Hanging on

by Guy Cipriano

Posted on January 28, 2009

DISTRICT 6 CLASS AAA WRESTLING TEAM DUALS

HANGING ON

Bellefonte takes last three bouts to drop rival Bald Eagle Area

BELLEFONTE — A sometimes trying season for Bellefonte, Bald Eagle Area and everyone else involved in Centre County wrestling reached a confounding juncture Tuesday night.

The Red Raiders and Eagles were competing for the opportunity to face a certain neighbor in Saturday's District 6 Class AAA team duals semifinals and their opening-round match included four telling look-away moments.

At 215 pounds, referee Dan Leitzell raised a wrestler's hand. At heavyweight, he raised a hand. At 103, he raised another hand. At 125, he raised one more hand.

All four times Leitzell raised the hand of a wrestler who trotted to the center alone.

He consecutively raised the hands of BEA's Jon Gingrich, Mark Bonsell and Jason Sherry, placing pressure on the 10 Bellefonte wrestlers who received opportunities to compete.

The Red Raiders (6-4) ultimately won the abbreviated opening-round match 40-27 to earn a semifinal spot against nationally-ranked Central Mountain on Saturday in Tyrone. To defeat BEA (4-6) for the second time this season in their own gym, the Red Raiders were forced to win eight of 10 bouts wrestled.

"Those guys who wrestled tonight did a great job of fighting and scrapping and making up those 18 points," Bellefonte coach Mike Maney said.

Varied reasons have turned Bellefonte dual meets into struggles, and Maney still doesn't know what team he will bring Saturday. One of Maney's colleagues, who happened to sit across the mat Tuesday, can relate to what the Red Raiders are experiencing.

The Eagles also forfeited a weight Tuesday. In fact, they haven't sent a full lineup to the mat this season.

"It's uncharacteristic for both programs," first-year BEA head coach Steve Millward said. "I don't know what to say about it. We just don't have the kids out. I don't have answers, and I'm trying to find out before next year. It's just unfortunate, not just for our programs, but for wrestling."

Both sides juggled their lineups Tuesday, resulting in a match possessing little resemblance to Bellefonte's 46-18 victory on Dec. 9.

BEA weighed in two wrestlers at 103, bumping Justin Giedroc, their normal little man, up to 112. Bellefonte moved 119-pound stud Mitchell Port to 130 after Dan Dreibelbis received the forfeit 125.

When all the moves were completed, the match included just five previously contested bouts. All five of those bouts occurred from 145 to 189.

The match's most noteworthy bout was its final one.

Bellefonte's Brad Grieb, an emerging sophomore, sat in the locker room before the dual, wondering whether the match would fall on shoulders growing sturdier by the day. Grieb wrestles at 160. The match started at 171.

Throw in the forfeits, and do the math: An upset or two, and this meet would have come down to Grieb vs. Rusty Fetzer, Part 3.

"As soon as I heard in the locker room, I thought exactly that," Grieb said. "It kind of gave me an extra boost to try and win the last match."

The teams were tied 27-27 after 11 bouts. Nate Alterio's third-period pin of Nick Taylor at 145 and Shane Alterio's 18-7 major decision over John Decker in a feisty 152-pound bout took the pressure off Grieb.

But he still produced, using a strong second-period ride and explosive third period to defeat Fetzer 5-0. The match ended with Grieb locking a three-point cradle at the center of the mat.

For Grieb, the victory proved gratifying. Fetzer, an improved senior, dropped Grieb 8-6 in the first dual. Three days earlier, Fetzer defeated Grieb in the Mountain League finals.

"It feels pretty good," said Grieb, who improved to 15-8. "I have never beat Fetzer before. It was a pretty big accomplishment for me. But I'm just happy for the team. We did a real great job despite all the forfeits."

BEA's only non-forfeit victories were Shane Robinson's 2-1 decision over Jake Perryman at 189 and Coleman Hoffman's second-period pin of Brandon Grau at 140.

The dual started with Bellefonte's Christian Oberle defeating Brandon Coakley 13- 4 at 171. After the three forfeits, Red Raider freshman Tom Traxler earned a 14-0 major decision over Giedroc, the first of five straight Bellefonte victories.

Freshman Cody Fisher pinned Dan Dunkleberger at 119, Port recorded an 8-0 major decision over Brad Meyer at 130 and Josh Fish-burn made a first-period takedown stand in a 2-1 victory over Kyle Granite at 135.

The victories helped Bellefonte eliminate BEA from the duals for a third straight year. The teams also met in last year's semifinals and the 2007 title match. This year, Bellefonte prevented BEA from reaching the semifinals of the 14-year-old event for the first time.

"I think we missed a lot of opportunities," Millward said. "With Bellefonte's misfortune, we had some great matchups and we were hoping to come out with some individual wins. It didn't happen."

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