Exeter wrestling going for gold
Eagles overtake Gov. Mifflin 57-18 to open dual-meet season
EXETER TWP. >> It would be very hard to overlook the significant milestone the Exeter wrestling program has reached.
The school is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Eagle grapplers’ existence this winter. The celebration was in full force on the occasion of Exeter’s home Berks Conference match with Division I rival Governor Mifflin this past Wednesday: Hometown fans wearing T-shirts with the slogan “50 Years of Excellence” on the back, and the wrestlers staging a “Big Brother Night” for the community’s youth wrestling program.
“We’re trying to do a better job reaching out to former wrestlers and others who’ve contribute to the program,” head coach Jon Rugg said after a long night of mat action highlighted by the Eagles’ 57-18 victory over the Mustangs.
Exeter is equally intent on having the on-mat activities complement its golden-anniversary activities. It’s bolstered by a 14-man senior class — only three of them newcomers — headed by a trio that qualified for the 2016 PIAA Championships and sparked the Eagles’ District 3-AAA (Section 4) team title.
“This is, by far, the largest group of seniors I’ve ever had,” the eight-year mat boss said .
The flight is led by Austin DeSanto, a state silver medalist at 120 one year ago. Along with his gaudy 50-win record, DeSanto (136-7) claimed a third section cham- pionship and second South Central AAA Regional title before making the furthest advance of Exeter’s four state qualifiers.
“He’s basically going to break every record in the program,” Rugg said of DeSanto, who’s listed at 132 but accepted a forfeit at 138 against Mifflin. “He’s, by far, the kid in the (wrestling) room who works the hardest.”
Classmates Denny Karas (195) and Oscar Daniels (285) are focused on returning to the state-level mats this year. Both went 1-2 at Hershey — Karas at 195, Daniels at 285 — after being section champs and regional runners-up as juniors.
“They both want to improve on that,” Rugg said.
Giving Exeter additional might in the upper weights is senior Tyler Bagoly (170), another of the team’s Section 4 champions last year. Bagoly (107- 43) is a three-time regional qualifier who claimed a sectional crown after two runner-up showings prior
to 2016.
“He has high goals for this year,” Rugg said.
Three more seniors offer the Eagles veteran leadership and solid resumes: Ryan Watts, Nolan Buck and Jon Greenleaf.
Watts, working out of the 126-pound class, has one sectional and two regional championships to his credit. Buck (182) and Greenleaf (220) were both sectional runners-up and twice qualified for the South Central AAA Regional tournament.
Six of these seven seniors combined for 36 of Exeter’s points against GM. Watts, Karas and Daniels all pinned their respective opponents while DeSanto, Bagoly and Greenleaf accepted forfeits.
Jacob Keller, a 106-pound freshman, scored a 32-second pin and senior Tyler Harkness had a decision at 160, before freshman Jacob Steward (113) and junior David Wentling (120) closed the night with the Mustangs’ forfeits of their weight classes.
“We’re looking forward to our freshmen and sophomores looking to improve, balancing out our seniors,” Rugg said.
He’s also not putting excessive stock in the Eagles’ showing against GM, which won two of its four weights by pins and held a 15-12 lead through 152 before Exeter took eight of the final nine.
Or, for that matter, the team having a lock on another sectional team title.
“There were some performances that disappointed me,” Rugg said. “If we wrestle well, I’ll be happy.
“Just because we did it (championship) last year, they’re not going to give it to you. We have to keep working at our business.”
Exeter is coming off a visit to the “King of the Mountain” tourney at Central Mountain, where De- Santo and Daniels scored gold medals and Bagoly netted silver. It will face Berks members Reading Wednesday at home, and Twin Valley on the road Thursday, before closing out 2016 with an appearance at Conestoga Valley’s Buckskin Classic over the winter holiday.
GOV. MIFFLIN
The Mustang mat program is coming off a 2015-16 season that saw it go 5-5 in dual matches, place fourth in the District 3-AAA Section 4 Tournament and see one wrestler, Dylan Harr, place at states.
Harr and his fifth-place medal have both gone the graduation route, along with South Central AAA Regional qualifiers Allen Arentz and Zachary Sheetz. That leaves GM with three other regional vets at the helm of its hopes for the 2016-17 season.
Seniors Alex Centeno and Ben Maack are joined by junior Kyle Seibert as the Mustangs’ most productive returning grapplers.
Seibert (113), Centeno (120) and Maack (170) all came away from the District 3-AAA Section 4 tournament with bronze medals in their respective weight classes. At the regional, Maack (31-9) fell one win short of reaching the medal round while Centeno (2614) and Seibert (25-17) had early-round exits.
They have emerged as GM’s leaders through the first week of the current season. Maack is 5-0 working out of the 182-pound slot, Centeno is 4-1 at 120 and Seibert, listed at 132 and 138, is 4-2.
Other Mustangs showing promise are sophomore Jordan Espinosa (5-0 at 285), junior Dante Cavallucci (4-2 at 160/170), sophomores Jalen Levine (3-2 at 113) and John Arentz (3-2 at 138/145) and senior Josh Liptock (3-3 at 195/220).
At this point in the season, Gov. Mifflin is 2-4 following Wednesday’s 57-18 loss to Exeter. Arentz and senior Alvaro Moreno (152) pinned their opponents while Seibert and Maack scored decisions.
Last weekend, the Mustangs went 2-3 at Boyertown’s Brian Bealer Memorial Bear Duals. They beat Dallas (58-22) and Harry S Truman (62-18) after opening losses to Boyertown (4625) and Garnet Valley (4027). They fell in the fifthplace match to Council Rock North, 46-36.
GM spent this past weekend competing in the Comet Classic at Penn Manor. It will host Muhlenberg Friday, Dec. 23, and its annual Holiday Tournament Dec. 29-30.