Altons impressive in second college tourney

by Kim Moerschbacher

Posted on December 2, 2008

LOCK HAVEN - Everybody knew they would be on the mats.

And when they were, all eyes were on them.

The talk buzzed around the Thomas Fieldhouse of Andrew and Dylan Alton - the two high schoolers who were competing amongst top-notch college grapplers.

If you didn't know better Saturday, you would never know just how old the twins really were.

In their second collegiate tournament in a three-week period, Andrew and Dylan again impressed onlookers at the Mat-Town Open, as both athletes finished in the top 4 of their respective weight classes.

Andrew breezed through his first match against Bloomsburg's Conwell Eagon, earning a 21-6 tech fall. Against Michigan State's Collin Dozier, the junior standout jumped out to a 6-3 lead after two periods before going on to win 8-5 in his quarterfinal match.

His true test came in the semifinals.

Going up against Pitt's Eric Albright brought on some new challenges that Andrew had yet to face. Albright, a 2007 NCAA qualifier, spent three years at Virginia and was an ACC runner-up at 133 pounds.

In four years under head coach Biff Walizer at Red Lion High School, Albright lost only 20 matches and was a four-time PIAA state qualifier.

"I knew he was good on top, so I knew that I had to be quick," said Andrew, who finished second at 141 in the East Stroudsburg Open three weeks ago. "I knew I could take him on his feet, so I tried to do that."

Andrew jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but the speedy Albright picked up a reversal to knot the score at 2. The Pitt senior led 3-2 after two periods, but a neutral point for Andrew forced the match into overtime.

In the tiebreaker period, the CM junior rolled Albright for a reversal, then hung on for the 5-4 victory.

It was a tough nine minutes, but each 60 seconds was just as exciting as the one before it.

"I knew the kid was tough - really tough," Andrew said. "I don't like going at it right off the bat, because then I just tire myself out. After I got that first takedown, he got the reverse after that. I knew I had to work harder after that."

In the finals, Rutgers' Trevor Melde wasted no time getting points, jumping to a 7-2 lead after the first period. He went on to win the title over Andrew, 10-4.

For Dylan - who earned fifth place in the ESU tourney - the road to the finals took a big left turn when the CM student ran into Garrett Scott in the 149-pound semifinals.

The Edinboro freshman gave up only an escape point in the first period, earning a 9-1 major decision, vaulting him into the finals against Lock Haven's Matt Fittery. The loss dropped Dylan to the consolation bracket, where he met up with Pete Ferrara from Virginia.

Dylan controlled the entire match, leading 6-3 after one period and cruising to a 13-7 win. His final bout of the day was just as exciting to watch - if not more exciting - than any other times he was on the mat.

Going against MSU's Tim Hammer, the match was a back-and-forth affair, with nothing settled until the very end. Both wrestlers winded, Hammer picked up a point with seconds ticking off the clock in the third, giving him a narrow, 7-6 win.

But it was clear after both kids were finished that they had left everything on the mat Saturday.

And everyone noticed.

"Every once and a while you get those rare high school athletes that can compete at a college tournament. Obviously, those boys are very rare," Lock Haven head coach Rocky Bonomo said. "I'm very, very impressed with them. They show composure in close matches, and they have intensity. I've been nothing but impressed with how they wrestle and how they stay composed. I'm very impressed with the boys, as always."

People crowded around Mat 4 where Dylan was competing in his final bout Saturday, and everyone waited anxiously for the result.

The same went for Andrew as he attempted to win his first college tournament.

"It's really nice. Everyone is excited and so are the fans," Andrew said. "I like going through that. Most everyone from the town has come up to me. It gives me confidence for the next match I go in to."

Both boys, as well as the rest of the CM Wildcats, will travel to the Walsh Ironman Tournament in Ohio, which starts Friday.

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