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NTL WRESTLING: TOWANDA HOLDS OFF WYALUSING TO ADVANCE IN D4 DUALS (2023-02-02)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
TOWANDA — It was a little bit closer margin this time, but Towanda did what they had to to beat their rivals, Wyalusing, for the second time in two weeks, edging the Rams 37-32 in the opening round of the District IV Duals on Wednesday.

“I hate wrestling a team twice,” remarked Towanda coach Bill Sexton. “No matter how much you try and pump your kids up, they have it in the back of their mind that they beat them last time. I thought Wyalusing really came to wrestle tonight. Their kids wrestled hard, they got more points on us in places than they did last time, and they saved points in other places. Again, I think all of the weight classes went the same way with the exception of 145, but it was a battle all the way through.”


Wyalusing was able to flip one match from their 40-27 loss to the Knights last time, but likely needed to flip two in order to get the win.


“Whenever you wrestle a team that close, and narrow the gap by that much, you’ve got to feel good about the kids working hard and making adjustments. We were trying to put ourselves in a position to win, just came up a little short this time.”


The three key matches, again, were 133, 145, and 189, and Towanda took two of those.


The 133 match last time was the climatic bout, with Rylee Sluyter getting the second period fall on Jonathan Earle. This time the match started at 133, and it didn’t disappoint, with Sluyter going down early, but battling back for an 11-2 major decision.


“He has a habit of doing that, giving up that takedown against Earle both matches, but Rylee is really tough on bottom,” said Sexton. “He gets good movement from the bottom, he scores from the bottom when he’s there. He has the confidence that he’s going to come back and score points, which he did.”


Towanda’s other key win was Sawyer Robinson beating Alex Hunsinger 6-1 at 189, an improvement on his 8-5 victory before.


“It was a close match last time, but I thought Sawyer had a little more control in the match this time, even though he didn’t score as many points,” Sexton said. “Basically, when he went out there, if he won in any fashion than we had the match wrapped up because of their two forfeits they were setting for us, too.”


The match Wyalusing did flip was at 145 when Cade McMicken pinned Chase Geurin in 3:47, giving them hope that they could pull off the upset.


“We’d come in and we’d talked about the number of points we had to make up,” explained Earle. “We lost the last one by 13. With Ethan (Vanderpool) out of the line-up means now we’re going to have to make up 15 points, and that was nine of them right there - that was huge.”


Towanda got falls from Riley Vanderpool (139) and Mason Higley (172), while Jace Gunther (160), Audy Vanderpool (285), and Anthony Rifenbark (121) all received forfeits.


The Rams got falls from Zachary Fenton (215), Isaiah Harvey (107), and C.J. Carr (127), while Ayden Hunsinger (152) scored a technical fall. Cole Patrick (114) added a 9-2 decision.


In the opening bout Earle got the first takedown, then rode out Sluyter the rest of the period. In the second, though, Sluyter turned the tables with a takedown and two quick back points to go up 4-2. He then added two more back points with a tight waist for a 6-2 lead going into the third.


In the third Sluyter scored an escape, then used a single leg attack to get another takedown. He added two more tight waist back points for the 9-point win.


Vanderpool then pinned Reuben Kinney in 47 seconds at 139 to put the Knights up 10-0.


Geurin continued the momentum early at 145 with two single leg takedowns to go up 4-2, but McMicken was able to defend off the attack the next time, and reshot for a takedown and two back points to go up 6-4.


In the second McMicken got an escape to make it 7-4, then once again defended a Geurin attack, countered, and took him to his back for a fall to cut it to 10-6.


Ayden then used that momentum to rack up four takedowns in the first period for an 8-3 lead on Towanda’s Aiden Miller. He out pointed the Knight 5-1 in the second period to go up 13-4.


In the third Ayden was trying to set up the fall from the takedown, and looked to nearly get it late as he took Miller to his back. Laying on top of Miller, it only appeared to be a matter of time before he got the pin, but time was running short and Miller arched his back enough to run out the clock to avoid the fall.


Wyalusing took the lead, though, 11-10, for the only time in the match.


Gunther’s forfeit put Towanda back on top 16-11, and then came the momentum turning bout at 172.


For two periods Wyalusing’s Jordan Lamb was able to stay off his back against Higley. The Knight sophomore used two takedowns and a tight waist to go up 7-1 in the first period. Then he added a takedown and two more back points for an 11-1 lead.


Lamb, though, had done a good job of staying belly down, but in the third Higley was able to jack Lamb up and then get the trip to take him to his back. Lamb tried to roll but Higley stayed on top and got the much needed fall in 4:22.


“No criticism to Lamb, he was out there to do a job, and that job was to survive, and that makes Mason’s job a heck of a lot harder,” Sexton said. “Mason was persistent, he stayed after him, he kept working for the fall and he got it.”


Then came the match deciding bout at 189, and it featured a lot of first period action but little scoring. Alex Hunsinger was able to get in on a pair of single leg shots, but Robinson fought them off. Late in the period Robinson got the underhooks in, and went for the trip, nearly taking Hunsinger straight to his back, but the senior kept from getting taken down, keeping it neutral through the buzzer.


Alex took down in the second, and appeared to be out, but Robinson was able to get a quick head lock and take him to his back for two back points for a 2-0 lead. He then rode him out the rest of the period.


In the third Robinson went down, and got a reversal. Alex got out from bottom this time, but Robinson was able to get the victory securing takedown for the 6-1 win.


That put up Towanda up 25-11, and, with 12 more points guaranteed, ended any chance Wyalusing had of winning.


At 215 Fenton got a late fall on Towanda’s Zachery McKean-Moore in 5:16, followed by Audy Vanderpool’s forfeit at 285.


Harvey’s fall on Towanda’s Bryghton Yale was in 41 seconds at 107, but at 114 Wyatt Stranger put up a fight against Ram Cole Patrick.


Patrick got two first period takedowns to go up 4-2, but in the second Stranger rode him for two minutes to keep it up a 2-point match. In the third Patrick got a double leg takedown, then scored some back points, but Stranger kept it a 7-point decision.


At 121 Rifenbark got the match deciding forfeit, followed by Carr getting a fall on Towanda’s Hayden Space in 3:47.


Sexton was thankful for the forfeits considering how tough the Rams after the turn.


“It didn’t exactly start at a great place for us, either, with them getting the finish with their three really tough lightweights around that forfeit,” he said. “Thankfully, the forfeit was there.”


For Wyalusing, they’ll start preparing for the North Section Tournament in two weeks, though they still have a home dual meet with Athens.


“The main this is to build on this,” said Earle. “If you can make those improvements in a week, then think about how much better you can be by the time you get to sectionals.”


As for the Knights, they’ll get another rematch, this time Canton, who won 42-22 over Milton in their opening round match. They’ll wrestle on Saturday in Milton with an 11 a.m. start time.


“I don’t like this, staying in the league,” said Sexton. “But I’d rather be wrestling somebody in the league if I have to, and be in it, then not be in it. We’ll make the best of it. We’re going to go down there, we’re going to prepare over the next few days to get ready for Canton again. Hopefully, we’ll take our best effort, go after them, and see what happens.”


— — 


PHOTO CAPTION: Towanda’s Mason Higley turns Wyalusing’s Jordan Lamb…PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING



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