Feb 2, 2022
By Todd Irwin
[email protected]
HUNTINGDON — The District 6 Class 2A Duals quarterfinal against third-seeded Huntingdon couldn’t have gotten to a much better start for sixth-seeded Penn Cambria on Tuesday night at the Huntingdon gym.
The Panthers raced out to a 24-point lead after the first six weights.
But the Bearcats began chipping away at the lead. They won six of the final seven weights, including Eric Mykut’s 10-6 win over Trey Talko in the final bout to secure a 35-34 over the Panthers in a nail biter.
“I have no complaints about my kids,” Penn Cambria coach Todd Niebauer said. “I lost to a dang good coach and a dang good program. I am super proud of those 12 gentlemen who stepped out on the mat tonight for me. It’s an absolutely tough loss, but it doesn’t get any more razor thin than that. This is what wrestling needs.”
“We kind of stayed the course and didn’t panic,” Huntingdon coach Jon Mykut said. “We had some guys come up big and get some nice falls. We were just able to eke one out against a well-coached team.”
The win, which avenged an earlier loss, advanced the Bearcats (14-5) to Saturday’s District 6 semifinals at Bald Eagle Area. There, Huntingdon will wrestle Forest Hills in that round.
The Bearcats only had the lead after the first bout and after the last bout.
Penn Cambria’s Drew Mardula reversed Devin Grubb to his back for five points in the first period for a 6-2 lead, but Grubb responded with a pair of reversals to tie the score, 6-6. Grubb then used a cradle to get the fall in 3:22.
But then the Panthers (13-4), who beat Glendale, 39-33, in the first match, reeled off five straight pins by Austin McCloskey (152), Nathan Little (160), Jon Wolford (172), Austin Wagner (189) and Mason Raymond (215).
McCloskey won by fall in 2:51, and Little followed with a pin in 25 seconds. Wolford built a 7-0 lead on Tom McDivitt before getting the fall in 3:26.
Wagner was down 2-1 to Lincoln Miller in the second, when he reversed, put Miller on his back and got the fall in 3:53. Raymond followed with a fall in 1:40.
“When we got (points), I was thinking we need two more wins,” Niebauer said. “I knew that’s where their strength was coming. I felt pretty good with that 30-6 lead.”
But the Bearcats began their comeback at 285, where Gunner Singleton won by fall in 3:38.
After Liam Simpson racked up a 19-4 technical fall over Isaiah Chyr at 106, Ryan Yocum won by forfeit at 113.
Huntingdon’s Alex Gladfelter pulled the Bearcats to within one, 30-29, with a pin in 1:28.
But Penn Cambria star and Altoona Mirror Athlete of the Week Trent Hoover notched two third-period takedowns on Landon Dunsmore, who defended a number of shots early, to earn a 9-1 major decision at 126.
“The kid knew what he had to do,” Niebauer said. “We’ve pinned him twice. (Dunsmore) is a pretty good kid. Trent just had to chase him the whole time. The kid knew he had a job to do, and he did it.”
Penn Cambria’s Anthony Coukart was down 6-0 to Eden Wagner in the third period at 132 when he reversed Wagner to his back, bringing the Panthers to their feet on their side.
Wagner was on his back for a long time, but he fought off it and scored a reversal to win, 8-5.
“It was close, but I agree with the ref,” Niebauer said. “It was about an inch-and-a-half up (shoulders off the mat). If he had called, I sure wasn’t going to argue with him.”
“That was a little scary moment there,” Mykut said.
At 138, Eric Mykut, the freshman son of Jon Mykut, built a 6-1 lead, but Talko took him down twice in the third period to make the score 7-5. But Mykut escaped and scored a takedown with 8 seconds left to secure the win.
“He just got down, and it was too much to make up,” Niebauer said.
“He batted cleanup there for us, and he got a nice win for us,” Coach Mykut said. “I had all the confidence in the world in him.”
In Penn Cambria’s win over Glendale, the Panthers earned some key wins early on against Glendale and held the Vikings off.
The Vikings battled back to within six points, but Hoover recorded a pin at 126 to clinch a 39-33 win.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Glendale coach Brian Storm said. “We knew we were going to have to pull off some good wins. Some matches just didn’t go our way.”
HUNTINGDON 35, PENN CAMBRIA 34
145–Grubb, H, pinned Mardula, 3:22; 152–McCloskey, PC, pinned Garlock, 2:51; 160–Little, PC, pinned Garner, :25; 172–Wolford, PC, pinned McDivitt, 3:26; 189–Wagner, PC, pinned Miller, 3:53; 215–Raymond, pinned Poorman, 1:40; 285–Singleton, H, pinned Summerville, 3:38
106–Simpson, H, tech. fall Chyr, 19-4, 5:32; 113–Yocum, H, won by forfeit; 120–Gledfelter, H, pinned Mallory, 1:28; 126–Hoover, PC, maj. dec. Dunsmore, 9-1; 132–Wagner, H, dec. Coukart, 8-5; 138–Mykut, H, dec. Talko, 10-6.
Records: Penn Cambria (13-4); Huntingdon (14-5)
PENN CAMBRIA 39, GLENDALE 33
138–Talko, PC, pinned Johnson, 3:25; 145–Mardula, PC, pinned Richards, :53; 152–McCloskey, PC, won by forfeit; 160–Z. Dubler, G, pinned Little, 1:37; 172–S. Dubler, G, won by forfeit; 189–Wolford, PC, won by forfeit; 215–Wagner, PC, dec. Spangle, 3-0
285–Smeal, G, dec. Summerville, 6-4; 106–Chyr, PC, won by forfeit; 113–Krise, G, won by forfeit; 120–Storm, G, pinned Mallory, 2:33; 126–Hoover, PC, pinned Vereshack, :58; 132–Campbell, G, pinned Coukart, 3:28.
Records: Glendale (12-8); Penn Cambria (13-3)
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