Catka bloodied, bloody good in earning regional title
OXFORD » No guts, no glory.
Or, in the case of Sun Valley High sophomore Hunter Catka, no blood, no PIAA Southeast Class 3A regional championship at Oxford High School Saturday night.
Catka’s nose was leaking from a clash of heads in his 220-pound match with Nick Chapman of Hatboro-Horsham. The action was stopped several times to rebandage the nose and clean up the mat.
There was no question who would win, as Catka dominated his opponent from start to finish, cruising to a 10-1 major decision to give coach Tom Ellis and the Vanguards their first regional champion.
“That was a little bit annoying,” Catka said of the stoppages in action. “But we got through it. All glory to God. To be the first one is really exciting. Again, all glory to God and everyone who has helped me get here.”
The stoppages may have benefitted Chapman, a worthy opponent who exited the tournament with a 35-2 record. He got some breathers he hadn’t planned on. Then again, he had the misfortune to wrestle Catka twice this season. Catka’s heavy handedness pummeled Chapman time and again, sending him this way and that.
Catka (37-1) is on a mission to bring home a state championship.
“My goal is to win,” Catka said. “I’m going to go there to win. My mindset is one match at a time.”
Despite the dominating regional, Catka wasn’t the region’s outstanding wrestler. That honor went to Josh Stillings of Pennridge.
Compared to past years, it was a lean tournament for Delaware County wrestlers.
The next best Delco finish to Catka’s was John Crawford of Strath Haven, who at 160 pounds surrendered a 6-0 decision to North Penn’s Patrick O’Neill in the championship final. Crawford was aggressive. It was his best finish ever. O’Neill was more savvy.
“He wouldn’t let me get in deep, where I like to be,” Crawford said. “He just shut me down and didn’t let me get to my stuff. But this was fun. I just went out there and wrestled. And I did pretty well.”
At 285 pounds, Tommy Mahoney of Garnet Valley lost a nail biter to Paolo DiSanto of Plymouth Whitemarsh. The match was tied at 1 when DiSanto got a takedown with two seconds left in sudden victory time.
“I tried to throw a headlock and his head slipped out of my arms and he got the advantage with two seconds left,” Mahoney said. “It’s still a big accomplishment. I’m blessed by the Lord.”
Ryan Stocku of Penncrest, the top seed at 138 pounds, pulled out of the tournament due to a knee injury. The PIAA regional brass said they were informed Thursday. The junior exits with a 34-1 record.
The regional was pushed back from Friday to Saturday due to the inclement weather. And there’s still wrestling to go.
Twelve matches remain Sunday, including a 285-pound fifth-place match between Lee Holbert of Strath Haven and Tom Bramwell of Ridley. Another fifth-round bout at 170 pounds pits Strath Haven’s Brett Burns against Nik Korbich of Council Rock South. The winners of those matches go to states.