TOWANDA HOLDS OFF ATHENS, 34-2
By: Chris Manning / January 26, 2022 / Photo: David Alliger
ATHENS — Despite having a gauntlet of matches at the end of the season,
Towanda had a goal of finishing their NTL schedule strong, and they
accomplished that on Wednesday with a 34-29 win over Athens.
The
victory pushes the Knights into second place in the league behind
Canton, and sees them end the dual meet regular season on a three-match
winning streak with victories over Wellsboro, Wyalusing and the
Wildcats.
“We’re finishing the season exactly the way we hoped,” said Towanda coach Bill Sexton.
Originally, this was each team’s first dual meet of the season, but neither wanted to wrestle the first week of December, so they pushed it back to the last week.
“By having Canton, Wyalusing and Athens within a week-and-a-half period of time, that’s kind of how we wanted to end the season, you know, hopefully with us in the top two or three,” remarked Sexton.
Towanda won seven matches to Athens’
five — with a no contest at 113 — starting things off with a forfeit at
126. They got falls at 138, 152, and 189, with a major decision at 106,
but it was two decisions at 145 and 172 that really decided the match.
Sawyer Robinson (145) scored a 12-6 decision over Athens’ Lucas Forbes, and Aiden Miller (172) once again came up big, beating Athens’ Cameron Whitmarsh 6-2.
“Those guys have been stepping up
for us,” said Sexton. “Sawyer Robinson, he fought to get down to 145.
He’s now stabilized there, he’s put together a couple of really solid
matches for us -—one in defeat, one in victory tonight. But he’s stating
to give us full six-minute efforts, which are good.”
As
for Miller, he maybe the cardiac kid on the team, pulling out close
decisions to secure dual meet wins. He did at Wyalusing, and, again,
Wednesday night against Athens.
“We’re
starting to get something out of Aiden Miller,” said Sexton. “Aiden has
bounced all over the line-up. Of course, he’s a 72-pounder, he’s
wrestled as high as 215 for us this year. His record doesn’t look too
impressive, but he knows how to wrestle, and he’s working on getting
better each time.”
Riley Vanderpool (138) had a
big pin over Athens’ Jacob Courtney in 3:33 for the Knights, while Jace
Gunther (152) and Bryant Green (189) also got falls with Hayden Space
(126) staring the match with a forfeit. Wyatt Stranger (106) had the
major decision, shutting the door on any chance the Wildcats had to
win.
Towanda led by as much as 30-11 after seven bouts.
For
Athens, its three big guns all got big wins — Kaden Setzer (132) and
Gavin Bradley (120) had pins, while Karter Rude (160) scored a technical
fall. They also got some big falls at the two heavyweight spots — Caleb
Nason (215) and Joshua Nittinger (285) — to take it from a 19-point
Towanda lead down to a seven-point advantage, but just didn’t get the
toss up wins they needed.
It didn’t help that Mason Vanderpool wasn’t available, but Wildcat coach Sean Bradley wasn’t making any excuses.
“That’s no excuse,” he said. “Without him, yes, that limits us a little bit.”
However, for him, he felt Courtney’s loss to Vanderpool could have gone their way
“Jake
probably didn’t wrestle the way he wanted to there,” said Bradley
“Riley did great, that’s a big deal, a freshman pinning a junior right
there, and a tough one at that. We have that kind of team where we have
to count on those hammers to win matches for us. Jake, we get a
three-point decision there, we win.”
Despite the setback, Bradley liked what he saw from his team.
“Some
of the kids wrestled awesome,” he said. “Caleb (Nason) kept digging,
fighting, Cameron (Whitmarsh) fighting back, almost winning a match (at
189). Keaton Sinsabaugh got majored, and may have been his best effort
of the year, because that kid is good. So, you know, we’re coming
around, things just didn’t bounce our way today.”
After
Space opened the match with a forfeit at 126, Athens immediately tied
it as Kaden Setzer (132) scored a fall over Towanda’s Rylee Sluyter in
1:00.
At 138, Vanderpool went to the cradle
early on Courtney to go up 4-0. In the second, he scored an escape, but
then Courtney used a single-leg to get a takedown, cutting it to 5-2.
Vanderpool, though, got a reversal, then went to his cradle again to get the fall in 3:33.
“That
was a big match, too,” said Sexton. “You’ve got a veteran kid for
Athens, and we have a freshman whose having a good year, and getting
better every time he goes on the mat for us. He’s young, but he’s a very
experienced wrestler. And, like I keep telling him, and all these
freshmen, you’re not freshmen, you’re not new here. You’re varsity
wrestlers now, got out and act like it, and Riley’s acted like it right
out of the box, I was real pleased with that.”
In
Robinson’s win, it was Athens’ Lucas Forbes taking a 2-0 lead off a
takedown, but Robinson scored an escape point, then added a takedown of
his own to go up 3-2. Forbes got another takedown to start the second,
but after he let Robinson up the match was knotted at 4-all.
Robinson would get another takedown to go up 6-4, and rode Forbes out.
In the final period Robinson opened with an escape point, then added
another takedown to take a 5-point lead. Forbes cut it to 9-6 with a
reversal, but he couldn’t turn Robinson, letting him up again. Robinson
then ended the match with one more takedown, and stayed on top until the
final buzzer for the 12-6 win.
Then at 152, Jace Gunther pinned Athens’ Keegan Congdon in 1:09 with a cradle, pushing Towanda’s lead to 21-6.
Athens’ Rude stopped the bleeding, scoring a 24-9 technical fall in 5:24 over Towanda’s Mason Higley.
Rude
scored four takedowns in the first period, then got Higley into a
cradle for back points to take an 11-3 lead. In the second Rude used two
takedowns and back points to go up 17-6, but Higley would manage a
takedown of is own, cutting it to 17-8. Rude, though, got an escape, and
a final takedown for a 20-8 lead.
In the third, Rude used two takedowns to get the technical fall.
“I was pleased with it,” Sexton said about Higley’s effort to not give up the pin. “Rude is probably their second best kid, and a kid they’re looking for to medal at the state level, with a lot of experience.”
The
coach mentioned how Higley had to help his mother escape a house fire
in the middle of the night by jumping off the roof, and also how Higley
has battled back from injuries early in the season.
“He
really didn’t get in the line-up until after Christmas,” said Sexton.
“But, he’s gotten better over time, he’s been out there for us and were
looking for good things from him.”
At 189, Green racked up an 8-2 lead
over Colin Rosh thanks to four takedowns. On a fifth takedown, in the
third period, Green got the bar locked up, and turned Rosh for the pin
in 4:59 to go up 30-11.
Athens would rally,
beginning at 215, as Nason scored a fall in 5:34 over Towanda’s Spencer
Jennings. After a scoreless first, Jennings used a throw to get Nason on
his back for a 5-0 lead.
Nason scored a reversal to cut it to 5-2. Then, in the third, Nason made it 5-3 with an escape.
Jennings used another takedown to go up 7-3, but Nason reversed him, and got him on his back for the fall.
At
285, the only score through two periods was a Nittinger escape. In the
third, Nittinger started on top, and was able to get the bar to turn
Towanda’s Jared Gunther, pinning him in 5:04 to keep Athens’ chances
alive.
However, at 106, Stranger secure the
win, going up 5-0 in the first with a takedown and back points. He
started on to in the second, and got the bar for another three back
points. In the third He scored a reversal, with two more back points,
for the major, putting it out of reach at 34-23.
At 120, Bradley scored a quick fall on Towanda’s Shane Atwood in 1:15.
As for district duals next week, the win secures Towanda’s first round home match, while Athens may be holding their breath.
——————
IN PHOTO 1: Athens senior Karter Rude. … BY DAVID ALLIGER — TRAVELING PORTRAITS.
TOWANDA 34, ATHENS 29
126: Hayden Space (T) fft
132: Kaden Setzer (A) fall Rylee Sluyter, 1:00
138: Riley Vanderpool (T) fall Jacob Courtney, 3:33
145: Sawyer Robinson (T0 dec. Lucas Forbes, 12-6
152: Jace Gunther (T) fall Keegan Congdon, 1:09
160: Karter Rude (A) tech. Mason Higley, 24-9, 5:24
172: Aiden Miller (T) dec. Cameron Whitmarsh, 6-2
189: Bryant Green (T) fall Colin Rosh, 4:59
215: Caleb Nason (A) fall Spencer Jennings, 5:34
285: Joshua Nittinger (A) fall Jared Gunther, 5:04
106: Wyatt Stranger (T) maj. Keaton Sinsabaugh, 12-0
113: No Match
120: Gavin Bradley (A) fall Shane Atwood, 1:15
