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By Todd Irwin
sports@altoonamirror.com
TYRONE -- Penn Cambria coach Todd Niebauer has been coaching the Panthers' wrestling program for 22 years.
Last year, he was recognized for his success at the high school level by being inducted into the District 6 Hall of Fame. He came into this season five wins shy of 200 for his career.
On Tuesday night on senior night at Tyrone, he achieved his 200th win in one of the fastest dual meets of his career.
In a dual meet with six pins in 39 seconds or less, and an entertaining 215-pound bout in which Penn Cambria's Nick Summerville beat Tyrone strongman Richard Rawlings, 4-2, the Panthers defeated the Golden Eagles, 43-30, in about half an hour.
"It's never about me. It's about the kids," said Niebauer, who has a career record of 200-151. "There have been a lot of kids come through. We don't go to a lot of dual meet tournaments and stuff like that, but it's about preparing them for the end of the year. It's always the last thing on my mind, to be honest with you.
"I've had some great, great kids that have worked their tails off for me. They made it easy for me I guess at times. We've got to get better. I know that's an undermanned Tyrone team tonight, but I thought our kids came out and took it to them in some matches."
"Well, I can say I was his 200th win," Tyrone coach Quentin Wright joked. "That's awesome. The sport needs more coaches like that to stick around and put the time in and really give back to these kids."
Wright recognized nine seniors wrestling in their last home match before the dual meet.
"This is a special group of kids," he said. "They've been wrestling ever since they were in elementary school. It's been a lot of fun coaching them the last three years."
Wright, who didn't have injured Logan Rumberger, had to forfeit three more bouts at 152, 107 and 114.
"We had too many forfeits," Wright said, "but that's just how it goes. When you don't fill up the lineup, you lose close matches like that."
Penn Cambria's Isaiah Chyr (127) and Isaac Filak (133) set the tone for the night with pins in 32 seconds and 34 seconds, respectively.
"They are two kids who are trying to find themselves a little bit," Niebauer said, "but when they can wrestle and they're on, they wrestle well."
Tyrone seniors Remington Fleck (139) and Cohen Wallace (145) responded with falls in 39 seconds and 13 seconds, respectively.
"It was nice for Remington and Cohen Wallace to get the quick pins," Wright said. "This was their senior night."
After PC star Trent Hoover won by forfeit at 152, teammate Drew Mardula gutted out a 12-1 major decision over Steven Buck at 160, giving the Panthers (5-6) a 22-12 lead. Mardula, who wears a brace on his right shoulder, had to take injury time up 10-0 in the third period.
"He's a great kid," Niebauer said. "He tore his labrum on the left side and missed all of last year and had surgery. And then doesn't he tear the other one in the fall? But he said he wasn't going to miss another season. He's had some growing pains with that injury, and I asked him 'Do you think maybe go and get surgery?' And he said no. He wants to stick it out for the team."
Tyrone's Kyle Scott (172) and senior Andrew Weaver (189) followed with pins in 31 seconds and 22 seconds, respectively, to give the Eagles (8-10) a 24-22 lead.
Rawlings was up 1-0 on Summerville in the second period when Rawlings hit a beauty of a hip toss at the edge of the mat. Referee Aaron Gustkey, however, ruled them out of bounds.
"I told him this kid is pretty good," Niebauer said. "I said to him he's baiting you. You're driving into him. The kid wasn't taking many shots, but as soon as we got up in there he's tossing us right here at the edge. It could have been called in. I don't know."
A stalling point with 5 seconds left in the second period tied the bout. Summerville escaped to start the third and got a takedown with a minute left.
Rawlings escaped with 30 seconds left and was sitting on the mat with Summerville in on a takedown when he hit an elevator and nearly got a takedown of the Panther senior. But Summerville fought and avoided any danger to win.
"Richard Rawlings was doing his thing out there," Wright said. "He's always one roll away from pinning a guy. He had him on his back the one time, but he slipped out of bounds. And then he almost got the elevator, the Bo Nickal. It just makes wrestling exciting when you've got guys like Richard rolling around."
Tyrone senior Braden Ewing (285) won by fall in 1:45 to give the Eagles a 30-25 lead, but PC's Mason Snyder (107) and Keaton Brooks (114) won by forfeit, and Layton Munyon (121) closed it out with a pin in 1:54.
"He's got some hammers up top," Niebauer said. "We know what Scott is. We know what Weaver is. We know what Ewing is. They were against some of my more inexperienced kids."
127--Chyr, PC, pinned Pluebell, :32; 133--Filak, PC, pinned West, :34; 139--R. Fleck, T, pinned Farabaugh, :39; 145--Wallace, T, pinned Lynch, :13; 152--Hoover, PC, won by forfeit; 160--Mardula, PC, maj. dec. Buck, 12-1; 172--Scott, T, pinned Watt, :31
189--Weaver, T, pinned Horning, :22; 215--N. Summerville, PC, dec. Rawlings, 4-2; 285--Ewing, T, pinned D. Summerville, 1:45; 107--Snyder, PC, won by forfeit; 114--Brooks, PC, won by forfeit; 121--Munyon, PC, pinned Detwiler, 1:54.
Exhibition pin: M. Fleck, T
Records: Penn Cambria (5-6), Tyrone (8-10)
Referee: Aaron Gustkey