	Brandywine Hgts 51 - 22	|	|
	D2 #1 - Berwick (21-5)		|	|
			#16	Burrell 24 - 22
	D6 #1 - Mt. Union (22-1)		|
D4 #2 - Mt. Carmel (20-2)	#4	Mt. Carmel 39 - 33	|
|	Mt. Carmel 33 - 26	|	|
D11 #2 - Northern Lehigh (18-5)		#8	Burrell 59 -   9
		|
		D7 #1 - Burrell (18-0)

AA - Consolations
Consie 1st Round Fri Feb 8 - 4pm	Consie 2nd Round Sat Feb 9 - 9am	Consie Semis Sat Feb 9 - 1pm	Consie Finals Sat Feb 9 - 3pm	3rd Place
		D5 #1 - Bedford (16-1)
D4 #2 - Mt. Carmel (20-3)		|
#9	Mt Carmel 33-31	#17	Shady Side 42 - 24
D6 #2 - Forest Hills (19-3)	|	|	|
	#13	Shady Side 42 - 18	|
D7 #2 - Shady Side (22-3)	|		|
#10	Shady Side 38-20		|
D3 #2 - Brandywine Hgts (25-2)			|
			#19	Reynolds 34 - 25
D2 #1 - Berwick (21-6)			|
#11	Berwick 32-31		|
D4 #1 - Towanda (27-5)	|		|
	#14	NW Lehigh 48 - 24	|
D11 #1 - NW Lehigh (24-2)	|	|	|
#12	NW Lehigh 38 - 32	#18	Reynolds 47 - 21
D6 #1 - Mt. Union (23-2)		|
		D10 #1 - Reynolds (17-1)

Consolation round matches shall consist of three periods. The first period shall be one minute in length, and the second and third periods shall be two minutes in length.

AAA - Championship
First Round Tues Feb 5 - 7pm	Second Round Fri Feb 8 - 10am	Quarterfinals Fri Feb 8 - 2pm	Semifinals Sat Feb 9 - 11am	Finals Sat Feb 9 - 3pm	Champion
		D1 #1 - Council Rock So. (16-4)
		|
D8 #1 - Langley (11-5)		#25	Council Rock So. 35 - 20
|	Penn Trafford 60 - 9	|	|
D7 #2 - Penn Trafford (15-3)	#21	Cathedral Prep 35 - 29	|
	D10 #1 - Cathedral Prep (16-0)		|
			#35	Northampton 36 - 24
	D2 #1 - Hazleton (17-1)		|	|
D4 #1 - Shikellamy (12-4)	#22	Cumberland Vlly 40 - 25	|	|
|	Cumberland Valley 55- 15	|	|	|
D3 #2 - Cumberland Valley (15-5)		#26	Northampton 38 - 24	|
		|		|
		D11 #1 - Northampton (22-0)		|
				|
Single Elimination Round				#40	Central Dauphin 37-21
				|
		D7 #1 - Connellsville (17-4)		|
		|		|
D12 #1-Entry withdrawn by D12		#27	Central Mtn. 37 - 22	|
|	Council Rock North FFT	|	|	|
D1 #2 - Council Rock No. (16-5)	#23	Central Mtn. 37 - 27	|	|
	D6 #1 - Central Mountain (18-0)		|	|
			#36	Central Dauphin 44 - 21
	D9 #1 - St. Mary's (16-2)		|
D11 #2 - Nazareth (13-6)	#24	Nazareth 43 - St. Mary's 9	|
|	Nazareth 45 - 12	|	|
D1 #3 - Quakertown (20-6)		#28	Central Dauphin 39 - 21
		|
		D3 #1 - Central Dauphin (17-1)

AAA - Consolations
Consie 1st Round Fri Feb 8 - 6pm	Consie 2nd Round Sat Feb 9 - 9am	Consie Semis Sat Feb 9 - 1pm	Consie Finals Sat Feb 9 - 3pm	3rd Place
		D1 #1 - Council Rock So. (17-5)
D7 #2 - Penn Trafford (16-4)		|
#29	Nazareth 42 - 17	#37	Council Rock So. 25 - 24
D11 #2 - Nazareth (15-7)	|	|	|
	#33	Nazareth 44-21	|
D2 #1 - Hazleton (17-2)	|		|
#30	Connellsville 36-35		|
D7 #1 - Connellsville (17-5)			|
			#39	Central Mtn. 35 - 21
D1 #2 - Council Rock No. (17- 6)			|
#31	Cumberland Valley 39-27		|
D3 #2 - Cumberland Valley (17- 6)	|		|
	#34	Cumberland Valley 48 - 9	|
D9 #1 - St. Mary's (16-3)	|	|	|
#32	Cathedral Prep 31 - 22	#38	Central Mtn. 33 - 31
D10 #1 - Cathedral Prep (17-1)		|
		D6 #1 - Central Mountain (20-1)

Consolation round matches shall consist of three periods. The first period shall be one minute in length, and the second and third periods shall be two minutes in length.

Second Round for local teams

PIAA State Duals AAA - Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 7pm Freedom HS, Bethlehem D11 #2 - Nazareth (13-6) 45-12 D1 #3 - Quakertown (20-6) 189 -- So. Randy Jorgenson (13-18), Q, d. Jr. Steve Searfoss (21-11) 7-5. 215 -- Jr. Tim Murphy (14-5), N, md. So. Greg Walker (13-15) 14-5. 285 -- So. D.J. King (1-1), N, p. Sr. Bubba Smith (15-16) 0:48. 103 -- Fr. Zach Horan (34-4), N, p. Fr. Scott Wolfinger (25-7) 1:51. 112 -- Jr. Greg Flamisch (15-5), N, md. Jr. Nick Ronzano (15-13) 9-1. 119 -- Sr. Dave Dotter (19-13), N, d. So. Colin Bynum (21-11) 1-0. 125 -- Fr. Ryan Krecker (24-9), N, d. Fr. Briar Malischewski (20-5) 7-3. 130 -- Jr. Matt Rust (28-5), Q, md. Fr. Ian Stout (4-18) 18-7. 135 -- Sr. Colin Fischl (25-9), N, d. So. Eric Koch (19-11) 2-0. 140 -- So. Tyler Torcivia (18-15), N, p. Sr. Ryan Wolfe (9-11) 3:07. 145 -- Jr. Ken Maciborski (17-16), N, md. Jr. Nick Lubenetski (14-12) 17-7. 152 -- Sr. Jon Weibel (28-3), Q, tf. Fr. Ben Bradley (4-13) 18-2, 3:07. 160 -- Sr. Hugh Harris (8-4), N, d. Sr. Ian Weaver (13-9) 11-9. 171 -- Sr. Eric Sergent (26-9), N, d. So. Robert Basile (9-15) 12-5. Referee -- Joe McIntyre and Jim Milot. Records -- Nazareth 14-6; Quakertown 20-7.

PIAA State Duals AA - Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 7pm Shikellamy HS, in Sunbury. D4 #2 - Mt. Carmel (20-2) 33-26 D11 #2 - Northern Lehigh (18-5) 26 103 -- Nick Dusendschine (MC) dec. Shane Ehrich 9-5; 112 -- Shane Wondolski (MC) pin Josh Caley 2:47; 119 -- Josh Malick (MC) dec. Nikko Stevens 4-2; 125 -- Colin Hedash dec. Matt Zigarski 12-5 135 -- Craemer Hedash (NL) pin Mike Sinopoli 3:46; 140 -- Kris Krawchuk (NL) tech. fall Frank Brosh 16-0, 4:00; 145 -- Zach Heller (NL) dec. Mike Maher 8-3; 152 -- Randy Elliot (MC) dec. Jason Krawchuk 8-4; 160 -- Doug Kraynak (MC) Jared Everett 16-10; 171 -- Kyle Higgins (MC) dec. Brandon Olewine 5-4; 189 -- Danny Boyle (NL) pin Josh Hornberger 4:43; 215 -- James Haynes (MC) won by fft.; 275 -- Dylan Hornberger (MC) pin Joe Grammes 3:10;

Eagles enjoy a regal victory NAZARETH 45, QUAKERTOWN 12. D.J. King pins in 48 seconds. Wednesday, February 06, 2008 By MICHAEL BLOUSE The Express-Times BETHLEHEM TWP. | D.J. King turned a daylong's worth of nervousness and excitement loose on an unexpecting opponent during Tuesday night's opening round of the PIAA Class AAA Team Wrestling Championships. And also a seasonlong's worth of wait. The result: a 48-second fall. King played the role of king for a night in the Nazareth Blue Eagles' easy 45-12 win over District 1's Quakertown. In his second varsity match, the sophomore backup earned his first varsity win with a pin of Quakertown's Bubba Smith at 285 pounds. King's victory came to a chorus of cheers from the crowd of Nazareth supporters and his Blue Eagles teammates at Freedom High School. King was filling in for senior starter Pat Murphy, who was out with a skin infection. "When I lost in the Virginia Duals I was pinned by a kid 65 pounds heavier than me," King said. "I was timid and not aggressive. Tonight, I felt something inside me going off. This was my big chance and I figured why not go all out." He forced the action early and landed on top of a fallen Smith in perfect pinning position. King nearly lost the hold before clamping down hard on his experienced opponent who entered with a 15-15 record. "I'm definitely ready to get back out there and help out the team again," said D.J. King, whose initials stand for David James. Nazareth coach Dave Crowell heaped praise upon his hardworking underclassman. "I'm thrilled with the way he took it to an opponent who was 35 pounds bigger from the get-go tonight. He was very aggressive," Crowell said. "I reminded D.J. today he works hard like our other guys, he gets up at 6 a.m. for practice and he lifts the weights and does the training. I told him you don't work that hard all year to go out there and lose." Advertisement Freshman Zach Horan followed King's crowning with a first-period pin of fellow freshman Scott Wolfinger at 103 pounds. Sophomore Tyler Torcivia prevailed by fall at 140 pounds. Other Nazareth winners were Greg Flamisch at 112 pounds, Dave Dotter at 119, Ryan Krecker at 125, Colin Fischl at 135, Ken Maciborski at 145, Hugh Harris at 160, Eric Sergent at 171 and Tim Murphy at 215. The Blue Eagles, with a 14-6 record and No. 2 ranking in The Express-Times region, wrestled without Pat Murphy and senior 145-pounder Bobby Ward, who was out with a sore elbow. Crowell expects both starters back for Friday's 10 a.m. second-round match against St. Marys at Hershey's Giant Center. Quakertown, 20-7 under coach Kurt Handel, reached the state tournament for the first time as the No. 3 seed from District 1. "Nazareth showed us everything we were expecting," Handel said. NAZARETH 45, QUAKERTOWN 12 189 -- So. Randy Jorgenson (13-18), Q, d. Jr. Steve Searfoss (21-11) 7-5. Nazareth still in the running at wrestling duals Blue Eagles cruise past Quakertown, will face D-9 champ St. Mary's. By Beth Hudson | Of The Morning Call February 6, 2008 Nazareth wrestling coach Dave Crowell found the perfect analogy when he jokingly said he'd never plan how to run the last 200 meters of a marathon. Similarly, he will not be looking ahead, trying to figure out what could transpire for his Blue Eagles at this weekend's PIAA Team Wrestling Championships. There are just too many miles -- and too many possibilities -- between the start and the finish. But this much is certain: After a 45-12 victory over Quakertown on Tuesday night at Freedom High School, District 11 runner-up Nazareth (14-6) is one of only 12 Class 3A teams still competing in the state duals. The Blue Eagles will wrestle District 9 champion St. Mary's (16-2) in the second round of states at 10 a.m. Friday at the Giant Center in Hershey. ''It's kind of fun watching these guys,'' Crowell said. ''They've come a long way -- they really have.'' The coach started the season with relatively modest goals for his young team. He wanted his kids to work hard, learn and, hopefully, be very competitive by the time the postseason arrived. Still, he never expected so much so quickly. Nazareth won 11 of 14 bouts against Quakertown, the third-place team from District One. D.J. King (285 pounds) and Zach Horan (103) supplied first-period pins (King in just 48 seconds over Bubba Smith), and Tyler Torcivia (140) won by fall as well. In fact, after losing the opening bout at 189, Nazareth rolled off six consecutive victories. Tim Murphy (215), Greg Flamisch (112) and Ken Maciborski (145) earned major decisions, while Dave Dotter (119), Ryan Krecker (125), Colin Fischl (135), Hugh Harris (160) and Eric Sergent (171) also picked up wins. Dotter used a third-period escape to defeat Colin Bynum, 1-0, and Harris took down Ian Weaver with four seconds remaining to win, 11-9. Despite the loss, Quakertown coach Kurt Handel took away positives. For one, it was the first time his team qualified for the state duals. ''If someone had told me [at the beginning of the year] that we'd be here, I would have said, 'Yeah, right,''' Handel said. ''We have a young team. The guys matured a lot faster than expected.'' Two of Quakertown's best won decisively: Matt Rust won a major over Ian Stout at 130, and Weibel earned a technical fall over Ben Bradley in just over three minutes at 152. In addition, Handel was impressed with the effort of his 189-pounder, Randy Jorgenson, who used a takedown with nine seconds left in the third to beat Steve Searfass, 7-5. ''Randy's a sophomore,'' Handel said. ''He went 0-4 at district duals. He ran into some really tough guys. To come in here and stay in the match ? he set a really good tone for us.'' Now Quakertown will get ready for the individual postseason. Nazareth, meanwhile, will see how far it can go in the state duals. If the Blue Eagles beat St. Mary's, they'll face District 3 champ Central Dauphin -- one of the most talented teams in the state -- in Friday's quarterfinals. Mt. Carmel 33, Northern Lehigh 26: At Sunbury, the Bulldogs took six out the 14 bouts from the Tornadoes but were unable to overcome losses in the lower weight classes as they lost in the first round of the PIAA Class 2A tournament. Danny Boyle (189) and Craemer Hedash (135) posted falls for the Bulldogs. In another Class 2A match, Brandywine defeated Octorara 60-10. Central Dauphin in Nazareth's way PIAA TEAM WRESTLING. To earn a shot at Northampton, Eagles must beat No.3 team in the state. Friday, February 08, 2008 By MICHAEL BLOUSE The Express-Times Dave Crowell is not a gambler, but the Nazareth Blue Eagles' wrestling coach played the part of an oddsmaker for this weekend's PIAA Class AAA Team Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. "If I was a betting man," the veteran coach said, "Northampton and Central Dauphin are the teams I'd be betting on to reach the final. I think they're the top two teams. In the event they'd wrestle, Northampton is so difficult to score on, I'd put (the Konkrete Kids) as the favorite to win." Now don't misinterpret Crowell, he is very satisfied with the way his Blue Eagles are wrestling -- and he is also somewhat confident. The former Express-Times, state and national coach of the year just believes Northampton and Central Dauphin are that talented. Crowell will likely get an up-close look at the District 3 champions from Harrisburg today. Nazareth Area High School, if it defeats St. Marys in the 10 a.m. second round as expected, earns a quarterfinal-round date against Central Dauphin's Rams. The Blue Eagles, with a 14-6 record, are ranked No. 2 in the state by PA Power. Central Dauphin, 17-1, is No. 3. "Central Dauphin would be ranked first or second if not for the upset loss to Cumberland Valley when they were without two starters," Crowell said. "They're really legit, a very good team. They finished second at the Beast (of the East)." The Rams are especially talented at many of the lower and middle weights. They have eight wrestlers ranked among the Top 5 in the state, according to PA Power, in their respective classes. Clayton Youtz at 103 pounds, Simon Rice at 112, Tyler Buckman at 119, Patrick Wieger at 125, Kenny Stank at 130, Marshall Peppelman at 140, Walter Peppelman at 152 and Tony Dallago at 160 are all considered top contenders for state medals. Zach Horan, a freshman 103-pounder, is one Blue Eagle who has had success against Central Dauphin. He pinned Youtz in the third period of the Beast of the East quarterfinals. Horan, ranked No. 3 in Pennsylvania, has scored bonus points in nine consecutive wins. "I feel very good right now," he said. "I think I'm at the top of my game and peaking at the right time." Horan also believes Nazareth, which qualified for states with a 29-25 upset of Easton, is peaking at the right time. "I definitely think we have a good chance to make the final," he said. "I think we can beat anyone. We're looking forward to facing Central Dauphin. I'm guessing they're the toughest team on our side of the bracket." Nazareth's side of the state bracket, opposite of Lehigh Valley Conference and District 11 champion Northampton, is considered the tougher road. With a win over Central Dauphin, the Blue Eagles would likely meet Central Mountain or Connellsville in Saturday's 11 a.m. semifinals. Northampton, 22-0 and ranked No. 1 in the state, will wrestle either Hazleton or Cumberland Valley in today's 2 p.m. quarterfinals. Coach Terry Daubert's Konkrete Kids earned a bye into the Elite Eight. Northampton beat Cumberland Valley 40-15 on Dec. 8 and would figure to prevail by a similar margin if the teams meet today -- exactly two months later. Cumberland Valley is ranked No. 5 in the state; Hazleton is No. 14. The K-Kids would likely meet either Council Rock South or Cathedral Prep in Saturday's semifinals. "We're going out there with the expectations of winning a championship," Daubert said. "But we're going to have to take it one match at a time." Northampton's coach admitted he is anxiously anticipating -- like many fans -- the potential Nazareth-Central Dauphin clash. "We'll try to keep an eye on it," Daubert said. "I think everyone is looking forward to someone from the Lehigh Valley taking on Central Dauphin in a dual meet, because nobody has done it. We'll be pulling for Nazareth." Northwestern, the Colonial League champ with a 23-1 record, will represent District 11 in the Class AA tournament. The Tigers, coached by former Wilson star Bryan Klass, opens today against Forest Hills in an 8 a.m. quarterfinal. Michael Blouse can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at mblouse@express-times.com. Northwestern stays alive in state wrestling; Northampton in semifinals 7:28 PM EST, February 8, 2008 HERSHEY - District 11 champion Northwestern stayed alive in the PIAA Class 2A Team Wrestling Championships with a 38-32 win over District 6 champion Mount Union in the first round of consolations. Earlier in Class 3A at Hershey, unbeaten Northampton advanced to today's Class 3A semifinals, while Nazareth lost to drop into the consolations. Victor Konno (130) scored a pin in the second last match to give Northwestern (26-2) the lead, then junior 135-pounder Ricky Williams sealed the victory with a 5-3 decision. Northwestern will take on District 2 champion Berwick in the 9 a.m. consolation round on Saturday. Berwick got knocked into the consolation bracket after losing 51-22 to District 3 runner-up Brandywine during Friday morning's 8 a.m. session. Brandywine of District 3 lost to two-time defending champion Reynolds 42-21 in the quarterfinals, then got eliminated by Shade Side 38-20 in the first round of consolations. Saturday will mark the first time since 2004 that a Colonial League team will not make the state finals. Northampton, meanwhile, remained undefeated (23-0) with a 38-24 victory over Cumberland Valley in today's 3A quarterfinals. The District 11 champion Konkrete Kids will wrestle District One champion Council Rock South at 11 a.m. Saturday in the state semifinals. Central Dauphin and Central Mountain will meet in the other semifinal. The championship match is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Giant Center. District 11 runner-up Nazareth fell to Central Dauphin, 39-21, in the quarterfinals. Central Dauphin won nine of 14 bouts against Nazareth and also scored bonus points in four matches. Nazareth's Tim Murphy (215 pounds) and Eric Sergent (171) won by fall, while Dave Dotter (119), Bobby Ward (152) and Zach Horan (103) picked up decisions for the Blue Eagles. Northampton's Aaron Chamberlain (189), Joe Piro (285) and Greg Rinker (103) pinned their Cumberland Valley opponents, and Jordan Glykas (112), Zack Wilson (119), Shane Fenningham (135), Jimmy Sheptock (152) and Bobby Roman (171) also earned victories.\ -- Reporting by Gary R. Blockus and Beth Hudson, The Morning Call Dotter soars as a senior for Eagles PIAA-AAA TEAM NOTEBOOK. Nazareth wasn't perfect Friday, but its 119-pounder went 3-0. Saturday, February 09, 2008 By MICHAEL BLOUSE The Express-Times HERSHEY, Pa. | Friday was not a perfect day for Nazareth Area High School's wrestling team. Friday was a perfect day for Blue Eagles senior Dave Dotter. Nazareth went 2-1 to advance to the second round of today's consolations the best the Blue Eagles can finish is third place but Dotter went 3-0 against three quality opponents. The rapidly-improving 119-pounder beat Zach Hoy of St. Marys 4-2, Tyler Buckman of Central Dauphin 6-2, and Brandon Grainy of Penn Trafford 3-0. Hoy entered Friday's action with a 22-2 record, Buckman was 32-9, and Grainy 17-13. "The kid from Central Dauphin was ranked 14th in the state and I'd heard of him," Dotter said, "and the 22-2 kid from St. Marys I'd never heard of. I feel really strong right now. In the beginning of the season I struggled a little bit, but I've worked with the coaches on my feet and I've always been pretty good on top. I'm confident right now." Nazareth coach Dave Crowell is certainly pleased with Dotter's progress. "Three very good wins today," the veteran coach said. "He's worked real hard to get where he is. Some guys start off like a ball of fire in ninth grade and some of them, all the sudden in their senior year, the light comes on. Dave's really turned it on." Dotter entered his senior season with a modest 22-23 career record. He has compiled a 22-13 mark in 2007-08. Seniors Bobby Ward and Eric Sergent also enjoyed 3-0 Fridays for the Blue Eagles, and freshman Zach Horan went 3-for-3 to increase his win total to 37. Nazareth beat St. Marys 43-9 in Friday's second round, lost to Central Dauphin 39-21 in the quarterfinals and defeated Penn Trafford 42-17 in the first round of consolations. The Blue Eagles (16-7) meet Connellsville (18-5) in a second-round consolation clash at 9 a.m. today. Colonial kingpins The Colonial League champion Northwestern Tigers lost 36-27 to Bermudian Springs in Friday's quarterfinal round of the PIAA Class AA Team Championships, but coach Bryan Klass' team bounced back with a 38-32 win over Mount Union in the first round of consolations. Northwestern (26-2) will meet District 2 champion Berwick (22-6) in today's second round of consolations at 9 a.m. "I'm very pleased," said Klass, a former state champion at Wilson. "To be going into the second day, this whole experience is great for our kids. Just to look at their faces when they walk through the tunnel is a neat thing. We'd like to earn that bronze medal, but it's going to be a tough road." Seniors Victor Konno (130), Ben Clymer (189) and Tyler Sell (285), and junior Evan Yenolevich (119) all went 3-0 Friday for the Tigers. Unsung hero Bob Roman earned a key victory for Northampton during Friday's 38-24 quarterfinal-round win over Cumberland Valley and the praise of Konkrete Kids coach Terry Daubert afterward. "Bobby's a senior who has been in our program for a while now," Daubert said. "A lot of times the coaches are a bigger believer in Bobby than he is in himself. Today's win was a nice one for him and our team." Roman, a backup at 171 pounds behind Seth Csaszar, improved his record to 4-5 with a 6-1 decision over Cumberland Valley's James O'Grady. Roman's victory put the K-Kids up 20-18 with four bouts remaining. Csaszar was held out with knee soreness. His status for today is uncertain. Michael Blouse can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at mblouse@express-times.com. Kids roll into semis PIAA-AAA Team Duals. Joe Piro's pin sparks Northampton; Nazareth loses in quarters. Saturday, February 09, 2008 By MICHAEL BLOUSE The Express-Times HERSHEY, Pa. | "Piro the Pinner" was the right man in the right spot for the Northampton Konkrete Kids. "I knew I'd end it real quick," the confident Joe Piro said. And the Lehigh Valley's leading pinner did exactly that. Piro's 44-second fall at 285 pounds clinched Northampton Area High School's 38-24 win over Cumberland Valley in Friday's PIAA Class AAA Team Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center and propelled the Konkrete Kids into today's Final Four. "I pinned that kid (Cory Salmon) in 21 seconds earlier this season," Piro said. "I really wanted their 215-pounder because he was better and I know I could've beat him, too, but the coaches wanted me to seal it so they bumped me up. Whatever's better for the team." Piro's pin in the match's second-to-last bout sealed the K-Kids' 23rd victory this season. Greg Rinker's fall at 103 pounds followed and put an exclamation point on a performance Northampton coach Terry Daubert called "so-so." Next up for the Konkrete Kids is a semi showdown at 11 a.m. today against District 1 champion Council Rock South. While the District 11 gold medalists were moving on, the D-11 silver medalists were left picking up the pieces. The Blue Eagles of Nazareth fell to District 3 champion Central Dauphin 39-21 in the quarterfinals and fell into the consolation bracket. Nazareth beat Penn Trafford 42-17 on Friday evening to advance to today's second round of consolations. Coach Dave Crowell's 16-7 Blue Eagles meet Connellsville in a 9 a.m. early-bird special. "If we can come back from this loss," Crowell said after the setback to Central Dauphin, "we're a tough team. If we don't come back, we're not tough." Toughness, for the most part, was not a problem for Northampton. Zack Wilson at 119 pounds, Shane Fenningham at 135 and Bobby Roman at 171 all earned key close decisions against the District 3 runners-up. But the Konkrete Kids, who beat Cumberland Valley 40-15 exactly two months earlier, led only 26-24 after Eagles 215-pounder Travis Friend pinned Erik Schaffer. Piro quickly responded for Northampton with his 25th pin in 31 wins and 36 bouts. "We could've wrestled better," Daubert said. "It's nice to win, but losing close matches just drives me nuts and we lost one at 130," the eighth-year coach said of Shawn Greevy's 6-4 decision over Austin Sommer that helped the Eagles remain close until the end. "I think that we wrestled pretty sloppy," said Piro, a transfer who competed in last year's PIAA Team Championships for Easton. "We were excited and nervous. I tried to tell my teammates all week what it's like out here. They were expecting to kill Cumberland Valley like we did last time but it's a whole different atmosphere. I think we'll wrestle much better (Saturday)." The day's most-anticipated showdown was a matchup of the Nos. 2 and 3 ranked teams in the state, according to PA Power. No. 3 Central Dauphin, though, won two "tossup" bouts early on and was never really threatened by the No. 2 Blue Eagles. Patrick Wieger's 5-2 victory over Ryan Krecker at 125 pounds and Adam Deichmiller's 5-3 decision over Colin Fischl at 135 were surprises to Crowell. "Dave Dotter put us in great position with a good win at 119 pounds. I thought our chances of winning at 125 were much better than at 119 but we lost there, then I figured 135 was a sure win and we lost there," he said. "The rest kind of went as expected until we lost at 189 pounds." Kyle Wolfe of Central Dauphin decisioned Steve Searfoss 6-3 at 189. "They're really good," Crowell said of the Rams, "and we needed things to fall right for us to have a chance. That didn't happen." Dotter's 6-2 win over Tyler Buckman and Zach Horan's 4-1 victory over Clayton Youtz in a battle of 35-win freshmen at 103 pounds were highlights for Nazareth. The talented Peppelman brothers, sophomore Marshall at 140 pounds and junior Walter at 145, both scored bonus points for 18-1 Central Dauphin. "This is a big win," Marshall Peppelman said. "We knew Nazareth was a top-ranked team and I thought if we wrestled well, we had a good shot. Once we got going, we got on a major roll." Michael Blouse can be reached by E-mail at mblouse@express-times.com Northwestern, Brandywine won't win team crown By Gary R. Blockus | Of The Morning Call February 9, 2008 For the first time since 2004, no team from District 11 will be in the finals of the PIAA Class 2A Team Wrestling Championships. District 11 champion Northwestern dropped a 36-27 match to undefeated District 3 champion Bermudian Springs in Friday's quarterfinals and dropped into the consolation rounds, but is still alive today. The area's teams lost the chance for another representative to make this morning's semifinal round when two-time defending champion Reynolds (17-0) defeated Brandywine, the District 3 runner-up to Bermudian Springs, 42-21, also in the quarterfinals. Northwestern bounced back in the first round of consolations with a nail-biting 38-32 win over Mount Union (23-3) that put the Tigers into this morning's 9 a.m. consolation round against District 2 champion Berwick (22-6). Brandywine (25-3) was eliminated with a 38-20 loss to Shady Side (24-3) of District 7, but beat Berwick during Friday's first session. The Tigers (26-2), who have won the last two District 11 team champions, made the finals last season before bowing to Reynolds 33-26. Northern Lehigh lost to Reynolds in the 2006 finals, but beat the District 10 team in the 2005 finals. Northwestern 135-pound junior Ricky Williams rose to the occasion in the final bout of the win over Mount Union. With the match on the line, Williams expanded on a narrow 3-2 lead with a takedown in the final 35 seconds to clinch the victory. ''I felt a lot of pressure,'' said Williams, who owns a 29-8 record after going 2-1 on Friday. ''The coach said 'If you want to stay here, you have to win. If you lose, we go home.''' ''It was a nail-biting match, and you're going to have that at the state tournament,'' said Northwestern 171-pounder Ben Clymer, who wrestled at 189 and 215 on Friday. ''They had some studs at the beginning of the lineup, but I thought we re-grouped well.'' Northwestern first-year coach Bryan Klass said he's proud of Williams' effort. ''He's hot right now and he's wrestling really, really well,'' Klass said. ''It's a tribute to his hard work.'' The individual match of the day for the Tigers came in the opening win over Forest Hills when Evan Yenolevich (35-1), the returning state runner-up, edged returning sixth-place finisher David Fogle 10-4. Against District 3 champion Bermudian Springs (20-0), the Tigers fell behind 21-4 after six bouts and 27-10 after eight and could never recover. ''Bermudian Springs was very tough,'' Klass said. ''They definitely came to wrestle and have a solid team.'' An overtime loss by Nick Boyd at 152 and a last-second 10-9 loss by Dalton Shorts at 171 hurt the Tigers chances against the Eagles in the quarterfinals. Brandywine had even worse luck against Reynolds when Kyle Stoudt suffered a posterior cruciate ligament injury to his right knee and had to default. He showed up on crutches and did not compete in the match against Shady Side. The Bullets did have a highlight in that round, however, when Nick Yocco recorded the 100th pin of his career during the 125-pound bound. ''My main goal when I go out there is always to pin,'' Yocco said. ''When I first started, before my freshman year, I told my mom I just wanted to get 100 career wins. Now, four years later, I can't even imagine that I got my 100th career pin. It's something I never thought I'd come close to.'' Yocco comes by his pinning the old fashioned way: it's in his genes. His twin brother Matt (119) has 121 career pins, three shy of the record 124 set by Upper Perkiomen's Mark Smith, who graduated in 2002. Brandywine coach Sam Lovello knew his team was good, but also knew he had holes in his lineup that would make it tough in Hershey this weekend. ''We've got eight pretty good kids,'' Lovello said, ''and we need four of them to pin. That's our magic number -- 8 wins, four pins. We need a lot of pins.'' Brandywine picked up seven pins in its 8 a.m. win 51-22 win over Berwick, but only won five bouts against Reynolds, two by pin. Against Shady Side, the Bullets also won just five bouts, but picked up one pin. gary.blockus@mcall.com 610-820-6782 Northampton follows Piro's advice The K-Kids advance to the semis; Nazareth falls into consolations. By Beth Hudson | Of The Morning Call February 9, 2008 He may be one of the newer members of the Northampton wrestling program, but Joe Piro is a veteran of the PIAA Team Wrestling Championships. Piro made the trip to Hershey with his former team, Easton, the last two years. Now that he's a Konkrete Kid, he offered a few words of advice to his Northampton teammates: on their first trip to the state duals: Don't overlook anyone. ''That was my biggest worry -- the first match,'' Piro said. ''It's a different ballgame out here.'' Still, the Konkrete Kids (23-0) are playing that game as well as anyone right now. Northampton knocked off Cumberland Valley, 38-24, and advanced to today's Class 3A semifinals, where the K-Kids will face Council Rock South. Central Mountain and Central Dauphin will compete in the other semifinal at the Giant Center. Meanwhile, District 11 runner-up Nazareth (16-7) lost to Central Dauphin, 39-21, in the quarterfinals. The Blue Eagles rebounded to beat Penn Trafford, 42-17, and will continue their journey through the consolation bracket at 9 a.m. today. If Northampton was tempted to underestimate Cumberland Valley, it's easy to understand why: The Konkrete Kids defeated the Eagles, 40-15, in early December (coincidentally, Northampton also beat Council Rock South that day). But Cumberland Valley stayed with Northampton on Friday and took a one-point lead, 18-17, after Mike Evans decisioned Mike Wechsler, 3-0, at 160 pounds. Evans was out of the lineup when the teams last met. ''They're certainly better because of having Evans in the lineup,'' Northampton coach Terry Daubert said. ''That makes a big difference for them. ''We could've wrestled better. It drives me nuts when we lose close matches.'' Northampton built a 9-0 lead after the first two bouts, but the Eagles bounced back to win four of the next five. Cumberland Valley's Luke Walker (125) and Shawn Greevy (130) posted decisions over Josh Yurasits and Austin Sommer, respectively, and the Eagles took their largest lead of the afternoon, 15-12, after Joey Napoli (145) pinned Braden Turner late in the third period. From that point, Northampton was just too strong. Aaron Chamberlain (189), Piro (285) and Greg Rinker (103) pinned their opponents to give the K-Kids falls in three of the final four bouts. Jordan Glykas (112), Zack Wilson (119), Shane Fenningham (135), Jimmy Sheptock (152) and Bobby Roman (171) won as well. Nazareth, on the other hand, had a much longer day. The Blue Eagles woke up early and cruised through their second-round match against St. Mary's, 43-9. But Central Dauphin -- the 2007 team champion at individual states -- proved to be a much more formidable opponent. Kenny Stank (130), Marshall Peppelman (140), Walter Peppelman (145), Tony Dallago (160) and Nick Stewart (285) supplied bonus-point victories for the Rams, while Eric Sergent (171) and Tim Murphy (215) won by fall for the Blue Eagles. But Nazareth coach Dave Crowell said the match started to slip away when his team lost some close decisions. ''Dave Dotter put us in a great position,'' Crowell said, referring to Dotter's 6-2 victory over Tyler Buckman at 119, the second bout of the afternoon. ''I thought we had a much better chance to win at 125 than at 119. At 135, I thought sure we were going to win that one. I didn't expect to lose [at 189], either.'' Central Dauphin won nine of 14 bouts -- all the more impressive because Kenny Courts (the 135-pounder who was voted outstanding wrestler in December at the Beast of the East) is still out of the Rams' lineup with an injury. ''I think they're a very good team,'' Crowell said. ''I mean where they're good, they're really, really good.'' Central Dauphin is favored to reach today's final against Northampton, but Nazareth still has a chance to finish third. The Blue Eagles will take on Connellsville, a 36-35 winner over Hazleton, in the second round of consolations this morning. Nazareth's Ryan Krecker (125), Sergent and Pat Murphy (285) won by fall, and the Blue Eagles took 10 of 14 matches against Penn Trafford. The Warriors' returning state champion, Shane Young, remained undefeated by pinning Greg Flamisch at 112. Notes: Council Rock South defeated Erie Cathedral Prep, 35-20, and Central Mountain beat Connellsville, 39-22, in the other quarterfinal matches. beth.hudson@mcall.com 610-820-6501