CURWENSVILLE – Of the 11 matches wrestled, Curwensville bested Redbank Valley by a 32-30 score. However, giving up two forfeits, to Redbank’s one, to end the night proved too much for the Golden Tide to handle, and they lost by a score of 42-38.
The match started at 113 with the Tide’s Brady Peters against Josh Smith. Smith quickly took down and pinned Peters in 20 seconds, giving the visitors an early 6-0 lead.
At 120, junior Curwensville’s Blake Pasarelli got an early takedown against Mason Songer. He then gave up escape, before getting another takedown and three near fall points off of a throw. It was 7-1 at end of the first period. Pasarelli chose bottom, and hit a granby roll immediately into a standing cement job. He turned Songer, who took an injury time, giving Pasarelli two more near fall points. Then Songer stepped over Pasarelli, and Pasarelli utilized his leverage to throw Songer to his back, and ended up with a pin on a reverse half-nelson in 3:04, evening the match at six apiece. The score was 11-1 before the fall.
At 126 sophomore Ty Guelich was taken down quickly by Redbank Valley’s Brayden Altobelli. Altobelli let Guelich escape, and then used an ankle pick for another quick two. He then used a half nelson to pin Guelich in 1:13.
132 pound Tide junior Mason Gasper was taken down trying to cradle Hunter Martz. Martz ran an arm bar for the fall in 1:33, give the Bulldogs what would be their biggest lead of the night 18-6.
At 138 Tide senior Noah Holt faced off against Tristen Hoffman. Holt got a takedown and three near fall points before giving up a reversal to Hoffman. Then Holt returned the favor with a reversal of his own. Finally, Holt locked up a cradle and pinned Hoffman in 1:13.
The bout at 145 saw sophomore Zach Holland against Redbank’s Caleb Snyder. Scoreless after the first, Holland chose bottom to start the second period, getting an escape in only five seconds. Then Holland used a linebacker double leg to get a takedown. He immediately worked into a Navy ride and got two near fall points, making the score 5-0 at end of the second period. Snyder chose bottom to begin the third period, and used up nearly all of his blood time on a bloody nose. Snyder was able to get an escape as the buzzer rang, making the final score 5-1 in Holland’s favor, as the Tide pulled to within three, 18-15.
At 152 Tide sophomore Adam Straw wrestled Noah Anderson. Straw got a fast takedown, ran a Russian knot and got the fall in 54 seconds, giving the hosts their first lead, 21-18.
Curwensville’s 160 pound freshman Jake McCracken faced off against Colton Bartley. McCracken got a takedown by locking up a near side cradle, but he was not able to get back points. McCracken took bottom to start the second period and gave up two back points, but then McCracken got a reversal. Bartley used a Peterson roll to get an escape, and in a flurry McCracken countered a sloppy shot for a go-behind takedown. McCracken then simultaneously ran an arm bar and a half nelson to get the fall in 4:43, expanding the lead to 27-18.
At 170, junior Cole Bressler wrestled RBV’s Bryan Layton. Bressler worked like a machine, notching a takedown, a cement job for three near fall points, and finally locked up a cradle for the fall in 1:02. The Tide now had the biggest lead for either team all night, 33-18.
182 was the most controversial and scary match of the evening. Tide junior Cross Bloom took on Hutson Martz and got a quick takedown. Then Bloom gave up a reversal on a switch, but it didn’t take Bloom long to return the favor with a reversal of his own. Martz then got an escape, and Bloom used a throw by for a takedown. With a score of 6-3 in Bloom’s favor, he took bottom to start the second period. Martz ran a nasty arm bar, where Bloom’s arm was perpendicular to his own back, and got three near fall points before the referee called the situation potentially dangerous. Coach Dean Swatsworth, seeing the severity of the situation, gave up a team point, when in the heat of the moment, he rushed the mat out of concern for Bloom. After a quick re-start, Bloom took another injury time out and had to default to Martz.
The last wrestled match of the night was a quick one at 195, as sophomore Gage Roos was pinned in 15 seconds by RBV’s Logan Minnich, drawing the BUlldogs within two at 32-30.
Forfeits at 220, 285 and 106 ended the match. The final score was 42-38, Rovers.
Curwensville will wrestle again next Thursday, 12/21 at home against the Ridgway Elkers.
Bout by Bout Recap
113 Josh Smith, RBV, pinned Brady Peters, Cville :20 0-6
120 Blake Passarelli, Cville, pinned Mason Songer, RBV 3:01 6-6
126 Brayden Altobelli, RBV, pinned Ty Guelich, Cville 1:13 6-12
132 Hunter Martz, RBV, pinned Mason Gasper, Cville 1:33 6-18
138 Noah Holt, Cville, pinned Tristen Hoffman, RBV 1:13 12-18
145 Zach Holland, Cville, decisioned Caleb Snyder, RBV 5-1 15-18
152 Adam Straw, Cville, pinned Noah Anderson, RBV :54 21-18
160 Jake McCracken, Cville, pinned Colton Bartley, RBV 4:43 27-18
170 Cole Bressler, Cville, pinned Bryan Layton, RBV 1:02 33-18
182 Cross Bloom, Cville, inj. default to Hutson Martz, RBV 32*-24
195 Logan Minnich, RBV, pinned Gage Roos, Cville :15 32-30
220 Aiden Gardner, RBV, forfeit 32-36
285 Steven McClure, Cville, forfeit 38-36
106 Trenton Rupp, RBV, forfeit 38-42
(* – team point deduction)
Golden Tide Scoreboard:
| Date | Opponent | Score | Record |
| 12/09 | Mountaineer Tourney @ PO | 83 pts. | 8th |
| 12/13 | REDBANK VALLEY | 38-42 | 0 – 1 |
| 12/21 | RIDGWAY | ||
| 12/30 | @ Redbank Valley Tourney | ||
| 01/06 | @ Bo Wood Tourney @ Indiana | ||
| 01/09 | @ Brookville | ||
| 01/11 | @ Glendale | ||
| 01/15 | PUNXSUTAWNEY | ||
| 01/18 | @ St. Marys | ||
| 01/26 & 27 | @ Fred Bell Tourney @ Grove City | ||
| 01/30 | @ Clarion | ||
| 02/01 | WEST BRANCH | ||
| 02/09 | @ Mo Valley | ||
| 02/13 | @ Indiana | ||
| 02/15 | BROCKWAY | ||
| 02/23 & 24 | District 9 AA Champs @Clfd HS | ||
| 03/02 & 03 | Northwest Region @ Sharon | ||
| 03/08-10 | PIAA Championships @ Hershey |