|
Dawgs Down Pittston 37 - 30 On Jan. 11
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Close Door On Wyoming Valley West 34 - 23 On Jan. 12
Posted January 13, 2008
What a weekend! The Dawgs
hosted two duals within 18 hours on Friday, January 11, and
Saturday, January 12. In the first contest, against the
Patriots of Pittston, Berwick took a key victory by the score of 37
- 30. Early Saturday afternoon at 1pm, the Dawgs continued
their hot streak with a 34 - 23 victory over the Spartans of Wyoming
Valley West.
Berwick is now 15 - 4 on the
season and remains undefeated in district and state competition.
Prior to the Dawg dual against
Pittston Friday night, seniors Lou Ney, Nick Venditti, and Aaron
Karns were officially inducted into the Berwick Wrestling 100-Win
Club. Each of the 3 Dawgs received a beautiful plaque and were
announced with their respective honors in front of the sizeable
crowd in the Dawg gymnasium. Congratulations Lou, Nick, and
Aaron!!
Dawgs
Down Pittston 37-30 On Jan. 11
Knecht Seals Deal - Dawgs Get Big Wins
The Dawg dual against Pittston was the familiar heated rivalry of
past years. However, unlike most years, the crowd was just a
tad more subdued. The reason - the Dawgs jumped out to an
early lead and only trailed in score by 1-point, 7-6, after the
second bout in which Berwick tipped their hat with a forfeit.
After that, the Dawgs regained the lead which would never be
relinquished again.
Junior Matt Knecht, senior Josh
Winkelmann, and freshman Roy Dennis, provided 3 of the biggest wins
of the evening against Pittston.
The Dawgs knew these important
bouts would be close. The 3 Dawgs swept their bouts which swept the
Dawg Faithful to their feet in the stands. Senior Josh
Winkelmann started things off when he opened up the evening's
action. Winkelmann dominated from the whistle though the
entire 6 minutes in recording an excellent 6-0 decision that put
Berwick on the scoreboard first with a 3-0 lead. In the second
pivotal bout of the evening, freshman Roy Dennis went out to do
battle against an old junior high rival. After falling behind
3-2 after the second frame and entering the third frame 3-3 after
being granted a neutral start, Dennis exploded in the last 50
seconds and grabbed both a takedown and two near-fall points to
record an outstanding 7-3 victory.
With the Dawgs holding onto a
28-24 lead with only 3 bouts left, it was time for junior Matt
Knecht to do battle. Berwick was confident of a Knecht win, but what
Matt delivered was nothing short of spectacular. Following
multiple tie-ups with time winding down in the first period, Knecht
used a slick trip to bring his opponent down to his back.
Knecht immediately installed a vise-grip on his opponent that glued
shoulders to the mat for a pin in only 1:47 that brought the Dawg
Faithful to a frenzy fever-pitched celebration.
Winning Dawgs Against Pittston
Josh Winkelmann: Decision
Nick Venditti: Major Decision
Aaron Karns: Fall
Roy Dennis: Decision
Ryan Sitler: Fall
Dom Yantorn: Fall
Matt Knecht: Fall
Lou Ney: Decision
The Dawgs rejoiced in their 37-30
victory over Pittston. But the Dawgs couldn't rejoice
long. Next up, in less than 18 hours, was another key dual
match-up against Wyoming Valley West on Saturday, January 12, at
1pm.
Dawgs
Close Door On WVW 34 - 23
January 12, 2008. Ney Cements Victory
Less than 18 hours after the Dawg's key home victory over
Pittston, Berwick didn't have to dismantle the mat at the end of the
evening as they played host to the Spartans of Wyoming Valley West
at 1pm on Saturday, January 12.
The impressive Dawgs kept their
winning ways in forward motion with an impressive 34 - 23 victory
over the Spartans to close out the weekend. With an 11-point
margin of victory, this dual was closer than most anticipated.
There were 11 contested bouts with Berwick winning 6 of them.
Berwick awarded one forfeit while Wyoming Valley West gave up 2
forfeits.
There were a couple exciting and
fan-entertaining bouts. The first featured a thriller with
senior Aaron Karns competing against a top Spartan opponent.
Karns, wrestling with the tenacity of junkyard Dawg, simply
overpowered his opponent over the course of 6 minutes to record an
excellent 18-8 major decision.
Junior Ryan Sitler once again had
the Dawg Faithful staring out on the mat in utter amazement with
another outstanding display of strength, skill, and
determination. Sitler, moving up a weight class, giving up
what appeared to be at least 50 - 60 pounds against a Spartan 2007
PIAA AAA State Qualifier, left it all out on the mat giving his
opponent all he could handle (and then some) in a simply spectacular
bout that had the Dawg Faithful on the edge of their seats.
Sitler may have been on the low side of a 6-5 score, but his
athletic abilities and unwavering competitiveness can leave a
person, on either side of the bleachers, completely speechless.
Junior Steve Prebola also had an
electrifying match that stirred the Dawg Faithful in their
seats. With the bout all tied-up at 9-9 with about 13 seconds
left, his opponent was hit with a 3rd caution. Prebola then
capitalized on the momentum shift with a thunderous takedown in the
closing seconds to record a magnificent 13-9 victory into the record
books.
With scoreboard lights beaming a
25-14 Dawg lead with 4 bouts remaining, the contest was still
undecided. The Dawgs needed a big bonus point win.
Senior Lou Ney was announced to appear next. Ney, a wrestling
maestro, immediately dominated his opponent in perfect rhythmic
fashion that witnessed him orchestrate a brilliant flurry of skill
that built to a thunderous crescendo that sent his opponent's
shoulders flat to the mat in only 2:31. Ney's pin elevated the
Dawg lead at 31-14.
Technically, the Spartans were
still in the dual if they could win the last 3 bouts by fall.
That was not to be as the Dawgs only relinquished a hard-fought 6-1
decision in the next bout.
Senior Josh Winkelmann was
released from the Dawg Pen next and finished off a great weekend in
putting on another great show for the Dawg Faithful.
Winkelmann, in one of the best bouts of the contest, utilized his
barbarian strength, precision technique, and his infamous skill of
will to out-slug and out-wrestle his worthy opponent in notching a
brilliant 6-2 decision.
With the 11th dual meet finished
in just over the past 7 days, the Dawgs and the Dawg Faithful were
rejoicing in both the superb victories and thankful for an upcoming
1 1/2 days to relax. :-))
Winning Dawgs Against Wyoming
Valley West
Nick Venditti: Forfeit
Roy Dennis: Forfeit
Aaron Karns: Major Decision
Chris Bujno: Decision
Dom Yantorn: Decision
Steve Prebola: Decision
Lou Ney: Fall
Josh Winkelmann: Decision
The Dawgs compete next at home
versus Coughlin on Wednesday, January 16, at 7pm. It's the
last home dual of the season! Berwick will then be on the road
to complete the last 3 remaining regular season dual meets.
Congratulations Dawgs!!
|
