LANGHORNE - The Neshaminy Redskins seemed to be building some momentum last night in the biggest local wrestling match of the season.
Pat Warusz's major decision at 145 pounds tied the score, then teammate Ben Miles earned a quick takedown at 152 pounds.
Neshaminy fans had little to cheer about the rest of the night, thanks in large part to Kyle Allen. The Pennsbury junior scored three back points late in the third period to beat Miles, giving Pennsbury the lead for good.
Bill Bramwell and Pat Frain followed with key victories, clinching Pennsbury's exciting 29-17 win.
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| Neshaminy’s Jeremy Kershbaumer (right) has Pennsbury’s Ben Rees upside down as he goes for the takedown in the 130-pound bout last night. Kershbaumer eked out a 6-5 decision.
(Photos: Lori Ervin Oliveras/Courier Times) |
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The victory gave Pennsbury (17-0 overall, 9-0 Suburban One League Patriot Division) at least a share of the division title. Besides Allen's win, Pennsbury prevailed thanks to close decisions by Chris Strickland, Bill Trimble and Joe Bowman.
"It was our day today, I guess," Allen said.
Pennsbury will be busy in the next week. The Falcons could wrestle as many as three times in Saturday's District One Class AAA Dual Meet Tournament. They'll also try to win the Patriot Division title outright on Wednesday against Council Rock.
Last night's big win isn't enough for the Falcons.
"We want everything," Frain said.
Neshaminy coach Mike Ortman Jr. was drained afterward. All, though, is not lost for the Redskins (8-2, 7-1).
If Neshaminy wins its last two matches and Council Rock upsets Pennsbury, the Redskins will share the division title.
More likely, Neshaminy will have to settle for another crack at Pennsbury. The teams are on a collision course to meet again in the semifinals of the district duals.
"I want a rematch," Ortman said.
It will be hard to top some of the drama of last night.
Pennsbury led, 8-0, before Neshaminy freshman Chris Lincoln captured a 7-5 decision from Dan Vagnozzi at 119 pounds.
"He wrestled six great minutes and beat a real good kid," Ortman said of Lincoln.
Pennsbury led, 11-3, but Neshaminy rallied with decisions by Jeremy Kershbaumer (130) and Brian Rowan (135).
Bowman (140) helped the Falcons rebound by taking an 11-9 decision from Bob Ireland, the hero of Saturday's win over Council Rock. Bowman almost lost the bout by injury default when a nosebleed took up about 4:30 of the maximum five-minute blood time. Bowman donned a mask to protect his nose and finished with five takedowns.
"Joe did a fabulous job under those conditions. It says a lot about his character," Kiefer said.
Neshaminy tied the score at 14-14 before Allen's win. At 160, Pennsbury sent out Bramwell, a sophomore with just a 1-1 record. Neshaminy's Nick Wolk took down Bramwell, but the Pennsbury wrestler scored a reversal and went on to pin his opponent in the second period to give his team a nine-point lead.
"Our guy came up really big at a crucial time. I can't say enough about Bill Bramwell getting a pin," Frain said. "It took some of the pressure off me."
Frain, who had wrestled at 189 pounds all year, needed to drop a weight class to give Kiefer flexibility to juggle his lineup. It wasn't easy, despite the fact wrestlers were given a two-pound allowance earlier this month.
What did the scale say at weigh-ins?
"One-seventy-three. Even and crossing my fingers," Frain said.
Frain was too much for Bill Hunt, whom Ortman bumped up from 160 pounds as part of a late desperation strategy. Frain won, 7-3, giving the Falcons an insurmountable 26-14 lead and starting an "It's all over" chant from the Pennsbury students.
Neshaminy could have tied the score with two pins, but Pennsbury would have won the tiebreaker - most bouts won.
Note: The match will be shown on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. on CN8 and Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. on Comcast Channel 17.
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| Pennsbury’s Joe Bowman (right) and Neshaminy’s Bob Ireland both go for the takedown in last night’s 140-pound bout. Bowman won by decision, 11-9. |
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| Pennsbury’s Brian Sellers (left) upped his record to 27-1 with a technical fall over Neshaminy’s Brad Bullman in 3:39 in their 112-pound bout. |
Thursday, January 31, 2002
