Bald Eagle Area wrestling comes up on wrong end of crazy dual vs. Westmont Hilltop in D6 Class 2A quarters
Bald Eagle Area coach Ron Guenot and Westmont Hilltop coach Matt Beaujon each had the same response after the Eagles fell in the quarterfinals of the District 6 Class AA Dual Meet Tournament on Tuesday.
“It’s a shame it ended that way,” both coaches said.
The Hilltoppers, who cruised past Tyrone earlier in the night 56-20, rallied for a 38-33 win over BEA on Tuesday, with the dual coming down to a disqualification on the Eagles in the last match at 138 pounds.
Trailing 36-32, Roy Dunn came to the mat for the Hilltoppers and raced out to an early 7-1 lead on Zander Ballock. Dunn added to his lead with a reversal and it was 9-2 to start the third period.
Dunn hit his second reversal of the match early in the third. Ballock called for blood time. During the timeout, Dunn went to the officials and said Ballock bit him.
“We looked at his fingers, there was top and bottom (bite marks),” Beaujon said. “It’s not like I told, it’s what the kid said to me.”
The officials examined Dunn’s fingers. As the match was ready to get underway from the blood time, the officials called a flagrant misconduct on Ballock, which was a disqualification and a deduction of three team points, giving Westmont the victory.
“There were other things that took place during the match that affected the outcome,” Guenot said. “It just so happened that was the last match of the night. Not exactly sure what happened. It’s just unfortunate.”
It’s not known what happens next for the Eagles. Guenot was unsure if they were able to protest the match or not, but they were going to “look into it.”
Guenot said he’s never seen anything what he experienced Tuesday. If the dual would’ve ended with a tie score, it was projected that BEA would’ve won on criteria, but that never came to be.
“I’ve been around wrestling a long time and see a match end like that, that’s a first for me,” Guenot said. “I’ve never even heard of anything like that. I think we might have had criteria from what I understand, and that makes it sting all that much more.”
Outside of the finish, it was a great dual with back-and-forth action.
Fans were going crazy for both sides. At one point, it sounded like a mini Rec Hall in the school’s gym.
“What a dual meet, both teams fought hard,” Guenot said. “Both teams wanted it badly.”
Added Beaujon: “It was a slugfest. There was a lot of emotions in the match.”
Beaujon’s squad got out to an early 4-0 lead thanks to a 13-0 major decision from Noah Korenoski at 145 pounds over Drew Koleno. However, BEA responded in emphatic tones.
Gage McClenahan picked up his 18th pin of the season when he stuck Madox Muto in 41 seconds. The lead was short lived for the Eagles as Westmont’s Hudson Holbay earned a 12-3 major decision on Noah Foltz to make it an 8-6 deficit for BEA.
Again, the Eagles responded. Matthew Knepp got a hard-fought 6-5 win on Hunter Holbay at 170 pounds. BEA led 9-8.
“I’m proud of Kneppy. He just keeps plugging away,” Guenot said. “He doesn’t quit. He’s got a great heart and a lot of fight in him. He’s been frustrated a few times throughout the season. We kept telling him, his time was coming. It happened tonight.”
The Hilltoppers followed their loss by pairing together pins from Mason Muto and Tanner Dluhos. Their lead was 20-9 — the largest for either team in the dual.
The teams traded six-point victories at 220 and 285 pounds. David Close earned a fall in 1:29 over Noah Gresh at 220. Max Yonko picked up a forfeit. It was 26-15 Westmont heading to the lightweights, which is a strength for the Eagles, and it showed with three straight pins.
“There is a lot of young kids on that program,” Beaujon said of BEA. “They got a wrestler at every weight, and that makes them hard to wrestle. I’m sure they are going to have successes down the road because there is a lot of young kids.”
Coen Bainey started things off with a 52-seconds victory at 106 pounds. Jeffre Piffer topped Connor Lamantia in 2:40 to give BEA a 27-26 lead.
Cooper Gilham kept the pin parade going with a fall in 5:30. The Eagles were up 33-26 with three matches left.
Grace Stem took the mat at 126 pounds for BEA against Tanner Kushner. She was dominant in a 6-2 victory, recording two takedowns and a reversal to the shouts of the crowd. When her hand was raised, the Eagles’ lead was 10 and the fans gave her a standing ovation.
“Grace just keeps plugging away. She does everything right,” Guenot said. “She works hard in the room. I’m just proud of her and the effort she puts forth every time she steps on the mat.”
Conner Polacek got the dual to 36-32 for Westmont setting up the ending.
The Hilltoppers (11-2) move on to the District 6 Class 2A semifinals, which takes place on Saturday at Tyrone High School. The Eagles (10-4) have just two more duals left before the postseason, but Guenot knows it best to turn the page and get ready for that.
“There wasn’t really much you can say. It happened like that,” said Guenot when asked what his message was to his team after the tough loss. “At this time, I just think we move on, get back to practice tomorrow and start building from there.
“Westmont is a tough team. We knew we had to give our best effort. They are the two-time defending District 6 champs and there is a reason for that.”
Westmont Hilltop 38, Bald Eagle Area 33
District 6 Class 2A Quarterfinals
Tuesday at Wingate
145: Noah Korenoski, WH, major dec. Drew Koleno, 13-0
152: Gage McClenahan, BEA, pinned Madox Muto, :41
160: Hudson Holbay, WH, major dec. Noah Foltz, 12-3
170: Matthew Knepp, BEA, dec. Hunter Holbay, 6-5
182: Mason Muto, WH, pinned Brady Proctor, 3:45
195: Tanner Dluhos, WH, pinned Chandler Burns, 4:21
220: David Close, BEA, pinned Noah Gresh, 1:29
285: Max Yonko, WH, won by forfeit
106: Coen Bainey, BEA, pinned Sean Wilks, :52
113: Jeffre Piffer, BEA, pinned Connor Lamantia, 2:40
120: Cooper Gilham, BEA, pinned Luke Benner, 5:30
126: Grace Stem, BEA, dec. Tanner Kushner, 6-2
132: Conner Polacek, WH, pinned Isaac Packer, 3:43
138: Roy Dunn, WH, def. Zander Ballock, DQ
Takedowns: WH 9, BEA 10
Records: Westmont Hilltop 11-2; Bald Eagle Area 10-4
This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 11:42 PM.
