ATHENS — Athens crowned four champions — juniors Gavin Bradley, Kaden
Setzer, and Karter Rude, and sophomore Chris Bathgate — here Saturday at
the annual Jarvis Memorial Wrestling Tournament.
The Wildcats
also had one runner-up in senior Zach Stafursky, and four third-place
finishers in juniors Lucas Forbes and Gavin McGrath, and freshmen Josh
Courtney and Mason Vanderpool. Sayre sophomore Glen Romberger also
recorded a third-place finish.
Bradley was 3-0 in march to first place at 113 pounds.
He recorded pins of 23 seconds over Mifflinburg’s Dylan Starr, and 4 seconds over Williamson’s Chelsea Hungerford.
Bradley finished his day with a 17-5 major decision of Benton’s Chase Burke.
Also at 113 pounds, Josh Courtney was 2-1 on the day to finish third.
Courtney
forged a 14-0 major decision over Mifflinburg’s Dylan Starr in his
first bout, lost via fall in 68 seconds to Burke in his next bout.
Courtney closed out the tournament with a pin of Hungerford in 28 seconds.
Setzer was dominant in his 138-pound title run, registering four falls — all in the first period.
He scored a 41-second fall over teammate Brock Dennison, and a 69-second fall over Benton’s Remington Morrow.
Setzer
then decked Williamson’s Aiden Passerallo in 9 seconds, and finished
off his day with a pin of Sayre senior Bobby Benjamin in 1:54.
Benjamin finished the day at 1-3, with a pin of Passerallo in 3:56 his only win. Dennison finished the day 0-4.
Rude also pinned his way to the 160-pound title, recording three first-period fall.
Rude
pinned Williamson’s Cody Fleming in 1:54, then decked Benton’s Dereck
Deitz in 28 seconds. He finished the day with a pin of Towanda’s Brandon
Lantz in 77 seconds.
Bathgate went 3-0, including a pair of first-period falls to win the 152-pound title.
Bathgate
pinned Towanda’s Zane McPeak in 1:20, and decked Benton’s Nick Stevens
in 48 seconds. He also won via injury default over Towanda’s Evan
Johnson.
Stafursky finished 2-1 to place second at 172 pounds.
Stafursky
was pinned by returning PIAA place-finisher Nolan Lear (5th at 160
pounds) of Benton in 3:40 for his only setback of the day.
He pinned teammate Josiah Stringham in 1:28, and then edged Benton’s Mason Michael, 7-5, for his two wins
Stringham was 0-3 on the day.
At 120 pounds, Vanderpool was 2-2 to finish third, and sophomore Layla Bennett was 1-3.
Vanderpool
pinned Williamson’s Mason Kelsey in 39 seconds, and Bennett in 1:50 for
his two wins. He lost via fall to Benton’s Dylan Granahan and
Mifflinburg’s Brady Struble, who finished 1-2 in the weight class.
Bennett’s win came via fall over Kelsey in 2:58.
McGrath
went 1-2 to finish third in the 132-pound weight class. His lone win
was a 34-second fall over Mifflinburg’s Jeremy Page.
He lost via
technical fall to returning state qualifier Gable Strickland of Benton,
and via fall to Williamson’s Nathaniel Welch. Strickland won the weight
class with a technical fall of Welch.
At 145 pounds, Forbes went 2-2 to finish third in the weight class.
Forbes pinned teammate Jadon Rice in 3:20, and Towanda’s Garrett Chapman in 4:41 for his two wins.
He
lost via second-period fall to Mifflinburg’s Troy Bingaman, and
first-period fall to Benton’s Mason Smith. Bingaman was 4-0, including a
technical fall win over Smith, to win the weight class.
Romberger finished 3-1 on the day to finish third in the 189-pound weight class.
Romberger
registered falls over Athens junior Colin Rosh in 3:48, Williamson’s
Ian Bump in 30 seconds, and Williamson’s Jonathan Melendez in 1:14.
His lone loss was via first-period pinfall to Benton’s Jake Bobersky, who won the weight class.
Rosh finished 0-4 on the day.
At
285 pounds, freshman Josh Nittinger was 1-2 on the day, logging a
first-period fall of Towanda’s Jared Gunther for his only win.
Other
champs on the day were Towanda’s J.B. Parker at 106 pounds,
Mifflinburg’s Gabe Gramly at 126, Williamson’s Mike Sipps at 215, and
Mifflinburg’s Emmanuel Ulrich at 285.
Athens returns to action Tuesday at Troy, while Sayre travels to Canton Tuesday.
ATHENS — Athens earned a pair of forfeit-filled wins over Northeast
Bradford and Sayre here Thursday night in NTL wrestling action.
The Wildcats improved to 7-3 season, including a 3-1 mark in the NTL.
Athens 63, NEB 6
Athens won both bouts on the mat, and picked up nine forfeits in a 63-6 win over Northeast Bradford.
Freshman Josh NIttinger gave the Wildcats a quick 6-0 lead with a pin of NEB’s Kamden Ricci in 28 seconds at 285 pounds.
Six
consecutive forfeits — to freshman Josh Courtney, at 113 pounds, junior
Gavin Bradley (120), freshman Mason Vanderpool (126), sophomore Jake
Courtney (132), junior Kaden Setzer (138), and junior Lucas Forbes —
gave Athens a 42-0 lead.
In the only other contested weight class, Athens sophomore Chris Bathgate earned a hard-fought, 8-4, win over Jack Shumway.
Forfeits to junior Karter Rude (160), senior Zach Stafursky (172), and junior Collin Rosh (189) extend the Athens lead to 63-0.
Kenric received a forfeit at 215 pounds for NEB’s only points.
Athens 60, Sayre 12
The Wildcats won two of three bouts on the mat, and picked up eight forfeits in a 60-12 win over Sayre.
Athens junior Kaden Setzer opened the match with a pin of Sayre senior Bobby Benjamin in 1:32 at 138 pounds.
Forfeits
to Lucas Forbes (145) and Chris Bathgate (152) made it 18-0, and Athens
junior Karter Rude decked Sayre’s Kaden Bennett in 13 seconds at 160
pounds to extend the Wildcat lead to 24-0.
Senior Zach Stafursky gave Athens a 30-0 lead with a pin of Sayre’s Aiden Reid in 2:32 at 172 pounds.
The Redskins got on the board at 189 pounds when sophomore Glen Romberger pinned Athens junior Collin Rosh in 3:38.
After
neither team sent a wrestler to the mat for the 215-pound bout, Athens
freshman Josh Nittinger picked up a forfeit at 285, and Sayre freshman
Kendrick Ross had his hand raised at 106 pounds.
Josh Courtney,
at 113 pounds), Gavin Bradley (120), Mason Vanderpool (126), and Jake
Courtney (132) received forfeits for the Wildcats to close out the
match.
Athens hosts the Jarvis Tournament Saturday, starting at 10 a.m.
ATHENS — Athens won all four contested weight classes, and received five
forfeits in a 54-18 win over Northeast Bradford here Thursday night in
NTL junior high wrestling action.
Karson Sipley won the first bout to take to the mat, pinning NEB’s Mason Alexander in 2:33 at 94 pounds.
At 138 pounds, Keegan Congdon pinned Jayden Crawford in 1:29.
Matthias Welles recorded a 28-second fall over NEB’s Conner Eastabrook at 170 pounds.
And, Cooper Robinson scored a fall over Hunter Comstock in 1:54 at 108 pounds.
Eli
Chapman, at 115 pounds, Sean Peters (122), Trey Souder (130), Kolsen
Keathley (145), and Caleb Nason (250) received forfeits for the junior
Wildcats.
Athens gave up six points at 80 to NEB’s Anaiah Kolesar, at 101 to Russell Martin, and at 190 to Dominick Clark.
WYALUSING — Junior Gavin Bradley and sophomore Jake Courtney set the
tone early, and senior Zach Stafursky clinched the win late in Athens’
40-25 win over Wyalusing — the Wildcats’ first win over the Rams in 12
years — here Tuesday night in NTL wrestling action.
Athens coach
Shawn Bradley, who has been with the Wildcat program in one capacity or
another for more than two decades, could not recall the last time they
had beaten the Rams.
“Honestly, I don’t remember the last time we
beat them. It sucks that I have to say that, but it’s true” laughed
Bradley. “Hats off to them, they have a good program.
“I told our
guys after the match, the difference between this year’s team, and
years in the past is that every kid went out there and battled their
butt off,” noted Bradley. “There were two matches we should have won,
and two more we were in.
“I’m proud of the guys. They are all
working hard in the room,” added Bradley. “These guys really pushed
themselves, and gave a great effort today.”
A major key to the Athens win was bonus points. Athens scored 13 bonus points to Wyalusing’s one.
“Our guys battled, and kept every match close,” said Bradley.
After
an Athens forfeit at 106 pounds, and Wyalusing forfeits at 113 and 120,
Gavin Bradley, who placed seventh at Hershey last year, and sixth as a
freshman, took the mat against Wyalusing’s Hunter Manahan.
Bradley
scored a takedown just 14 seconds into the bout, and rode Manahan for
the remainder of the period, unable to turn him for additional points.
Bradley
scored a takedown five seconds into the second period, and forced
Manahan to his back with a turk for three near-fall points, and a 7-0
lead. He rode top for the final 80 seconds of the period.
Bradley escaped nine seconds into the third period, and scored a takedown 10 seconds later for a 10-0 lead.
Over the next 89 seconds, Bradley cut Manahan loose and scored takedowns until he secured a 20-5 technical fall at 5:56.
“Gavin
(Bradley) had to give up 12 pounds, but if we’re going to beat that
team, that’s what we have to do,” said Bradley. “We need to rely on our
two-time state medalist to get it done, and he did.”
“Gavin
wrestled very well,” added Bradley. “The best thing about that win is
the kid who beat him first at States last year was about 6-foot tall …
(Manahan) is quite a bit taller, so it was good to see Gavin handle him
the way he did.”
Jake Courtney was next at 132 pounds for the Wildcats.
He
fell behind Owen Hadlock, 4-2, after the first two minutes, but used
three takedowns in the second period, including one with 3 seconds
remaining following a scramble, to take an 8-6 lead into the final two
minutes.
Courtney led 10-7 when he locked Hadlock up in a cradle for a fall at 4:45.
“Jake
got a really big win for us. He started slow, but he has a huge gas
tank, he has that Courtney gas tank,” said Bradley. “He kept scoring
points, and kept wrestling.
“He wrestles hard in practice … now
if we can get him to start a little bit faster, he’ll be there with some
really good guys,” added Bradley.
With Athens up 23-6, junior
Kaden Setzer put on a dominating display with a series of trap-arm tilts
for a 16-0 technical fall of Cade McMicken to make it 28-6. The final
two-point tilt came at the first-period buzzer.
Skyler Manahan gave the Rams their first win on the mat at 145 pounds, with a 10-2 decision over Lucas Forbes.
Manahan
built a 4-0 lead with takedowns in each of the first two periods, and
led 4-1 entering the third period after being dinged for a stalling
point.
Leading 5-2, Manahan scored a five-point move in the final
10 seconds for the majority decision to trim the Athens lead to 28-10.
At
152 pounds, Wyalusing’s Nick Woodruff earned a hard-fought, 4-2,
decision over Chris Bathgate to cut the Wildcat advantage to 28-13.
Woodruff
scored a takedown midway through the first period, but Bathgate tied
the bout at 2-2 with a reversal with just 18 seconds remaining in the
second period.
Woodruff took a 4-2 lead on a takedown with 1:12
remaining in the third period, and was able to ride top for the
remainder of the bout.
The Rams crept a bit closer at 160 pounds, thanks to Colbrin Nolan’s 7-5 win over Karter Rude.
After
a scoreless first period, Nolan escaped to start the second, but a
five-point move by Rude gave him a short-lived, 5-1, lead. Nolan
reversed Rude to his back moments later to tie the bout at 5-5.
In the third period, Nolan scored a takedown on a go-behind with 52 seconds remaining, and rode out the remainder of the bout.
At
172 pounds, Wyalusing’s Brian Arnold scored a reversal midway through
the second period to take a 2-0 lead, but Zach Stafursky was able to
escape moments later to trim his deficit to 2-1.
With 1:10
remaining in the third period, Stafursky registered a reversal to take a
3-2 lead, then locked in a cradle for the fall at 5:16 to give Athens
an insurmountable, 34-16, lead with three weight classes remaining.
“(Zach)
finished that match nicely. He got it done when he had to,” said
Bradley. “Now, if we can get him going in the first two periods, he’ll
be tough.”
At 189 pounds, Wyalusing’s Alex Hunsinger turned in a
workmanlike performance in a 10-4 win over Colin Rosh to cut the Athens
lead to 34-19.
Hunsinger scored takedowns in each of the first two periods, and led 5-2 entering the final two minutes.
In the third period, he scored two more takedowns to secure the decision.
After
an Athens forfeit at 215 pounds cut the Wildcat advantage to 34-25,
freshman Josh Nittinger put the finishing touches on the win for Athens
with a pin of Dereck Baldwin in 33 seconds to provide the final margin.
After the match, Bradley succinctly summed up the feelings of most coaches and wrestlers.
“I’m just glad we’re getting the chance to wrestle.”
Athens, now 5-3, returns to action Thursday when it hosts Sayre and NEB, while the Rams, now -1-1, travel to Towanda Friday.
——————
IN PHOTO 1: Athens junior Gavin Bradley. … PHOTOS BY DAVID ALLIGER — TRAVELING PORTRAITS.
——————
ATHENS 40, WYALUSING 25
106: Clayton Carr (W) won by forfeit;
113: Joshua Courtney (A) won by forfeit;
120: Mason Vanderpool (A) won by forfeit;
126: Gavin Bradley (A) tech. fall over Hunter Manahan (W), 20-5 @ 5:56;
132: Jacob Courtney (A) by fall over Owen Hadlock (W), 4:45;
138: Kaden Setzer (A) tech. fall over Cade McMicken (W), 16-0 @ 2:00;
145: Skyler Manahan (W) major dec. Lucas Forbes (A), 12-2;
152: Nicholas Woodruff (W) dec. Christopher Bathgate (A), 4-2;
160: Colbrin Nolan (W) dec. Karter Rude (A), 7-5;
172: Zachary Stafursky (A) by fall over Brian Arnold (W), 5:16;
189: Alex Hunsinger (W) dec. Colin Rosh (A), 10-4;
215: Zachary Shaffer (W) won by forfeit;
285: Joshua Nittinger (A) by fall over Dereck Baldwin (W), 0:33.
HERNDON, Pa. — Juniors Gavin Bradley and Karter Rude each went unbeaten
Saturday to help Athens to a 3-2 mark at the Line Mountain Duals in
District 4 wrestling action.
Junior Kaden Setzer and sophomore
newcomer Chris Bathgate each went 4-1, and sophomore Jake Courtney,
junior Colin Rosh, senior Zach Stafursky were both 3-2 on the day.
Freshmen Mason Vanderpool, Josh Nittinger and Josh Courtney each had two
wins.
The Wildcats knocked off Line Mountain, Hughesville, and Lewisburg, but dropped decisions to Benton and Selinsgrove.
Athens 41, Line Mountain 33
The Wildcats won three of the last four bouts, all by fall, to rally for a 41-33 win over Line Mountain Saturday morning.
Gavin
Bradley registered a fall over LM’s Brody Long in 1:14 at 113 pounds,
which pair with forfeits received by Nittinger, at 285, to open the
match, and Vanderpool, at 120, gave the Wildcats, who issued a forfeit
at 106, an 18-6 lead.
After LM’s Lane Schadel edged Jake
Courtney, 8-6, at 126 pounds, Athens issued a forfeit at 132, and saw
its lead shrink to 18-15.
After Setzer moved through Max Bingaman
with a 16-0 technical fall in 3:35 to put the Wildcats ahead 23-15,
Line Mountain won by fall at 145 and 152 to take a 27-23 lead.
The LM lead was brief, however, as Rude pinned Chandon Maurer in 1:21 at 160 pounds to move Athens back in front at 29-27.
Stafursky
gave the Wildcats some cushion with a pin of Cale King in 2:40 at 172
pounds, and Rosh, at 189, clinched the win with a pin of Isaac Shaffer
in 4:46 for an insurmountable 41-27 with one weight class left.
The Wildcats gave up a forfeit at 215 to provide the final margin.
Benton 52, Athens 13
The Wildcats managed just three wins against the powerhouse Benton squad in a 52-13 defeat.
Bradley
dominated Dylan Granahan in a 6-0 decision at 120 pounds, but that was
the only bout the Wildcats won through 145 pounds, and trailed 28-3.
Bathgate
forged a 22-10 major decision over Nick Stevens at 152 pounds, and Rude
followed with a 35-second fall over Derek Dietz at 160 pounds to trim
the deficit to 28-13, but the Tigers won the next four weight classes,
including three by fall to put the match away.
Athens 48, Hughesville 12
Athens
won three out of four contested weight classes, and took advantage of a
30-point advantage in forfeit points to forge a 48-12 win over
Lewisburg Saturday afternoon.
Junior Lucas Forbes opened the
match with a hard-fought, 8-5, win over Reese Moon at 145 pounds to give
the Wildcats an early 3-0 lead.
After forfeits to Bathgate
(152), Rude (160) and Stafursky (172) pushed the lead to 21-0, Rosh
worked a 4-2 decision over Chase Snyder at 189 pounds to make it 24-0.
Forfeits
to Bradley and Vanderpool at 113 and 120, respectively, up the Wildcat
lead to 36-6, the Jacob Courtney finished off Kadin Fetterman by fall in
5:34 at 126 pounds to make it 42-6.
The teams traded forfeits, with Setzer getting his hand raised at 138 pounds, to provide the final margin.
Athens 51, Lewisburg 18
Athens won five consecutive bouts early on, and improved to 3-1 on the day with a 51-18 win over Lewisburg.
After issuing a forfeit at 106, the Wildcats won five straight weight classes to take a 26-6 lead.
Josh
Courtney started the roll with a pin of Quintonq Bartlett in 3:40 at
113 pounds to even the match at 6-6, and Bradley gave the Wildcats the
lead for good with a 17-7 major decision over Thomas Lyons at 120
pounds.
Jacob Courtney put on an offensive display in a 24-10
major decision of Derek Gessner at 126 pounds, and, following a forfeit
to Layla Bennett at 132 pounds, Setzer capped the Athens run with a pin
of Daniel Leao in 23 seconds at 138 pounds.
After a Lewisburg pin
at 145 cut the Athens advantage to 23-12, the Wildcats ripped off three
more wins to take an insurmountable 39-12 lead.
Bathgate
initiated Athens’ three-bout run with a hard-fought, 4-3, decision over
Hagen Person at 152 pounds, and Rude followed by decking Hayden Runyon
in 85 seconds at 160 pounds. Stafursky finished off the stretch with an
8-0 major decision of Derek Shedleski at 172 pounds.
Following a Lewisburg pin at 189, Athens received forfeits at 215 and 285 to close out the match.
Selinsgrove 45, Athens 21
Athens gave up three forfeits, and a slew of bonus points in a 45-21 setback to Selinsgrove in the final match of the day.
The Seals used a pair of forfeits (215 and 106), sandwiched around a technical fall at 285 pounds, to build an early 17-0 lead.
The Wildcats countered, however, with three straight wins to trim the deficit to 17-15.
At
113 pounds, Josh Courtney pinned Ryan Gavason in 4:40, and Bradley
followed with a dominating 20-5 technical fall of Leo Martinez in 4
minutes.
Jacob Courtney finished if off with a 13-5 major decision of Trent Turner t 126 pounds.
Selinsgrove
won the next three bouts, including a forfeit at 132 pounds, to push
its lead back to 33-15, but Athens stayed alive with back-to-back wins.
Bathgate
forged a 6-1 decision over Josiah Foss at 152 pounds, and Rude blanked
Cale Bastian, 3-0, at 160 pounds to cut the deficit to 33-21.
The Seals finished off the win with pins at 172 and 189.
——————
ATHENS 41, LINE MOUNTAIN 33
285: Joshua Nittinger (A) won by forfeit;
106: Nolan Baumert (L) won by forfeit;
113: Gavin Bradley (A) by fall over Brody Long (L),1:24;
120: Mason Vanderpool (A) won by forfeit;
126: Lane Schadel (L) dec. Jacob Courtney (A), 8-6;
132: Mason Leshock (L) won by forfeit;
138: Kaden Setzer (A) tech.fall over Max Bingaman (L), 16-0 @ 3:35;
145: Ian Coller (L) by fall over Lucas Forbes (A), 0:35;
152: Bryce Carl (L) by fall over Christopher Bathgate (A), 4:32;
160: Karter Rude (A) by fall over Chandon Maurer (L), 1:21;
172: Zachary Stafursky (A) by fall over Cale King (L), 2:40;
189: Colin Rosh (A) by fall over Isaac Shaffer (L), 4:46;
215: Dominick Bridi (L) won by forfeit.
BENTON 52, ATHENS 13
113: Chase Burke (B) tech. fall over Joshua Courtney (A), 16-0;
120: Gavin Bradley (A) dec. Dylan Granahan (B), 6-0;
126: Ethan Kolb (B) tech fall over Jacob Courtney (A), 15-0;
132: Gable Strickland (B) won by forfeit;
138: Remington Morrow (B) by fall over Kaden Setzer (A), 5:09;
145: Mason Smith (B) by fall over Lucas Forbes (A), 0:18;
152: Christopher Bathgate (A) major dec. Nicholas Stevens (B), 22-10;
160: Karter Rude (A) by fall over Derek Dietz (B), 0:35;
172: Nolan Lear (B) by fall over Zachary Stafursky (A), 5:00;
189: Mason Michael (B) by fall over Colin Rosh (A), 1:24;
215: Jacob Bobersky (B) won by forfeit;
285: Zach Poust (B) by fall over Joshua Nittinger (A), 2:22;
106: No match.
ATHENS 48, HUGHESVILLE 12
145: Lucas Forbes (A) dec. Reese Moon (H), 8-5;
152: Christopher Bathgate (A) won by forfeit;
160: Karter Rude (A) won by forfeit;
172: Zachary Stafursky (A) won by forfeit;
189: Colin Rosh (A) dec Chase Snyder (H), 4-2;
215: No match;
285: Caleb Burkhart (H) by fall over Joshua Nittinger (A), 0:58;
106: No match;
113: Gavin Bradley (A) won by forfeit;
120: Mason Vanderpool (A) won by forfeit;
126: Jacob Courtney (A) by fall over Kadin Fetterman (H), 5:34;
132: Caiden Puderbach (H) won by forfeit;
138: Kaden Setzer (A) won by forfeit.
ATHENS 51, LEWISBURG 18
106: Jace Gessner (L) won by forfeit;
113: Joshua Courtney (A) by fall over Quintonq Bartlett (L), 3:40;
120: Gavin Bradley (A) major dec. Thomas Lyons (L), 17-7;
126: Jacob Courtney (A) major dec. Derek Gessner (L), 24-10;
132: Layla Bennett (A) won by forfeit;
138: Kaden Setzer (A) by fall over Daniel Leao (L), 0:23;
145: Logan Bartlett (L) by fall over Lucas Forbes (A), 2:28;
152: Christopher Bathgate (A) dec. Hagen Persun (L), 4-3;
160: Karter Rude (A) by fall over Hayden Runyon (L), 1:25;
172: Zachary Stafursky (A) major dec. Derek Shedleski (L), 8-0;
189: Trent Wenrich (L) by fall over Josiah Stringham (A), 1:58;
215: Colin Rosh (A) won by forfeit;
285: Joshua Nittinger (A) won by forfeit.
SELINSGROVE 45, ATHENS 21
215: Ryan Aument (S) won by forfeit;
285: Nate Schon (S) tech. fall over Joshua Nittinger (A),16-0 @ 1:50;
106: Blake Rising (S) won by forfeit;
113: Joshua Courtney (A) by fall over Ryan Gavason (S), 4:40;
120: Gavin Bradley (A) tech. fall over Leo Martinez (S), 20-5 @ 4:00;
126: Jacob Courtney (A) major dec. Trent Turner (S), 13-5;
132: Andrew Sassaman (S) won by forfeit;
138: Aiden Gaugler (S) major dec. Kaden Setzer (A), 11-2;
145: Garrett Paradis (S) by fall over Lucas Forbes (A), 1:26;
152: Christopher Bathgate (A) dec. Josiah Foss (S), 6-1;
160: Karter Rude (A) dec. Cale Bastian (S), 3-0;
172: Coy Bastian (S) by fall over Zachary Stafursky (A), 3:03;
189: Steven Miller (S) by fall over Colin Rosh (A), 3:07.
CANTON — Athens went into Canton not knowing exactly what to expect,
with only a week of practice, but, despite coming out on the short end
of the match, 40-22, Wildcat coach Shawn Bradley felt good about what he
saw Tuesday.
“The kids wrestled well,” said Bradley. “It’s a
tough one to start out with ... start out with Canton. The kids were in
the match.”
The defending NTL champion Warriors showed why they
were the favorites coming into the season, but Athens made them work for
a it.
They lost 3-point decisions at 160 and 132, while in the
first match of the day, 120 pounds, Athens freshman Josh Courtney was
leading in the third period, when he got turned and pinned by Canton’s
Miah Lehman, a 9-point swing.
ATHENS — Longtime Athens wrestling coach Shawn Bradley says the
Wildcats will be a mix of experienced grapplers and newcomers in 2021.
“We
had some guys not come out that we were expecting to be here, but we
have some studs back, and some promising young kids,” he said.
Two-time
PIAA place-finisher Gavin Bradley, who was 40-4 and finished seventh in
the state, is the headline wrestler returning for the Wildcats.
“Gavin
(Bradley) is back. He worked his butt off again this summer, and works
hard in here every day,” said Shawn Bradley. “He didn’t get the 80
matches he wrestled last offseason, but he still food a way to get his
work in.”
Also returning are Kaden Setzer (21-9), Jake Courtney (13-9), Zach Stafursky (20-20), and Karter Rude (19-11).
“Jake Courtney and Kaden Setzer, who have both worked their tails off, are back,” said Bradley.
“Zach
(Stafursky) had a little knee injury in the spring, but he’s healthy
and he’s back for us,” noted Bradley. “He’s our lone senior.