‘Top-tier wrestler’
Notre Dame-GP’s Garcia dominates
Notre Dame-Green Pond 160-pounder Holden Garcia possesses a style that is beyond his sophomore class status, according to his coach, Matt Veres.
“He has a college-style attack,” Veres said. “He’s really wrestling well. I wish he could’ve wrestled the entire year, the [in-season] tournaments. He’s really a top-tier wrestler.”
Garcia, who’s ranked in the top 10 in the state, certainly should move up in the rankings after his dominating performance during the second session (145 to 285 pounds) of the PIAA Class 2A East Super Region on Saturday at Pottsville’s Martz Hall.
In the championship final, which was more of a coronation, Garcia (14-0) defeated Bailey Gimbor for the second time in two weeks, 4-1. Garcia dealt Gimbor his only other loss of the season in last week’s region final, 7-0.
“I just wanted to stay on the attack like last week,” Garcia said. “It slowed down this week so I want to pick up
my attack.”
Garcia posted a pin in 2:28 over Trinity freshman Tucker Paytner in the quarterfinals. He then brought his coaching staff to its feet with a 5-2 win over Benton’s Nolan Lear, who is ranked in the top three in the state, in the semifinals. Garcia sealed the deal with a takedown in the closing seconds.
“I knew he [Lear] was a good wrestler,” Garcia said. “I had nothing to lose.”
Palisades senior Ben Haubert was another local competitor who flies under the state-rankings radar. Even with a 23-0 record, The Citadel commit was considered a heavy underdog to top-ranked Gavin Garcia of Southern Columbia in their 172-pound final.
Garcia scored an early takedown, added a second takedown midway through the second period and completed his 5-3 win with a third-period escape 15 seconds in. Haubert’s scoring came on an escape in the first period and two more escapes in the second period.
Based on Saturday’s match, it’s a good bet Haubert will get a second shot at Garcia on Friday at the one-day Class 2A state tournament in Hershey. The top four from both the East and West super regions advance to the state tournament, which will be held Friday in Hershey.
Saucon Valley, always a major player on the Class 2A state stage, didn’t produce any finalists but had three consecutive wrestlers compete in third-place bouts from 172 through 215, which advanced them to the state tournament.
Sophomore Jake Jones was denied a fourth try at Palisades’ Haubert in the final after getting pinned by Southern Columbia’s Garcia in the semifinals. But Jones showed he clearly was the third-best wrestler at 172 on Saturday with a 9-4 triumph over Muncy’s Ethan Gush.
Panthers junior Ty Csencsits shrugged off a 6-2 quarterfinal loss to Wes Barnes of Southern Columbia to produce a 12-0 decision and a pin in his first two consolation bouts. In the thirdplace bout, Csencsits faced Halifax’s Bryce Enders, who defeated him 10-1 in last week’s region tournament. The Panther closed the gap on the Southeast Region champion but settled for fourth after a 5-4 defeat.
Saucon’s third junior state qualifier, Dante Mahaffey, lost an ultimate tiebreaker 3-2 to Zach Poust of Benton in the quarterfinals. In the consolations, Mahaffey edged Brody Kline of Berks Catholic 7-5, and then avenged an 8-5 regional loss to Faith Christian’s Leo Muzika with a 3-2 conquest.
“Last week I made a stupid move and was down 5-0,” Mahaffey said of his bout with Muzika. “I fought my way back and lost 8-5. I knew I was going to see him again today.”
Mahaffey again faced another
regional foe for third place in Savauri Shelton of Bermudian Springs. Mahaffey won last week 8-5 and on Saturday pulled out a 3-2 decision.
Mahaffey will be back in the practice room this week with his state-bound partners and probably, too, sophomore Liam Scrivanich, who went 0-2 at 160.
“It’s good to see all our hard work pays off,” Mahaffey said.
All eight wrestlers who advanced to the state tournament will receive medals.
The area also produced one fifth- and two sixth-place finishers from the second session. They’ll be on stand-by if any of the top four at each weight classes are affected by COVID19 or other medical issues during the week leading up to states in Hershey.
Faith Christian’s Muzika bounced back from his loss to Saucon Valley’s Mahaffey with a physical 19-2 technical fall in 4:30 over Zach Poust of Benton.
Notre Dame’s Joey LaPenna went 1-3 at 152 but two of his losses were to Northeast Region champion Isaac Cory — 6-3 in the quarterfinals and 3-0 in the fifthplace bout.
Pen Argyl sophomore 285-pounder Aiden Compton’s day started out with tremendous promise with a 3-1 overtime victory over Northeast champion Emmanuel Ulrich of Mifflinburg. But Compton (15-5), the Southeast fourth-place finisher, lost his next three bouts, including a 6-3 defeat to Jacob Moyer of Fairfield in the fifth-place bout.