Tri-Valley and Pine Grove delivered one of the most exciting Schuylkill League Division 2 wrestling matches of the season Wednesday night, as the Bulldogs held off a late Cardinals rally to earn a narrow 33-30 victory at Pine Grove High School.
The meet came down to the final bout, with Tri-Valley clinging to a three-point lead entering heavyweight. Pine Grove’s Scout Frantz provided a dramatic finish for the Cardinals, pinning Donovan Keeth in just 1:11, but it wasn’t enough to erase Tri-Valley’s advantage, as the Bulldogs secured the team win by the slimmest of margins.
Tri-Valley jumped out to an early 9-0 lead with back-to-back victories to open the meet. Owen Wolfgang needed just 24 seconds to pin Joshua Witherow at 107 pounds, followed by Easton Moore’s 9-3 decision over Liam Levan at 114.
Pine Grove responded at 121, as Chase Nagle earned a technical fall over Garrett Leitzel, 16-1 in 4:22, cutting into the Bulldogs’ lead. However, Tri-Valley answered right back with a pair of pins. Brock Bossler pinned Taylor Enge at 127, and Jaxson Bruso followed with a 9-1 major decision over Andrew Hikes at 133 to push the Bulldogs ahead 19-5.
The Cardinals fought back through the middle weights. James Hoy posted a 10-2 major decision over Landon Horoschak at 139, and Aaron Osatchuk pinned Brayden Kimmel at 145 to make it a 19-15 contest.
Tri-Valley regained momentum with key wins at 152 and 160. Liam Yourey earned a 10-7 decision over Kendrick Wolfgram, and Parker Hatter delivered a crucial pin of Austin Frantz at 3:46 to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to 28-15.
Pine Grove continued to battle, as Isaiah Miller earned an 8-5 decision over Hunter Updegrave at 172. But Tri-Valley’s Maxwell Masser came up big at 189, recording a technical fall over Logan Troup, 20-4 in 5:51, giving the Bulldogs a 33-18 cushion.
That set the stage for Pine Grove’s late push. Zachary Kurtz pinned Zaiden Williams in just 56 seconds at 215, and Frantz closed the night with his pin at heavyweight to pull the Cardinals within three.
Despite Pine Grove winning six bouts on the night, Tri-Valley’s seven victories — including three falls and a technical fall — proved to be the difference in a tightly contested league matchup.
Team Score:
Tri-Valley 33, Pine Grove 30