Hamburg wins 1st Berks title
After the final ended in a tie, Hawks defeat Exeter on most first points criteria
It doesn’t get much closer than that.
Hamburg won two matches by criteria Friday night at Wyomissing, the second one a 39-38 victory over Exeter to win its first BCIAA Team Wrestling title after two straight second-place finishes.
Kyle Vernon scored a fall in 25 seconds in the final bout to pull Hamburg into a tie with Exeter. The Hawks won the match on Criteria I, most first points scored (14-11).
Hamburg (14-0) also defeated Wilson 37-36 on Criteria C, fewest unsportsmanlike penalties (1-0) in the semifinals.
The championship match went back and forth and finished with eight straight falls, all but one of which was in the first period.
“I had a lot of pressure on me,” Vernon said. “I was pretty nervous. But I just had to wrestle how I can and it worked out for the team.”
Vernon scored a quick takedown and caught Jevin Guldin in a cradle to earn the quick fall. It was only the third-fastest during the flurry of falls that ended the match.
With the scored tied 1414 after six bouts, the Eagles (14-4) and Hawks traded falls in each of the last eight bouts.
Hamburg’s biggest was at 220, where senior Jacob Phillips, at that weight for the first time this year, pinned Berks champion Allen Cisneros in 1:19.
“It was crazy,” said Hamburg coach Glenn Miller.
“It was good for the seniors. They worked hard.”
Phillips, Ayden Kauffman and Nick James are the only seniors on the Hamburg team that won its first District 3 Class 2A title last year and followed that up with a first county championship.
“It’s pretty big,” Vernon said. “We finally won it this time.”