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Full slate of wrestlers helping Lions out this year

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Hollidaysburg 160 pounder Campbell Walls beat Altoona's Adam Zerbee 13-6.

HOLLIDAYSBURG – The Altoona Area High School wrestling team is 5-0 in dual meets this season, and one of the biggest reasons why is that the Mountain Lions can field a full varsity lineup.

While many schools are leaving several weight classes open, Altoona has been fortunate enough to be able to fill all 13 in the lineup.

The Mountain Lions benefited from that scenario again on Tuesday night, cashing in on three forfeit victories in a 36-33 win over Hollidaysburg at the Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School gymnasium.

Hollidaysburg won six of the 10 bouts that were actually contested ­– including five by fall — but fell to 0-4 in duals after forfeiting at 120, 152 and 285 pounds.

“We won ugly,” Altoona coach Joel Gilbert said. “Hollidaysburg outwrestled us tonight, but this year, we’ve had a full lineup, and that has really helped us.”

Jordan Carlucci (120), Will Young (152) and Trevor Manley (285) got the forfeit victories for Altoona, which fell behind, 18-9 after the first five weight classes but reeled off three consecutive victories from 172 through 215 before Manley’s forfeit win gave Altoona a 36-21 lead with two bouts left and sealed the match decision for the Mountain Lions.

Austin Kravetz, who came out for wrestling this year as a senior after having not competed in the sport since the fourth grade, gave Altoona a big lift at 172 by using a cement mixer to pin Hollidaysburg’s Nick Eppihimer at the 3:00 mark.

Kravetz had trailed in the bout 8-1 in the third period before rallying.

“At the start of the season, I picked up a couple moves in practice, and I ended up getting one to work for me tonight,” Kravetz said. “The move just opened up for me, and I hit it.”

Kravetz’s fall tied the match score, 21-21, and in a battle of standouts at 189, Altoona senior Josh Keirn came up with a late third-period reversal to clip Hollidaysburg junior Aaron Sleeth, 4-2. Senior Colin Allmond followed with a 55-second pin of senior Chris Iachini at 215 to give Altoona a 30-21 advantage before Manley’s forfeit win.

“Austin Kravetz came up real big for us at 172, and Josh Keirn’s win pretty much determined the dual meet for us,” Gilbert said. “Sleeth is a very good wrestler.”

Hollidaysburg won four of the first five contested bouts to take a 21-15 lead after the 160-pound match, in which returning PIAA Class 3A state qualifier Campbell Walls parlayed six takedowns into a 13-6 decision over Adam Zerbee, who Gilbert had moved up a weight class from 152.

Hollidaysburg got falls from Nick Burkey at 145, Weston Barnes at 138, and Brian Praul at 126. Burkey pinned Matt Bowser in 40 seconds, Barnes pinned Wyatt Young in 1:32, and Praul battled gamely back from an 8-0 deficit entering the third period to pin Caleb Fasick midway through the third period.

Praul — who joined senior Hollidaysburg wrestlers Barnes, Iachini, Walls and Xavier Adams, along with senior team manager Evan Petrunak — as honorees in a pre-match senior night ceremony – threw in legs on Fasick and secured the fall with a half-nelson.

Fasick, a sophomore, is an outstanding competitor who won an individual championship at the Big Seven Conference Tournament earlier this season.

“I saw an opening to get my leg up on him and when he didn’t counter it, I stretched him out and threw in a half-nelson,” Praul said of his winning move.

Hollidaysburg also got falls from Noah Horne, who clamped Dillon DeGennaro in 43 seconds at 106 pounds, and Adams, who pinned Eli Wisor in 1:28 at 113 pounds to close the bout.

“We had some good matchups tonight,” Hollidaysburg coach Christian Harr said. “Coming into the bout, I thought that whoever could get to 36 team points would win, and I thought that we could get to 36.”

In the night’s only other contested bout, Altoona’s Damion Finnegan carved out a 5-1 decision over freshman Gaige Rabenstein at 132.

But the forfeit wins and Altoona’s middle-of-the match run of three straight victories was the difference.

“This match could have swung 15 points either way halfway through,” Harr said.

Altoona visits DuBois tonight, while Hollidaysburg hosts Punxsutawney Thursday night.

120–Carlucci, A, won by forfeit. 126–Praul, H, pinned Fasick, 5:04. 132–Finnegan, A, dec. Rabenstein, 5-1. 138–Barnes, H, pinned Wy. Young, 1:32. 145–Burkey, H, pinned Bowser, :40. 152–Wi. Young, A, won by forfeit. 160–Walls, H, dec. Zerbee, 13-6.

172–Kravetz, A, pinned Epihimer, 3:00. 189–Keirn, A, dec. Sleeth, 4-2. 215–Allmond, A, pinned Iachini, :55. 285–Manley, A, won by forfeit. 106–Horne, H, pinned DeGennaro, :43. 113–Adams, H, pinned Wisor, 1:28.

Official: Jim Weston.

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