Trending
Veteran Altoona Area High School wrestling coach Joel Gilbert has watched his team face some tough competition this year, and so far, he has liked what he has seen.
The Mountain Lions participated in two of the most prestigious tournaments in the state, the King of the Mountain Tournament at Central Mountain High School, and the Powerade Tournament at Canon-McMillan High School, in December, and they're rolling into January with a demanding dual meet schedule.
"We've faced some real good competition in some big tournaments this year, and I'm real happy with how the kids are doing,'' Gilbert said after the Mountain Lions evened their dual meet record at 4-4 Thursday night with a 39-27 victory over Indiana at the Altoona High School Fieldhouse.
"All of the kids have been working very hard, and as a coach, that's all you can ask of them,'' Gilbert added.
Altoona's victory Thursday was spearheaded by three seniors. Wyatt Young, Evan Boose and Hayden Speece all recorded falls at 145, 215 and 285 pounds, respectively, while returning two-time PIAA Class 3A state medalist Luke Sipes, a junior, carved out a tidy 7-0 decision at 160 for the Mountain Lions.
"Our seniors did very well tonight,'' Gilbert said. "Wyatt Young, Evan Boose, and Hayden Speece all got falls at their weight classes, and I think that those three bouts were the key to us winning this match.''
Young started the match by pinning Sean Parks in 3:11 at 145, and after Altoona sophomore Ty Marks got a forfeit victory at 152, Sipes gave Altoona a 15-0 lead with his solid performance in the 7-0 win over Indiana senior standout Will Turner at 160.
"Sipes had a pretty good opponent tonight -- I think that kid (Turner) has something like a 14-2 record this season, but I thought Sipes controlled the bout through the whole match,'' Gilbert said of the Altoona star, who scored takedowns in the first, second and third periods while not yielding a single point defensively.
Boose logged a 41-second fall over senior Chris Segar at 215, and Speece pinned freshman Cash Allshouse in 1:53 at 285 pounds, as Altoona built a 27-6 lead midway through the match.
The Mountain Lions also took forfeit victories at 107, where freshman Dom Nardozza went unopposed, and at 114, where returning state medalist Braiden Weaver, a sophomore, also went uncontested.
Indiana coach Tony Donatelli said that his team has been having a difficult time trying to fill the 152-pound weight class, and that his wrestlers at 107 and 114 were out due to either injury or illness.
But Donatelli felt that the key to Thursday's dual meet outcome actually occurred in two of the bouts that Indiana won.
In a battle of sophomores at 172, Indiana's Dominic Fanella decisioned Tykear Davis, 5-0, and at 189, Indiana freshman Jackson Higgins used takedowns in the first and second periods to log a 5-1 victory over Altoona sophomore Julian Pringle.
"I thought that the Altoona kids, particularly in those two weight classes, did a good job of staying away from (giving up) a fall,'' Donatelli said. "We had pinning combinations in, but we couldn't finish them.''
Nico Fanelli (121 pounds), Tuscan Blystone (133), and Jake Snyder (139) all logged falls for Indiana, which won the final four bouts of the evening.
Included in that spree was the best match of the night, at 127, where Indiana junior Carter Putt survived, 9-8, over Altoona freshman Gavin Ciampoli, who scored an escape and takedown with three seconds left, but just ran out of time.
"That was a great match at 127,'' Donatelli said. "The Altoona kid never quit. He showed a lot of heart there.''
Gilbert seconded that sentiment.
"That was a barnburner,'' Gilbert said. "Gavin Ciampoli is only a freshman, but he is learning the ropes, and he will be a force to be reckoned with, without a doubt.''
Meet notes: Indiana had a 10-9 edge in overall takedowns in the match ... The Mountain Lions will participate in the Philipsburg Duals Saturday at Philipsburg-Osceola High School, where Altoona will compete in six matches.
145--Young, A, pinned Parks, 3:11. 152--Marks, A, won by forfeit. 160--Sipes, A, dec. Turner, 7-0. 172--D. Fanella, I, dec. Davis, 5-0. 189--Higgins, I, dec. Pringle, 5-1. 215--Boose, A, pinned Segar, :41. 285--Speece, A, pinned Allshouse, 1:53.
107--Nardozza, A, won by forfeit. 114--Weaver, A, won by forfeit. 121--N. Fanelli, I, pinned Baker, :21. 127--Putt, I, dec. Ciampoli, 9-8. 133--Blystone, I, pinned Sarbo, 1:39. 139--Snyder, I, pinned Geishauser, 3:22.
Records: Indiana (5-3); Altoona (4-4).
Official: Tyler Morder.
Exhibition matches: Matthew Riccio, Will Himmelwright and Damian Mellott of Altoona each won their matches by fall.