CURWENSVILLE – On Thursday night the Curwensville wrestling team honored Angela Ireland by hosting their Takedown Cancer Match to raise money for her treatments, pain and suffering. This event has been held since 2010, beginning with Christine Peters.
“Ange” was diagnosed with breast cancer in November and has since endured multiple rounds of chemotherapy treatment. Testing showed the cancer had spread to her spine, neck, sternum and left ribs. Thankfully, the treatment is considered to have a high hope of good results. All proceeds raised Thursday night went directly to Ange.
To raise funds, the Curwensville Mat club held a Chinese auction with 38 door prizes, sold 50/50’s, drink koozies, pink support wrist bands and around 300 t-shirts with Angie’s name prominently displayed on them.
It seemed there could be a whole event just to respect and help out Ange, and there was also a wrestling match that was had between Curwensville and Moshannon Valley.
And if that weren’t enough to get you reading, this was also the final night the Curwensville seniors would wrestle in their home town gym.
The match started at 126 pounds between Curwensville senior Blake Passarelli (19-3) and Mo Valley’s Curtis Milligan. Passarelli threw Milligan twice for backpoints and got the fall in 37 seconds, making that Passarelli’s 10th fall of the season.
After a forfeit at 132 pounds, Golden Tide junior Adam Straw (7-13) took down Mo Valley’s Micah DeLattre at 138 and got two backpoints with a navy ride. Unfortunately, Straw was then reversed and pinned by DeLattre in 1:15. This made the team score 12-6, Mo Valley.
There was no match wrestled at 145, but at 152 Curwensville senior Caleb Stiles (1-5) took the mat. Using a head in the hole and locking a near side cradle, Mo Valley’s Alex Richner took down Stiles in the first 20 seconds of the match. Richner then tilted Stiles for three near fall points before he turned Stiles again for a first period fall.
Moving up to 160, Curwensville sophomore Duane Brady (10-11) wrestled Moshannon Valley’s Nikolaus Smeal. Brady countered Smeal’s bad shot for a quick takedown. Brady then rode Smeal out for the remainder of the period and then scored an escape early in the second period. After Smeal took another bad shot, Brady was again able to circle around Smeal to go up 5-0. Brady immediately barred and put Smeal on his back, and after a good fight the ref eventually called the pin in 3:28.
There was another forfeit at 170 before Curwensville sophomore Jake McCracken (12-8) faced off against Moshannon Valley’s Caleb Gresh at 182. McCracken used a slide by and pinned Gresh immediately in 23 seconds, making the team score 24-18, Mo Valley.
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The 195-pound bout was wrestled between Curwensville senior Alec McGary (3-5) and Moshannon Valley’s Caleb Bickel. There was a scoreless first period and then McGary chose top to start the second period.
Bickel eventually escaped and then McGary headlocked Bickel to his back. However, the ref stopped the match due to injury and didn’t give McGary any back points. Bickel was able to escape again to make the score 2-2. In the third period, Bickel chose bottom and got another escape, putting him in the lead 3-2.
McGary pushed the tempo for another minute and finally got a toe tap takedown to go up 4-3 with 12 seconds left, but Bickel scored another escape and the match went to overtime!
McGary just kept pushing forward and taking shots, but the ref never called any stalling. Then Bickel tried to throw but McGary defended and ended up on top for the match winning takedown, and McGary ended up winning the match 6-4.
Going up to 220, Curwensville junior Gage Roos (4-9) met Mo Valley’s Nathan Beers. Roos was given a penalty point, but then he was taken to his back at the end of the period and fell behind 5-1. Roos took top to start the second and gave up an escape. Roos was then taken down, and was pinned with one second left in the period. This made the score 36-21 Mo Valley heading to the lightweights after the Knights were given a forfeit at 285.
Curwensville freshman Jacob Carfley (13-7) found himself ahead 2-0 with a takedown over Mo Valley’s Murry Lonesky. Then he ran an arm bar and got the fall in 1:11 at 106 pounds.
In the final bout of the night, held at 120, there was another forfeit at 113, Curwensville’s Spencer Hoover (12-9) wrestled Mo Valley’s Austin Shoff. Hoover took Shoff down and rode him most of the period, and then he ran an arm bar with short time and got two near fall points to lead 4-0 after one.
In the second period, Hoover reversed Shoff and then Shoff earned an escape. Using another excellent high crotch shot, Hoover again took Shoff down and took a commanding 8-1 control of the match by the end of the second period.
The final period began in neutral and Shoff began a relentless offensive attack, scoring two takedowns in 50 seconds. But Hoover was able to recover and scored his own takedown to stay up 12-5. Following a stalemate, the ref awarded Shoff an escape and they started in neutral again. But Hoover finished the night with a final takedown and won 14-6.
Even though Curwensville lost 42-31, this was the most fight the crowd had seen out of the Golden Tide all season. They won six out of nine matches. Coach Swatsworth thought they all put up a great fight, even when they lost.
“Blake did great. Jake and Duane did awesome. That was a big win for Alec. I’m very happy for Alec. Carfley had a good night and Hoover had a good match at the end.”
Missing Cole, Holland and Holbert, Swatsworth said he wouldn’t have bumped away from Mo Valley’s best two kids if they had been there, but they are still recovering from injuries.
There are still two dual meets left this season for Curwensville, but they are both away. Curwensville will travel to Ridgway Monday night, and then they will go to Brockway next Thursday to do battle with the Rovers.
