NTL WRESTLING: TOWANDA'S THREE AT STATES STILL ALIVE AFTER FIRST DAY (2024-03-07)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
HERSHEY — It was a tale of two Towandas at the first day of the PIAA Wrestling Championships on Thursday. The three Black Knights in the field struggled in their first round matches, but then came away with resounding wins in the consolations to make it through to the next day.

“That’s the goal,” Towanda coach Bill Sexton said about surviving and advancing. “I’m not so sure about the route that we took but at this point, whatever road is presented to you you take it and you get to the same place. We’ve got three going tomorrow and that’s the important thing.”

Mason Higley (189) opened with a 13-6 loss to Frazier’s Jackson Angelo, but then came back to pin Mahanoy’s Kyler Quick in 3:57.

“I didn’t want to lose that first match, but you’ve got to grind,” Higley said. “I can’t let it hold me down, just keep pushing forward and keep moving forward.”

Riley Vanderpool (145) loss by tech fall to Commodore Perry’s Wyatt Lazzar, 17-1 in 3:30, during the first round, but then scored a 10-0 major decision against Notre Dame-Green Pond’s Nino Morici in consolations.

“It feels great to come down here and be able to get a win,” Vanderpool said. “Just getting that win makes me happier because I’m moving to tomorrow. It’s just a lot coming down and losing your first match, then having to wrestle back.”

Sawyer Robinson (285) fell 9-3 to Tyrone’s Braden Ewing in the opening round, but rallied for a fall over Lehighton’s Reese Balk in 1:48 in the consolations.

“It feels pretty good,” Robinson said about picking up his first win during his first trip to states.

“I think we were more relaxed,” Sexton said about their bounce back performances. “I think it may have something to do with the caliber of competition, too, but I think our kids went out, wrestled relaxed, went after it, went after the points.”

Higley led early against Angelo, getting in a single leg, then wrapping around for a double leg to get the takedown. Angelo would get an escape to make it 2-1.

Higley went in again, but this time Angelo caught him and got the takedown for the 3-2 lead after the first period.

“I thought I could get another shot on him in the last 20 seconds in that first period, and we smashed heads,” Higley explained. “He ended up coming out on top, and then I was kind of playing catch-up the rest of the match.”

Angelo took down in the second, and Higley nearly got a tilt on him, but Angelo was able to escape to go up 4-2. He added another takedown for the 6-2 lead and rode Higley out the rest of the way.

Higley cut it to 6-4 with a takedown to start the third, then let Angelo out to make it 7-4.

Another takedown saw Higley cut it to 7-6, but that’s as close as he got. Angelo got an escape, then caught Higley on a shot, and turned him for back points for the seven point win.

“I had to go for something and I ended up putting my own self to my back,” said Higley. “I don’t feel like I wrestled terrible, but it was still disappointing. I don’t work as hard as I do during the season to come down here and lose those matches.”

Higley dominated his next match, going up 4-0 in the first, then adding four more points early in the second to take an 8-0 lead.

After Quick got an escape Higley kept pressing, getting another takedown to take a 10-1 lead.

He added three more takedowns in the third period before getting the fall.

“I like scoring points, I like being dominant at the state tournament,” said Higley. “I was kind of getting nervous before some of my matches, and one thing I just keep saying in my mind is score points, and have fun, because this is the place you don’t want to freeze up.”

He’ll face Bishop McDevitt’s Lucas Lawler in the second round of consolations.

“I’ve just got to get to my attacks early and keep stacking on points,” Higley said.

In Vanderpool’s first match he got ankle picked off the whistle for a takedown and it just went down hill from there. He found himself down 7-1 going into the second period, then 9-1 after giving up a reversal.

From there Lazzar added three sets of the back points to get the tech fall.

It was the opposite in the win over Morici as Vanderpool was dominant, getting takedown and scoring back points to get the major.

“I just moved my feet right off the whistle and on a tie,” said Vanderpool. “Don’t let them attack you, you attack them.”

Being able to get back points was a big confidence booster for the first time state competitor.

“It felt great being able to get back points because it just helps me get my lead,” he said. “I can just settle in a little bit more during the match if I get more points on him.”

Vanderpool will face Belle Vernon’s Kole Doppelheuer in the second round of consolations Friday.

In Robinson’s opening match Ewing was able to throw him to his back for a 5-0 lead, though Robinson fought him off to get an escape.

Robinson took down in the second, took advantage with a reversal to cut it to 5-3.

Ewing would get an escape, then got another takedown to go up 8-3.

Ewing took down in the third and got an escape to make it a 9-3 final as both wrestlers finished on their feet.

Not much changed early in Robinson’s second match as he was thrown to his back again, going down 4-0, but he got a reversal late to cut it to 4-2.

“I didn’t learn much because I got thrown again,” said Robinson. “I’ve got to start recognizing my positions better and settling in. I just have to realize when I’m in a bad position, basically, that’s what really messed me over in the first match.”

He was down to start the second, but used his agility to get his hips over Balk to get the reversal. At that point Balk was on his back so all Robinson had to do was get on his chest for the fall.

“It just kind of happened, but I felt like as soon as I started going he was just going,” explained Robinson. “I knew I had him.”

Robinson will face Glendale’s Daniel Williams in the second round of consolations Friday.

Wrestling begins at 8 a.m. and all three wrestlers will need to win their next two matches to get into the medals.

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PHOTO CAPTION: Towanda’s Sawyer Robinson gets the fall over Lehighton’s Reese Balk…PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING

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