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By John Hartsock
jhartsock@altoonamirror.com
LOYSBURG -- More essential to a team's success in high school wrestling dual meets than getting pins and bonus points is the ability to field a full lineup.
Giving away six points at each of several empty weight classes will be a death knell for any team in the final scoring.
Northern Bedford coach Brian Dutchcot and Tussey Mountain coach Mason Replogle are both well aware of the importance of a team avoiding injuries and other casualties as much as possible during the course of a season and keeping their lineup intact.
The numbers game played out emphatically in an Inter-County Conference dual meet between the two teams at the Northern Bedford High School gymnasium Thursday night, when the Black Panthers (5-1 overall and 5-1 in the conference) rode six forfeit wins to a 51-16 team victory.
The two teams split the six bouts that were contested on the mat, with Tussey Mountain actually outscoring Northern Bedford, 16-15, in those.
But the six weight classes that Tussey forfeited -- with Wyatt Clouse (114 pounds), Bryson Free (121), Aidan Pittman (152), Aaron Bowers (189), and Brock Beach (285) all being the beneficiaries of uncontested victories -- swayed the match very comfortably in Northern Bedford's favor.
"I am happy with the performance that we had tonight, and it's definitely a big advantage when you can fill a lineup,'' Dutchot said. "Hopefully that continues. You're going to have to deal with injuries and illnesses during the course of an entire season.
"That's part of the sport, being able to endure those things,'' Dutchcot added.
Tussey Mountain (2-3 overall) has had its experiences with holes in its lineup due to those things this year, according to Replogle.
"We honestly started this season with almost a full team, but since then, we've had injury after injury,'' Replogle said. "We're a young team with a lot of freshmen and sophomores. Our goal is to win the matches that we actually wrestle on the mat, and we did a good job of doing that tonight.'
The forfeit victory by Bowers at 189 pounds gave Northern's standout sophomore a 10-2 record for the season.
The Black Panthers also got victories from senior Austin Bartholow at 139 pounds, sophomore Tyler Paris at 145, and junior Brian Amick at 215 in matches that were contested.
Bartholow used escapes late in the second period and midway through the third to score a 4-2 win over Lucas Brumbaugh, while Paris pinned Kameron Horton in 1:18.
Amick used a takedown and headlock to pin Philip Brode in 1:22.
"Austin Bartholow wrestled a great match in what was a very close match,'' Dutchcot said. "He's gotten better each and every time that he steps foot on the mat for us.
"Brian Amick looked very good again,'' Dutchcot said. "He got in on a double-leg (takedown) and ended up getting a nice fall for us.''
Tussey's winners included Kyler Reed and Curtis Ramper with falls at 127 and 133, respectively, and Dakota Santamaria by major decision in the final bout of the night at 107.
Northern Bedford hosts Claysburg-Kimmel in another conference dual meet next Tuesday night, while Tussey Mountain will compete in the Bloody Run Duals on Saturday at Bedford Area High School.
"Our kids have been working hard each and every day,'' Dutchcot said. "They really enjoy being around each other, and they push each other in practice to help each other become the best that they can be.''
114--Clouse, NB, won by forfeit. 121--Free, NB, won by forfeit. 127--Reed, TM, pinned Logue, 3:16. 133--Ramper, TM, pinned Dively, 1:51. 139--Bartholow, NB, dec. Brumbaugh, 4-2. 145--Paris, NB, pinned Houston, 1:18. 152--Pittman, NB, won by forfeit.
160--No match. 172--Snider, NB, won by forfeit. 189--Bowers, NB, won by forfeit. 215--Amick, NB, pinned Brode, 1:22. 285--Beach, NB, won by forfeit. 107--Santamaria, TM, maj. dec. Replogle, 16-2.
Exhibition matches: Wyatt Clouse and Blake Bowser, NB, both won by fall.
Official: Mike Eichelberger.