TYRONE — One of the challenges Tyrone second-year coach Quentin Wright is facing this season is having to forfeit three weights.

To overcome that deficit and beat Northern Bedford on Thursday night in the Golden Eagles’ season opener at the Tyrone gymnasium, the Eagles had to shine in a majority of the other 10 weights.

That’s exactly what they did. The Golden Eagles picked up four pins, including Korry Walls’ pivotal fall at 114, and delighted in freshman star Kyle Scott’s 5-1 win over returning Southwest Regional qualifier Eion Snider at 172 en route to a 43-28 victory.

“We wrestled unbelievable tonight,” Wright said. “Like I told the guys, I was really proud of them because I knew this was going to be a tough match. I knew we were good where their wrestlers were good. It’s hard to overcome giving up three forfeits, and they had a full team.

Northern’s Aaiden Replogle (107) and Bryson Free (121) won by forfeit in the first three weights.

Walls, a returning state qualifier who is ranked 10th at 114 by PA Power Wrestling, found himself in a tough bout against sophomore Wyatt Clouse. In a 2-2 bout in the second period, Walls tilted Clouse for three nearfall points and a 5-2 lead. Clouse reversed, but Walls scored a reversal to a 7-4 lead entering the third.

Walls began the third on the bottom, but when he stood with Clouse in control, he took the Panther to his back and eventually got the pin in 5:09. The Eagle bench erupted in celebration.

“That was huge,” Wright said. “It’s fun as a coach to watch stuff that you randomly play around in practice and work on, and tell the guys to have fun with, they happen to use. It was like a foot sweep position, and the kid fell to his back. II said, ‘Wow.’ That’s all I could say.”

“That match at 114 was a little bit of a heartbreaker,” Northern Bedford coach Brian Dutchcot said. “I can’t fault Wyatt for giving it a shot. He’s trying to go big.”

Tyrone’s Logan Rumberger the forfeit at 121 with a pin in 3:40. Teammate Remington Fleck gave the Eagles an 18-12 lead with a 33-second fall. Northern senior Austin Bartholow stopped the run with a pin in 1:58.

After Northern Bedford’s Tyler Paris won by forfeit at 145, Tyrone’s Lukas Walk pulled the Eagles into another tie with a pin in 1:41 at 152. Andrew Weaver’s pin in 28 seconds at 160 gave the Eagles a 30-24 lead.

That set the stage for Scott and District 5 third-placer Snider. After a scoreless first period, Snider escaped, but Scott took him down for a 2-1 lead and rode him out to get to the third. The Tyrone wrestlers and Wright were on their feet cheering and yelling instructions throughout.

Scott escaped 51 second into the third and slipped through some late offense from Snider for a takedown before the final buzzer.

“I’ve been telling him for a week you have a tough match,” Wright said. “I told him ‘You just have to get one point at a time.’ The reason he won is because he kept fighting.”

At 189, Northern sophomore Aaron Bowers, a returning regional qualifier, had to overcome eight timeouts for a bloody nose to major decision Richard Rawlings, 16-4.

With Tyrone holding a 33-28 lead, Northern’s Rece Dibert got the opening takedown of Caleb McKinney. But Dibert, wearing an elbow compression sleeve, took an injury timeout for the elbow. He was up 5-2 in the second when, in obvious pain, he took another timeout and injury defaulted in 2:30.

“Dibert’s elbow has been an issue since football season,” Dutchcot said. “He tried to grind it out tonight. I asked him today at weigh-ins if he was all right to go. He told me he was good to go. It’s a nagging injury and something he’ll definitely see the doctor for next week actually.”

Tyrone junior Braden Ewing, ranked ninth at 285 by PA Power, notched five takedowns of Brock Beach to secure an 11-3 major decision.

“He’s going to be doing great,” Wright said. “He’s got more confidence in himself this year.”

107–Replogle, NB, won by forfeit; 114–Walls, T, pinned Clouse, 5:09; 121–Free, NB, won by forfeit; 127–Rumberger, T, pinned Logue, 3:40; 133–R. Fleck, T, pinned Dively, :33; 139–Bartholow, NB, pinned Wallace, 1:58; 145–Paris, NB, won by forfeit

152–Walk, T, pinned Pittman, 1:41; 160–Weaver, T, pinned Pepple, :28; 172–Scott, T, dec. Snider, 5-1; 189–Bowers, NB, maj. dec. Rawlings, 16-4; 215–McKinney, T, won by injury default over Dibert, 2:30; 285–Ewing, T, maj. dec. Beach, 11-3.

Records: Northern Bedford (1-1), Tyrone (1-0)

Exhibition winners: Amick, NB; Bowser, NB; Howard, T

Referee: Gary Barger