NTL WRESTLING: TOWANDA EDGES WILLIAMSON ON CRITERIA (December 20, 2025)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
TOWANDA — It doesn’t get any closer than that when Towanda edged Williamson, 37-36, during NTL wrestling action Saturday. The two teams ended up tied at 36, but the Knights won seven matches to Williamson’s six to take the win.

“I figured it was going to be a match that would be very similar to this,” said Towanda coach Bill Sexton. “I figured it was going to be the difference of one win one way or another, and it turned out to be - we won seven, they won six.”

The win is the 950th for the Towanda program, with coach Bill Sexton tying the all-state record with 767 wins. He’ll be going for the record on Tuesday when they host Central Columbia.

“950 wins is definitely a benchmark win for our program,” Sexton said. “We entered the year knowing that we were in striking distance to that, and we wanted to get it done as quickly as possible, and this was the first time that we had a chance to get to 950. I said to the kids before the match, ‘guys, let’s not have to wait around for it, let’s get it, move on, and start moving towards 1000.”

The match came down to two bouts, the 127 match where Towanda’s Jaydon Stranger rallied from an early deficit for a 10-6 win, then at 160 when Reese Sluyter got a late takedown to go from a decision to a major decision.

“That was the match that could have gone either way,” Sexton said about 127. “That was the match that could have decided it. Now, I might have played some match-ups a little differently later one, but once he won, if everybody else did what they were supposed to do the next six matches, we were going to win.”

Mason Harbst (107) opened with a forfeit, while Tanner Vanderpool (139), Hagen Jones (145), and Gage Evans (152) all had falls. Bryghton Yale (133) added a tech fall, setting up Sluyter.

Sluyter’s major put Towanda up 36-12 with four bouts left, meaning Williamson could only tie, and the tie-breaker was already wrapped up for the Knights.

“Reese’s kid was tough,” said Sexton. “Reese is not 100-percent yet. There’s nothing wrong with him, but he just hasn’t been able to get to wrestling shape yet because of his injuries. Every time he goes out there he’s better, every time he goes out there he shows more of what Reese Sluyter can do, and today was a good example of that. We needed to put that guy on his feet, and we needed to take that guy down to get those bonus points. We knew if we got those bonus points we got to 36, and we were going to win on criteria.”

The Warriors did finish the mats with four straight falls, but, short of Towanda being docked a team point, it was Towanda’s to take.

The two teams traded forfeits early with Harbst off the bat, followed by Williamson’s Spencer Vandelinder (114).

At 121 Williamson’s Zander Wilson got the first period fall over Towanda’s Colin Parker in 1:07 in his season debut.

“Colin Parker made his weight class for the first time, he had been out injured,” said Sexton. “This is the first match that he’s been cleared.”

At 127 Williamson’s Xander Stafford got the first takedown to go up 3-0, with Stranger getting a reversal for a 3-2 score after the first period.

Stranger was on top to start the second, and cradled Stafford up for four back points to take a 6-3 lead.

In the third Stafford got a takedown to tie things up at 6-6. He let Stranger up to go for the winning takedown, but it was Stranger taking him down for the 10-6 final.

At 133 Yale used a takedown, and three sets of back points for the 15-0 win in 2:00. He worked for the fall on Hunter Simonds, but Simonds fought it off.

“Yale scored too many points too quickly,” said Sexton. “I think if we got another period out of Yale, he had one more opportunity in the second period, I think he would have gotten the fall, too.”

Vanderpool got a first period fall on Ryder Dacheux in 1:22, followed by Jones pinning Kohen Vandelinder in 2:28 after a scoreless first period.

Evans wasted little time in pinning Jayden Bovee, getting it in nine seconds.

“Tanner’s been a pinner his whole career,” said Sexton. “When you need a pin he’s one of the guys you go to. Jones did a real good job, it was a nothing-nothing match, he got on top, and just buried the kid. Gage did what you expect Gage to do against most competition, and turned it over to Reese.”

It was scoreless after one at 160, though it wasn’t from a lack of action as both wrestlers had their chances for a takedown.

In the second Williamson’s Anthony Baker got an escape, but Sluyter came back with a takedown, and back points, nearly pinning him, for a 7-1 lead.

Baker got out for a 7-2 score going into the third.

Sluyter got a reversal to start the third to make it 9-2, but needed another point for the major. He let Baker up, then got the takedown in the final minute for the 12-3 score.

“All in all I was very happy with our kids,” said Sexton. “They came out and dropped hammers.”

It was Williamson’s turn to drop some hammers as Steven Olson (172) (172) got a late fall on Kolton McPeak, getting him on one final attempt in 5:43. 

Riley Rall (189) then pinned Dillan Sbragia in 2:23, Ben Freeman (215) pinned Finn Brennan in 1:22, and Luke Sottolano (285) pinned Dominik Miller in 1:35.

The Knights return to action Tuesday with a 2 p.m. junior high start, a 3 p.m. girls’ match, followed by the Knight of the Hundred as they induct four new wrestlers - Mason Higley, Sawyer Robinson, Riley Vanderpool, and Rylee Sluyter.

It’ll be the first time they induct four from one class.

Their match against Central Columbia is slated to start at 4 p.m.

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TOWANDA 37, WILLIAMSON 36
107: Mason Harbst (T) fft
114: Spencer Vandelinder (W) fft
121: Zander Wilson (W) fall Colin Parker, 1:07
127: Jaydon Stranger (T) dec. Xander Stafford, 10-6
133: Bryghton Yale (T) tech. Hunter Simonds, 15-0, 2:00
139: Tanner Vanderpool (T) fall Ryder Dacheux, 1:22
145: Hagen Jones (T) fall Kohen Vandelinder, 2:28
152: Gage Evans (T) fall Jayden Bovee, :09
160: Reese Sluyter (T) maj. Anthony Baker, 12-3
172: Steven Olson (W) fall Kolton McPeak, 5:43
189: Riley Rall (W) fall Dillan Sbragia, 2:23
215: Ben Freeman (W) fall Finn Brennan, 1:22
285: Luke Sottolano (W) fall Dominik Miller, 1:35
- Towanda wins by criteria, most matches won


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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING & ELENA MANNING

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