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Dawgs Make Berwick History At Hershey
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Finish Top 8
At 2008 PIAA AA State Duals Championship
Posted February 9, 2008
A week after Berwick Wrestling captured
its second consecutive PIAA District 2 AA Duals Championship, the Dawgs made
their hotel reservations and got on the bus for their second consecutive
trip to the PIAA AA State Team Dual Championship Tournament.
While last year's team broke Dawg History
by becoming the first Berwick team to qualify for the state dual
championship tournament, this year's team took it one step further and wrote
yet another chapter into the prestigious annals of Berwick Wrestling.
Berwick Wrestling finished as one of the
top 8 teams at the 2008 PIAA AA State Dual Championship Tournament.
That accomplishment now sits on top of
the new Berwick Wrestling season win record which saw the Dawgs notch 22
wins. Berwick closed out the 2007-2008 dual season with a record of
22-7. Of special note are the 7 losses in which 2 were at this year's
PIAA State Duals with 4 more incurred at the nationally-renowned 2008 Brute
Battlefield Duals in Alexandria, Virginia.
Since Berwick Wrestling's last losing
season in 1999-2000, there has been no looking back. From season 2000-2001
to the close of this dual season (a total of 8 seasons), Berwick Wrestling
has amassed a staggering 125 wins. My calculator says that's an
average of 15.63 wins per season in those 8 years.
One more thing. It is now a new season,
the individual postseason. Hold onto your seats for more history!
2008 PIAA AA State Team Dual
Championship Tournament
February 8 & 9, 2008
The opening round at the 2008 PIAA AA
State Dual Championship Tournament was a bit brutal as Brandywine Heights
handed the Dawgs a 51-22 defeat. There were highlights for Berwick.
Senior Aaron Karns, in a thriller that had fans on both sides holding onto
their seats, defeated a fellow state-ranked opponent by an 8-7
decision. While that match tested one's nerves, the most exciting
match of the contest was to come. Senior Lou Ney bumped up a weight class
and knocked the fans off their seats when he knocked-off another fellow
state-ranked opponent with an outstanding 3-1 overtime victory.
After a tough loss like the one against
Brandywine Heights, it would be easy to fold-up the tent and head home.
Not for this pack of Dawgs.
It was time to regroup both mentally and
physically.
The first round of the consolation
bracket pitted Berwick against Towanda, the team that eliminated the Dawgs
from last year's state dual championship tournament. Payback never
entered anyone's mind. The focus was on one thing and one thing only -
the win.
In one of the most electrifying match-ups
in school history, Berwick fought tooth-and-nail with Towanda. The
adversary took 5 of the first 8 bouts which included 3 falls. Nick
Venditti, Aaron Karns, and Ryan Sitler interrupted the initial hemorrhage
with wins by decision, fall, and decision respectively. With the Dawgs
losing 25-12, Chris Bujno and Dom Yantorn got Berwick back in the contest
with a pair of decisions that narrowed the deficit to 25-18. But
Berwick was forced to award a forfeit in the next bout which extended
Towanda's lead to 31-18 with just 3 bouts left.
The Dawgs needed a rally and needed it
now.
Steve Prebola got his job done with a
superb performance against a tough opponent and placed a 7-3 decision into
the books. But Berwick was still down by 10-points, 31-21, with 2
bouts remaining.
Enter Matt Knecht - Mr. Light's
Out. One thing about Knecht - he makes you get your money's worth out
of your admission ticket. Trailing 4-2 entering the 3rd period,
Knecht's opponent went for a quick shot for another takedown. Knecht
thought otherwise. In one of the most explosive moves that left
everyone at the Giant Center with a concussion, Knecht flung his opponent to
his back for a roaring pin. With the Dawgs now down only by 4-points,
31-27, Knecht's "forever-etched-into-the-brain victory" was just
what the doctor ordered.
Now enter Lou Ney - Mr. Clutch. Ney
fought like a junkyard dog and built a 5-0 lead before his opponent scored
in the 3rd period to narrow the contest to 5-2. A win wasn't
enough. Ney knew it. It had to be a win by major decision or
nothing but a victory for pride only. Ney kicked into that extra gear,
a gear of true champion caliber. In an example of one of the most
sheer displays of determination and complete athletic ability, Ney scored a
mind-boggling 6-points in the final 35 seconds for an 11-3 major decision.
The final score was now all knotted up at
31-31. Coaches and referees quickly huddled around the scorer's
table. They didn't have to huddle very long as Berwick won by 2nd
criteria, most bouts won, 8 bouts to 6, so the Dawgs got a bonus point for
the criteria victory to elevate the score to 32-31. The Dawgs and Dawg
Faithful left the Giant Center with pride after recording one of the biggest
wins in the history of Berwick Wrestling.
The next morning, Berwick squared up
against Northwestern Lehigh in the second round of consolations.
Berwick fought hard but ended up on the short end of the 48-24 score.
Once again, the most notable bout featured Lou Ney who again showed everyone
in the state what heart and technique can accomplish. Trailing 4-3 in
the third, Ney took yet another gut-check and delivered a spectacular
come-from-behind victory with a 5-4 decision.
Dawgs having an outstanding performance
winning all 3 of their bouts at the state team dual championship tournament
included Lou Ney, Nick Venditti, and Ryan Sitler. PinMeister Ryan
Sitler bagged the most falls slating 2 pins in his 3 victories. Dawgs
impressively winning 2 out 3 bouts included Chris Bujno, Dom Yantorn, and
Aaron Karns.
Senior Lou Ney had the most impressive
tournament of all for the Dawgs after first bumping up a weight to defeat a
state-ranked opponent in overtime, followed by scoring 6-points in the final
35 seconds for a major decision that clinched Berwick's win by criteria, and
out did himself in the next contest with a come-from-behind 5-4 decision.
Team Scores & Winning Dawgs
Berwick 22 - Brandywine Heights 51
Winning Dawgs
Lou Ney: Decision, OT
Nick Venditti: Major Decision
Aaron Karns: Decision
Ryan Sitler: Fall
Chris Bujno: Fall
Berwick 32 - Towanda 31
Dawgs Win On Criteria, Most Wins, 8 to 6
Winning Dawgs
Nick Venditti: Decision
Aaron Karns: Fall
Ryan Sitler: Decision
Chris Bujno: Decision
Dom Yantorn: Decision
Steve Prebola: Decision
Matt Knecht: Fall
Lou Ney: Major Decision
Berwick 24 - Northwestern Lehigh 48
Winning Dawgs
Josh Winkelmann: Fall
Nick Venditti: Fall
Ryan Sitler: Fall
Dom Yantorn: Decision
Lou Ney Decision
Congratulations Dawgs!!
Go Dawgs!!
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