Elkers fourth at state dual meet

by Chris Wechtenhiser, Tri-County Sunday Assistant Sports Editor

Posted on February 14, 2010

Ridgway's Sam Skraba controls Pen Argyl's JD Rabenold during their 160-pound in the consolation finals Saturday at the PIAA Class AA Team Championships. Skraba scored a reversal in the final 30-second tiebreaker period to beat Rabenold, 5-3. (Photo by Chris Wechtenhiser)
The true test of a champion is how it responds to adversity, and the Ridgway wrestling team passed that test with flying colors this past weekend at the PIAA Class AA Wrestling Championships in Hershey.
The Elkers made the trip to Chocolatetown with the goal of winning a state team title, but those plans were abruptly derailed with a 38-22 loss to District 10 runner-up Fort LeBoeuf early Friday morning. LeBoeuf, which had to beat Shady Side Academy Thursday afternoon just to make it to Hershey, parlayed the win over Ridgway in a state title as the Bisons upset D-10 rival Reynolds, 32-29, in the finals.
Most teams may have closed up shop after such a setback, but not Ridgway. The loss appeared to serve as a wake-up call to the Elkers, who for the second time in four years, reeled off three straight consolation wins to reach the third-place match.
However, this time around the Elkers couldn't cap off a magical run through the consy bracket for a third-place finish as Pen Argyl won the final three bouts in the consy finals to pull out a close 31-24 victory.
Ridgway was led by seniors Joe Chittester, Garet Pisani and Sam Skraba, who all went 5-0. Chittester had five pins, including one that gave him his 100th career win. Skraba recorded three falls. Corey Bush and Zack Zelcs each went 4-1 for the Elkers with Bush racking up three pins.
Pisani, Sam Skraba and Zelcs were all freshmen on Ridgway's squad that placed third in 2007.
Ridgway's strong weekend culminated in the showdown with Pen Argyl in the consolation finals and Sam Skraba got the Elkers off to a good start, scoring a reversal in the final 30-second tiebreaker period to top JD Rabenold, 5-3.
The Green Knights countered with a pin, but Ridgway won the next three bouts to take an 18-6 lead. Zelcs received a forfeit at 189, while Jesse Sheasley pulled out a 5-2 win at 215. Chittester capped the mini-run by pinning Kirby Mutton in 18 seconds at heavyweight. Sheasley was 3-2 on the weekend.
Pen Argyl got back on the board at 103 when Matt Williams pulled out a close 5-4 decision over Bush in a battle of Top 11 ranked wrestlers in the state. Williams' run started a string of five straight wins by the Knights that turned an 18-6 deficit into 22-18 lead.
The Green Knights then forfeited to Pisani at 135, giving Ridgway a 24-22 lead. However, Pen Argyl got the lead right back at 140 where Luciano Burriesci used a late stalling point and takedown to nip Steve Mitchell, 3-2. Teammate Rex Lutz followed with another last-second win as he scored a takedown just before the third-period buzzer to top Nate Dornisch, 4-3, at 145.
Green Knight Philip Racciato sealed Pen Argyl's victory with an 8-2 win over D.J. Skraba in the final bout of the match.
"It was a very positive weekend," said Ridgway head coach Gary Gerber. "After we lost that first match, the kids were reallly down, but they showed what kind of character they have by battling back against some quality opponents. This entire weekend really was a team effort. Everyone did what they needed to do and all the kids put the team first. That's what's so great about this team.
"We came down here ranked No. 10 in the state and left No. 4, and I think we gained some respect for District 9. The entire Northwest Region had a great weekend with Reynolds and Fort LeBoeuf wrestling in the finals."
Things obviously didn't start out Friday the way Ridgway had hoped as Fort LeBoeuf jumped out to a 20-4 lead Friday morning and the Elkers never did rally. The Bisons ended up winning nine of the 14 bouts and outbonus-pointed the Elkers 11-7.
Ridgway got pins from Chittester and Bush, while Pisani notched a major decision. Sam Skraba and Zelcs also notched wins.
The Elkers started their comeback Friday evening with a hard-fought 32-27 win over District 3 runner-up Boiling Springs.
Unlike Friday morning, the Elkers exploded out of the gate. Ridgway won seven of the first nine bouts to build a 32-6 lead, then held off the Bubblers for the five-point win.
Both schools won seven bouts, but Ridgway sealed the win with an 11-6 advantage in bonus points.
Pisani and Nate Dornisch got things started with wins, then D.J. Skraba and Sam Skraba recorded a major decision and pin respectively. Zelcs followed with a major decision, while Chittester and Bush closed out the early run with falls to give the Elkers a commanding 32-6 lead.
Boiling Springs tried to make a comeback behind the strength of its lightweights, a couple of which are ranked in the state, but the Elkers did a great job not giving up bonus points in the final five bouts, all wins by the Bubblers. Delhunty and Slade Horner each lost in tiebreaker bouts during the stretch.
Ridgway continued its march toward the consy finals with a 38-23 victory over Bedford Saturday morning, a win that featured Chittester's 100th career win. Ridgway used a similar formula to win over Boiling Springs as it won eight of the first 10 bouts to build a 38-10 lead, then did what it needed to do to hold the Bisons down the stretch for the 15-point win.
Pisani once again got Ridgway off and running with a 10-0 major decision before Bedford won the next two bouts. However, Ridgway won the next seven matches to all but put the win away. The Skraba brothers both got pins to start the run, while Zelcs notched a tech fall. Sheasley kept the roll going with a win, then Chittester pinned Bison Kaleb Crawley in 29 seconds for his 100th win.
The lineup turned over and Bush recorded a tech fall at 103, while Delhunty capped the Elkers' run with a 6-4 run. Bedford captured the final four bouts, but once again the Elkers did a good job not giving up bonus points.
Ridgway punched its ticket into the consy finals with an impressive 34-30 win over District 3 champ Schuylkill Valley. The two schools split the bouts 7-7, but Ridgway again won the bonus point battle, 13-9, and that was with the Elkers giving up two forfeits at the very end once the win was secured.
The Panthers jumped out to a 9-0 lead, but Sam Skraba quickly erased most of that deficit with a pin. Schuylkill Valley's Dylan Scheidt topped Zelcs 7-2 at 189, but Ridgway then ripped off five wins in six bouts to take a 31-15 lead. Sheasley started the run with a tough 7-5 win over Mitch Moll at 215 and Chittester followed with a 32 second pin of Trevor Crupi.
Bush then decked Zach Homan in 20 seconds, while Delhunty recorded a huge fall at 112 as he pinned Ryan Griffiths in 51 seconds at 112. Griffiths entered states with 27 wins, compared to Delhunty's two.
Caggiano added a major decision and Pisani sealed the victory with a 3-0 win over Mike Giorgio in a battle of Top 10 ranked wrestlers in the state.
Ridgway then forfeited the last two bouts, including a win to No. 1 ranked Colin Shobert at 140, to set the final at 34-30.
Ridgway is back in action Wednesday at home against Redbank Valley, then travels to Clearfield Thursday.
©Courier-Express/Tri-County 2010

[ return to previous page ]