Wilson beats Boone to claim Berks title
Freshman Garcia gives Bulldogs 37-30 win in final bout
With the Berks County wrestling championship match going down the final bout, Wilson coach Jason Gibble might have been nervous about the outcome being determined by a freshman.
But Jimmy Garcia has proved all season he’s not an ordinary freshman.
“Jimmy’s been seasoned, he’s been wrestling for a long time,” Gibble said. “I had a lot of faith in Jimmy putting him out there for the final bout. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending.”
Garcia came through with a major decision that lifted Wilson to a 37-30 win over previously undefeated Daniel Boone Saturday afternoon at Birdsboro, earning the Bulldogs their second BCIAA Team Tournament title in three years.
“I just went out there and wrestled my match,” Garcia said. “I just let that all go and did what I had to do. I felt confident I could do pretty well.”
Garcia earned a 9-0 major decision at 106 pounds to remain undefeated and enable Wilson (17-1) to avenge Monday’s loss to Daniel Boone (11-1). The loss prevented the Blazers from winning their first Berks title.
Garcia, who wrestled all season at 113, was one of several Wilson wrestlers who dropped a weight class to change the matchups and get ready for the individual postseason.
“I was racking my brain on what to do to try to get better matchups,” Gibble said. “Matchups are a huge thing when you’ve got tight matches like this. Everything worked out for us.”
Caden Herb dropped to 113 and got Wilson started with a fall in the opening bout. The lead changed hands several times with each team coming up with key victories.
Daniel Boone’s Gavin Richard, a 2019 PIAA qualifier, received a forfeit at 120 to tie the match. The Blazers grabbed a 9-6 lead when undefeated Stephen Spitko scored a 4-3 decision over Dominic Jurado at 126.
But Kelvin Rodriguez, one of the few Wilson lightweights who did not drop down, moved up to 132 to score a fall and give Wilson a 12-9 lead.
“They got the matchups they were looking for and it worked out for them,” said Daniel Boone coach Jim Hogan. “You’ve got to give them credit.”
Daniel Boone was far from finished. Back-to-back first-period falls by Nolan Stephen Brown and JT Hogan gave Daniel Boone a 2112 lead.
Wilson got even with a 7-2 decision by Alex Sensenig at 152 and a fall by Alex Beidelman at 160.
Daniel Boone took its last lead when Tucker Hogan scored a 51-second fall at 172 to make it 27-21.
But Wilson went up 3327 on back-to-back falls by Ryan McMillian and Josh Harkless.
Colin Leahy earned an 8-1 decision at 285 to pull Daniel Boone within three points before Garcia came through with a performance that made veterans such as Harkless, a senior captain, proud.
“It’s very rewarding,” Harkless said. “We worked really hard. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy but we knew we could certainly do it.
“Everybody did what they needed to do. They never stopped until they got it done.”