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Chestnut Ridge upended in semifinals

HERSHEY — Southern Columbia has been a thorn in Chestnut Ridge’s side in the PIAA Dual Meet Championships.

The Tigers (20-2), ranked second by PA Power Wrestling, halted the fourth-ranked Lions’ run to the championship match for the third year in a row in Friday’s semifinals, 39-26, at Hershey’s Giant Center.

“I thought we wrestled really well,” Ridge coach Josh Deputy said. “We knew going into it we were outmanned, and it was going to take a supreme effort. We gave a really good effort, and I couldn’t be more proud of the boys and their effort.

“(Southern Columbia) just have more horses than we do. Sometimes you just don’t have as many horses in the stable, but our boys fought like crazy. Southern Columbia knows who we are, and that’s all we ask of them.”

The 16-2 Lions, who beat Westmont Hilltop, 38-27, in the quarterfinals, will now have to rebound at 11 a.m. today in the consolation semifinals against the winner of Burrell and Hamburg in the 9 a.m. consolation quarterfinals. A win advances Ridge into the 1 p.m. consolation finals for the third straight year.

“I expect them to come back firing on all cylinders,” Deputy said. “They’re a little hurt right now, but they realize they gave their best effort. We’re going to get back together and try to get the next best thing.”

Southern Columbia, led by returning state champion and Michigan two-sport recruit Gaige Garcia, shot out to a 15-0 lead before Duane Knisely (31-3) earned a 1-0 win over Lear Quinton at 285. Calan Bollman (28-3) at 106 and Ross Dull (30-7) at 126 had pins, and Kai Burkett (29-4) at 113 racked up a 16-0 technical fall in 4:49.

Bollman’s pin came in 1:02, and Dull recorded his in 4:34. Daniel Moore (170) won by forfeit in the last bout.

The Lions, who stood for much of the meet, lost a heartbreaker at 132, where Kaleb Miller built a 7-5 lead on Ian Yoder, but Yoder took him down to his back and got the pin in 5:45. That gave the Lions a 24-20 lead.

The Lions earned their second win over Westmont this season by recording five pins and two major decisions.

Ridge beat the Hilltoppers, 34-33, on Jan. 21 at home.

In the latest matchup, the Lions got pins from Daniel Moore (170), Knisely (220), Bollman (106), Burkett (113) and Trevor Weyandt (138).

“We got a good start against them,” Deputy said. “We turned the tables in a couple matches early with the Moore boys. We just kind of got the momentum going, and we kind of rolled through it from there.”

Weyandt’s pin of Zane Blackburn in 5:34 of a close bout sealed the dual meet victory for the Lions, giving them a 38-21 lead.

Moore recorded a pin in 3:57 to give Ridge a 10-0 lead. Knisely needed only 1:26 for his fall. Bollman and Burkett followed with pins in 44 seconds and 50 seconds, respectively.

Luke Moore started the meet with an 11-0 major decision over Hunter Holbay at 160. Nathan Holderbaum gave Ridge a 32-15 lead with a 10-1 major decision over Tanner Kushner at 120.

QUARTERFINALS

CHESTNUT RIDGE 38, WESTMONT HILLTOP 27

160–L. Moore, CR, maj. dec. Hun. Holbay, 11-0; 170–D. Moore, CR, pinned Panebianco, 3:57; 182–Muto, WH, dec. S. Holderbaum, 3-2; 195–Dluhos, WH, pinned Maxwell, 4:34; 220–Knisely, CR, pinned Gresh, 1:26; 285–Yonko, WH, pinned Smith, 3:46; 106–C. Bollman, CR, pinned Christie, :44.

113–Ka. Burkett, CR, pinned Lamantia, :50; 120–N. Holderbaum, CR, maj. dec. Kushner, 10-1; 126–Polacek, WH, dec. Dull, 6-5; 132–Dunn, WH, dec. Miller, 2-0; 138–Weyandt, CR, pinned Blackburn, 5:34; 145–Korenoski, WH, dec. Callihan, 5-2; 152–Hud. Holbay, WH, dec. Moyer, 9-4.

Records: Chestnut Ridge (16-1); Westmont Hilltop (13-4).

SEMIFINALS

SOUTHERN COLUMBIA 39, CHESTNUT RIDGE 26

182–Waltman, SC, dec. S. Holderbaum, 4-2; 195–Tillett, SC, pinned Maxwell, :44; 220–Gai. Garcia, SC, pinned Smith, :29; 285–Knisely, CR, dec. Quinton, 1-0; 106–C. Bollman, CR, pinned Cooper, 1:02; 113–Ka. Burkett, CR, tech. fall Feese, 16-0, 4:49; 120–Biscoe, SC, dec. N. Holderbaum, 7-5.

126–Dull, CR, pinned Krebbs, 4:34; 132–Yoder. SC, pinned Miller, 5:45; 138–Edmondson, SC, dec. Weyandt, 8-4; 145–Gedman, SC, dec. Callihan, 6-3; 152–Barnes, SC, dec. L. Moore, 7-4; 160–Gav. Garcia, SC, pinned B. Bollman, :36; 170–D. Moore, CR, won by forfeit.

Records: Chestnut Ridge (16-2); Southern Columbia (20-2).

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