WINGATE — Bald Eagle Area opened the 2024-25 wrestling by rallying from 17 points down against rival Bellefonte, winning the last six bouts to beat the Red Raiders, 38-26, on Friday, Dec. 6, at home.
Bellefonte held a 26-9 lead after the first seven weights before BEA went on its winning streak.
BEA’s Gage Gardner started the run with a 10-3 decision over Logan Rarrick. Two straight forfeit wins by Logan Burns and Tyler Corey at 107 and 114, respectively, made the score 26-24.
Liam Purcell gave the Eagles the lead for good when he won by fall in 2:48 at 121. Tanner Guenot followed by eking out a 3-1 win over Wyatt Long at 127. Caden Judice, a returning state seventh-placer, closed it out with a 19-2 technical fall in 1:12 at 133.
The dual meet started with a pin by BEA’s Easton Grimes in 2:49 at 139. BEA 145-pounder Dawson Lomison edged Andrew Gall, 4-3.
The Red Raiders then won five in a row, getting pins from Ezra Swisher (152) in 3:41 and Jackson Long (172) in 4:40. Noah Weaver rolled to a 17-0 technical fall in 3:33 at 160. Luke Hockenberry beat Kyle Watson, 7-2, at 189 and Jack McHail followed with a forfeit win to make the score 26-9.
The Eagles were back at home on Tuesday, Dec. 10, against Central Mountain before wrestling in the Dandy Duals at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14, at Towanda High School.
RAMS GO 6-0 TO WIN BABBIT DUALS
Penns Valley went 6-0 and won the title of the Babbit Duals on Saturday, Dec. 7, at River Valley High School.
The Rams’ closest win was 26-25 victory over Derry Area. The Rams also beat Southmoreland, 64-8, Bellwood-Antis, 78-0, Bentworth, 55-14, Forest Hills, 64-6 and River Valley, 67-6.
In the close call over Derry, Conner Myers had the only Penns Valley pin. Landon Hess (125), Evan Lisowski (107) and Erik Carlile (127) had major decisions. Max Dinges won by forfeit, while Ty Steiger earned a 9-3 decision over Levi Haase.
Myers, Dinges, Carlile and Lisowski went 6-0.
The Rams were scheduled to host Penn Cambria on Wednesday, Dec. 11, before wrestling in the Panther Holiday Classic on Friday, Dec. 13, and Saturday, Dec. 14 at Mount Aloysius College.
RED RAIDERS FINISH SECOND
After losing to Bald Eagle Area, Bellefonte went 4-1 and finished second the next day in the Gary Woodruff Memorial Duals at Wyalusing High School.
The Red Raiders edged Pittston, 37-36, and blew out Elk Lake, 59-6 and Montrose, 65-12. They bat Pocono Mountain East, 39-33, in the semifinals before losing to Wallenpaupack, 34-26, in the finals.
The Raiders trailed Pittston by 16 before Cameron Garcia (139) and Gall (145) recorded first-period pins and Swisher closed it out with a 15-0 technical fall at 152. Hockenberry (189) and Wyatt Long (127) also had pins.
Garcia, Wyatt Long, Swisher and Weaver went 5-0.
The Red Raiders were scheduled to host Huntingdon on Tuesday, Dec. 10. Results for this match were unavailable at the time of The Gazette’s publishing deadline.
LITTLE LIONS OPEN WITH WIN
State College, ranked eighth in Class 3A by PA Power Wrestling in the preseason rankings, opened the season with a 36-27 win over Shikellamy on Friday, Dec. 6, at home.
Returning state champion and Penn State commit Asher Cunningham got the Little Lions off on the right foot with an 11-second pin at 172. Nico Diaz (107), State College’s Kael Davis (114), Johnathan Coates (127) and returning state qualifier James Whitbred (145) won by fall. Jon Whitbred (121) earned a decision, as did Brady Bucher (152).
Cunningham finished second at 175 pounds at the Walsh Ironman on Friday, Dec.6, and Saturday, Dec. 7, at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Cunningham lost in overtime, 15-12, to William Henckel of Blair Academy, New Jersey, in the finals. Cunningham went 4-1 with a pin, a technical fall and two decisions.
The Little Lions, who are now being coached by Jason Nickal, the father of Penn State great Bo Nickal, didn’t have any other medalists.
State College is scheduled to wrestle on Thursday, Dec. 12, at Cedar Cliff.
MOUNTIES EDGE TYRONE
Philipsburg-Osceola opened the season with a 36-33 nailbiter win over Tyrone on Saturday, Dec. 7, at home.
With Tyrone winning, 33-30, P-O’s Bradley Peters finished off the meet with a pin in 23 seconds.
The Mounties jumped out to a 24-0 lead, getting pins from Averi Gable (127) and Ace Foster (139), a forfeit win by two-time state qualifier Caleb Hummel (121) and decisions from Conner Guenot (133) and Hunter Kephart (145). Guenot edged Logan Rumberger, 3-2, and Kephart outscored Andrew Detwiler, 18-13.
The Golden Eagles won the next five, including three by fall, a forfeit and a Kayden Ansman 5-3 win over Conner Eichenlaub at 215. Evan Eichenlaub stopped the run with a pin in 45 seconds at 285. P-O forfeited 107 before Peters got the clincher.
The Mounties were scheduled to host Clearfield on Dec. 10 before wrestling in the Panther Holiday Classic on Friday, Dec. 13, and Saturday, Dec. 14, at Mount Aloysius College.
LADY EAGLES BEAT BELLEFONTE
The Bald Eagle Area girls team, in its second year, opened with a 36-18 win over Bellefonte on Friday, Dec. 6, before the boys match. It was the Bellefonte girls team first ever competition.
BEA’s Grace Crestani won by fall, while all of the other wins by the Lady Eagles came via forfeit. Bellefonte’s Carly Bair also had a pin.
The Lady Eagles were to wrestle on Tuesday, Dec. 10, at home against Central Mountain, results for this match were unavailable at the time of The Gazette’s publishing deadline. Next, the girls will wrestle in the Lady Phoenix Christmas Classic Duals on Saturday, Dec. 14, at Sugar Valley Rural Charter High School.
Bellefonte has only one more regular season match scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 7, at home against Jersey Shore.
LADY LITTLE LIONS GO 0-6
The State College girls team went 0-6 at the Boiling Springs Duals on Saturday, Dec. 7.
The Lady Little Lions lost to Carlisle, 54-11, Norwin, 53-18, Penns Manor, 54-12, Pennsbury, 42-24, Central York, 19-18 and Central Mountain, 24-17.
State College senior Anna Lackey went 6-0 with three pins, two technical falls and a forfeit.
The Lady Little Lions are scheduled to wrestle in the Gettysburg Duals on Saturday, Dec. 14, at Gettysburg High School.
