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DALLAS – Pacing behind the bench, Xavier Barber could sense it.
Yes, Pittston Area had at least one forfeit, possibly two, coming later in the match. But the Patriots were just hanging around – looking to sneak through that upset door.
Barber and teammate Steven Newell slammed it quickly.
With Dallas trailing four weights in, Newell stuck John Martinez’s shoulders to the mat in the second period, and Barber used a set of three near-fall points to push his 160-pound bout with Jason DeBoard into bonus points. From there, the Mountaineers gutted out a 43-27 victory over the Pitston Area on Thursday in a make-up Wyoming Valley Conference match.
The victory most likely will result in the Mountaineers earning the WVC’s No. 3 seed at next week’s District 2 Class 3A Team Duals with Lackawanna League foe Delaware Valley as a potential opponent.
“Matchups mean everything,” Dallas head coach Mike Richards said. “Pittston is one of those matches where we knew it was going to be close. We didn’t match up well with them. Our good guys were against their good guys. We knew it would be tight all the way through. We knew Xavier was going to have a close one, but that bonus point was big for us. He did a nice job.”
Barber was familiar with DeBoard. The two hooked up at a December event in Conestoga with Barber coming away with a 6-0 victory.
And when the time came to send out his wrestler, PA head coach James Woodall never hesitated to run his 13-match winner to the mat.
“These are the kind of matches that prepare you for districts,” Woodall said. “We could have tried to bump away, but we wanted that bout.”
Barber was methodical.
A takedown at the edge of the mat late in the first period. Two more points in the second. A reversal and three near-fall points in the final two minutes.
“I saw him before, so that helped out,” Barber said. “My coaches told me to just do what I do and try to get the bonus to help us win. Those bonus points were big for the team.”
Richards had one more key decision on his plate.
With no Pittston Area wrestler entered at 182 and Mountaineer standout Cole Dixon ready, Richards decided to bump up his 26-match winning senior to 195.
A wise decision, indeed.
Dixon, whose only loss came to Governor Mifflin’s Ben Maack in December, used two first-period takedowns and a set of near-fall points to build a 7-1 lead after one period. He continued the pressure in the second before holding Niko Cinquegrani to the Resilite for the fall in 4 minutes, 47 seconds.
“If we left our regular 195-pounder in there, it was most like a 6-6 swap,” Richards said. “We thought that Cole would win, but the pin was a big plus. When you have a kid like Cole, it makes the decision a little easier.”
Woodall couldn’t ask more from his young Patriots.
Brandon Lopez (106), Chris Starinsky (138), Josh McGilvary (145) and Hunter Booth (170) all recorded falls, while the Patriots’ other victory was a three-point win (5-2) by heavyweight Gino Coffay.
“I really like the effort I’ve seen all year,” Woodall said. “Even though sometimes we are outmatched or maybe don’t have the experience, I’m proud of them. We are fighting to get off our backs to stay away from those pins, and are fighting tooth and nail. We are doing a good job, and we are only going to get better.”
Kade Kravits (113), Colin Shedletsky (120), Anthony Deluca (126), Alec Sampson (132) and Shawn Henninger (220) each picked up victories for the Mountaineers.
“We needed this match. Hopefully, we can carry the momentum into district duals and make a little noise there anyway,” Richards said.
Hazleton Area 55, Coughlin 9
Jake Maurer (113), Jimmy Hoffman (138) and Zach Fuchick (285) all won by pin for the Cougars, who have now outscored opponents 117-17 in their last two duals and 183-23 in three matches since losing to Tunkhannock.
Benton 54, Sullivan County 10
Cole Rhone (120), William Gruver (126), Mason Wyatt (145), Jeremy Walsh (182) and Dylan Womelsdorf (285) all won by fall for the Tigers.
Coughlin 41, Crestwood 24
In a meet on Wednesday night, Joe Pahler at 120, Jake Heylek at 152 and P.J. Marinko at 285 all recorded pins to pace Coughlin’s victory in a match held Wednesday night.
Mike Brown added a technical fall at 145 for the Crusaders.
Shane O’Rourke picked up a pin in the 220-pound bout for Crestwood.
Hazleton Area 62, Pittston Area 8
During Wednesday’s dual, the Cougars received pins from Carlos Cruz (106), Jake Maurer (113), Anthony Martoccio (132), Keith Lowery (145) and Collin Gunsser (220).
Jason DeBoard won by tech fall for the Patriots, while Gino Coffay earned a decision.
Dallas 43, Pittston Area 27
106: Brandon Lopez (Pit) pinned Larson Rice, 2:25; 113: Kade Kravitis (Dal) pinned Avonni Tooley, 1:37; 120: Colin Shedletsky (Dal) won by forfeit; 126: Anthony Deluca (Dal) dec. Jarrod Cooper, 4-0; 132: Alec Sampson (Dal) pinned Jonathan Williams 2:41; 138: Chris Starinsky (Pit) pinned Robert Wagner, 3:47; 145: Josh McGilvary (Pit) pinned Justin Hutchins, 4:29; 152: Steven Newell (Dal) pinned John Martinez, 2:43; 160: Xavier Barber (Dal) maj dec. Jason DeBoard, 9-0; 170: Hunter Booth (Pit) pinned Moustafa Almeky, 0:53; 182: no contest; 195: Cole Dixon (Dal) pinned Nikko Cinquegrani, 4:47; 220: Shawn Henninger (Dal) pinned Nathan Lombardo, 3:13; 285: Gino Coffay (Pit) dec. Danny Burkhardt, 5-2.
Note: Match started at 126 pounds
Hazleton Area 55, Coughlin 9
106: Carlos Cruz (Haz) dec Valentino Morrow 10-6; 113: Jacob Maurer (Haz) pinned Joe Rey 1:20; 120: Joe Pahler (Cou) dec Jayson Brielmeier 4-2, OT; 126: Chris Lasecki (Haz) dec Jake Brown 5-1; 132: Josh Brown (Cou) dec Anthony Martoccio 1-0; 138: James Hoffman (Haz) pinned Frank Castano 1:06; 145: Keith Lowery (Haz) dec Mike Brown 9-3; 152: Shane Noonan (Haz) maj dec Zach Kenzakoski 9-0; 160: Taylor Chronowski (Cou) dec Joe Larock 3-2, OT; 170: James Brielmeier (Haz) won by forfeit; 182: Steven Longazel (Haz) won by forfeit; 195: Carson Kinney (Haz) won by forfeit; 220: Collin Gunsser (Haz) won by forfeit; 285: Zach Fuckick (Haz) pinned Paul Marinko 3:53
Benton 54, Sullivan County 10
106: Joe Klock (Ben) won by forfeit; 113: Alan Diltz (Ben) won by forfeit; 120: Cole Rhone (Ben) pinned Mikel Houseknecht :32; 126: William Gruver (Ben) pinned Caleb Fitzgerald 1:08; 132: Jim McCamley (SC) maj dec Justin Wagner 13-4; 138: Michael Stuart (Ben) won by forfeit; 145: Mason Wyatt (Ben) pinned Dakota Pedro 1:55; 152: Ian McEwan (SC) won by forfeit; 160: Tyler Puterbaugh (Ben) won by forfeit; 170: no contest; 182: Jeremy Walsh (Ben) pinned Dylan Ammerman 3:14; 195: no contest; 220: no contest; 285: Dylan Womelsdorf (Ben) pinned Jeremy Houck 5:07
Coughlin 41, Crestwood 24
(Wednesday)
106: Tyler Shaud (CRE) def. Tino Morrow 5-4; 113: Joe Rey (COU) won by forfeit; 120: Joe Pahler (COU) pinned Jason O’Neil (1:01); 126: Jake Brown (COU) def. Brandon Rinehimer 6-0; 132: Josh Brown (COU) def. Ron Grevera 3-1; 138: Saige George (CRE) def. Frank Castanu 6-3; 145: Mike Brown (COU) tech. fall Matthew Janoski 16-0 (4:16); 152: Jake Haylek (COU) pinned Anthony Kovalchik (3:22); 160: Zach Kenzakowski (COU) def. Liam Stone 6-2; 170: Taylor Chronowski (COU) def. Ryan Black 10-7; 182: Michael Jarmiolowske won by forfeit; 195: Paul Ashton (CRE) won by forfeit; 220: Shane O’Rourke (CRE) pinned Paul Clemons (0:30); 285: P.J. Marinko (COU) pinned Tyler Nuss (1:59).
Note: Match started at 106 pounds
Hazleton Area 62, Pittston Area 8
(Wednesday)
106: Carlos Cruz (Haz) pinned Brandon Lopez :48; 113: Jacob Maurer (Haz) pinned Avonni Tooley :57; 120: Jayson Brielmeier (Haz) won by forfeit; 126: Chris Lasecki (Haz) maj dec Jarrod Cooper 16-2; 132: Anthony Martoccio (Haz) pinned Jon Williams 1:05; 138: James Hoffman (Haz) maj dec Chris Starinsky 14-0; 145: Keith Lowery (Haz) pinned Nick Johnson :35; 152: Shane Noonan (Haz) tech fall John Martinez 15-0, 3:22; 160: Jason Deboard (PA) tech fall Joe Larock 22-7 3:50; 170: James Brielmeier (Haz) maj dec Hunter Booth 15-5; 182: Steven Longazel (Haz) won by forfeit; 195: Carson Kinney (Haz) dec Nikko Cincogouarni 11-5; 220: Collin Gunsser (Haz) pinned Nathan Lombardo 1:50; 285: Gino Coffay (PAH) dec Zach Fuckick 4-1