4/5/2020
Times Leader wrestling all-star team
Adam Eckhart - Senior - 160 pounds Second Team
Seth Pelton - Senior - 285 pounds Second Team
3/9/2020
GIRLS WRESTLING: Pegarella, Walker win titles
Nanticoke Area’s Kaitlyn Pegarella (162) and Wyoming Seminary’s Caitlyn Walker (115) followed up Saturday’s PIAA wrestling medal haul by getting to the top of the podium themselves. Each won state championships at the MyHouse Pennsylvania High School Girls State Wrestling Championship on Sunday at Gettysburg High School.
Pegarella returned to the tournament after suffering a severe concussion when she was thrown into a table at last year’s event.
“The atmosphere at the tournament is definitely very positive, very outgoing” Pegarella said. “The girls there all support each other. The tournament is definitely growing. There’s so many more girls there compared to last year from what I remember. It was just amazing to see how many girls are coming out and doing this again.”
She pinned BTSP’s Hannah White in the quarterfinals before dislocating her shoulder in the semifinals. She simply popped it back in and beat Phoenix’s Abigail Erdely by an 18-12 decision.
“It was a tough match, but I got it,” Pegarella said.
She pinned Downingtown East’s Grace Wileczek in the final for her first state title.
Pegarella had the support of her best friends LAWW’s Alexandria Ortiz and Montoursville’s Dominica Daugherty at the tournament.
“If they didn’t tell me that I needed to get here to be with them, I wouldn’t have done it,” Pegarella said. “I’ve got to give all my credit for doing this and getting my title to them.”
She was also approached by a Lake-Lehman coach to help with the school’s girls.
“I love that,” Pegarella said. “I love helping the other girls who are starting to come out. It gives me the pride to be a female wrestler.”
Walker pinned Gettysburg’s Jordyn Browning, Central Mountain’s Madison Parker, Hatboro Horsham’s Alanna Barberio and West York’s Carly Gross to defend her crown.
Delaware Valley junior Lily Sherer, a runner-up finish at last year’s tournament, captured her second title.
“I haven’t wrestled folkstyle since this tournament last year,” Sherer said. “So, I was just going out there to have fun and see what happens.”
She pinned Parkland’s Gabriella Ruiz in 37 seconds in the quarterfinals, Harry S. Truman’s Stacy Couillard in 2:11 in the semifinals and LAWW’s Alexandria Ortiz in 4:17 in the final for the 140-pound crown.
“I feel like I wrestled really well,” Sherer said. “I didn’t get any points scored on me besides escapes, but I didn’t really want to wrestle much on top because I haven’t really wrestled folkstyle. But, I got out from bottom in my finals and I pinned her.”
Sherer’s boyfriend DuBois’ Ed Scott, who won his second straight PIAA Class 3A championship Saturday, and Joe Stabilito from the Mohawk Wrestling Club helped coach her during the tournament, which continues to grow.
“It was crazy,” Sherer said. “There were so many girls. So inspiring.”
Sherer’s teammate Danah Downer (122) went 3-2 with a 9-4 decision, pin and a 15-4 major decision to finish in the top six.
Montrose’s Larissa Taylor (108) went 3-2 and finished in the top six. Her three wins came by first-period pins.
Honesdale’s Tommi Vizcaino (115) also went 3-2 and placed in the top six. Her three wins came by first-period pins.
1/13/2020
WVC Wrestling: Breaking down the complex tiebreaker system
Eric Shultz - Citizens Voice
Nanticoke Area wrestling never led at any point during its dual meet Thursday night.
The Trojans still left Dallas’ gym with the victory.
That sounds like a complex riddle to solve, and it probably was a
little tricky for the official scorekeeper. But Nanticoke Area’s win
ultimately came down to a strong comeback effort and then, after tying
the Mountaineers in the final bout of the night, a trip through the
tiebreaking criteria process.
The Trojans earned the extra match point at the end to defeat the
Mountaineers, 43-42, via Criterion H, or most first points scored in
each match throughout the meet.
Down 36-18 with five bouts remaining, pins by Isaiah Johnson (195 lb.),
Jeffery Ultsh (220), Joseph Sauers (106) and Zach Capie (113) tied the
final score. In a team sport with no overtime (how cool would a team
tug-of-war be, though?), the match was taken to the scorer’s table from
there.
An efficient night of wrestling rendered the first seven criteria
useless in deciding this one. The NFHS rulebook’s Criteria A-C deal with
flagrant, coach misconduct and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties
assessed to overall teams, head coaches and wrestlers.
Criterion D, most matches won including forfeits, was split evenly
between the Trojans and Mountaineers, 7-7 (the Trojans won more
contested bouts, for what it’s worth). Criterion E counts the total
number of falls, defaults, forfeits and disqualifications, but Nanticoke
Area and Dallas’ seven wins came exclusively by fall or forfeit.
That wiped out Criteria F and G, which tally tech falls and major decisions.
So, eight tiebreakers had to be resolved before Nanticoke Area could
officially celebrate its first Division 1 victory of the season.
It’s rare for matches to end in ties, let alone go that deep in the
tiebreaking process. But similar results have happened around District 2
in the past decade — and more than one came with significant
consequences.
12/11/2019
WVC Wrestling Preview
Dave Rosengrant - Times Leader
Nanticoke Area
Coach: Harold Shotwell, 7th year
Last Year: 2-5 Division 1; 10-13 overall
Key Losses: Shane Repasky
Probable Lineup: 106: Joseph Sauers, Sr.; 113:
Zachery Capie, Sr.; 120: Ashton Mazzetelli, So. or Wesley Gordon, Jr.;
126: Dom Wolfe, Jr. or Kaycee Krietzer, So.; 132: Khalil Khan, Fr.; 138:
Josiah Coutier, Fr. or Katey Pegarella, So.; 145: Baylee Butler, Jr. or
Richard Matthews, So.; 152: Aidan Jaskulski, So or Joseph Krieger, So.;
160: Sebastian Kryznewski, So. or Nico Czeck, So.; 170: Adam Eckhart,
Sr.; 182: John Pashinski, Fr.; 195: Isaiah Johnson, Sr.; 220: Jeffrey
Ultsh, Fr. or Brandon Brojakowski, So.; 285: Seth Pelton, Sr.
Outlook: Crowning their first district champion in
16 years last season with heavyweight Shane Repasky taking gold, the
team received a boost of interest. That led to a projection of a full
lineup and a roster of nearly two dozen. The Trojans appear to be primed
to make a run this season at district duals.
“Last year, really took off for us,” coach Harold Shotwell said. “I
really think (Repasky winning) really had a lot to do with it. It made
Nanticoke more recognizable in wrestling. And what made it big is kids
put a lot into being in Triple-A. I think it was a big boost for the
program.”