Strategy helps Penns Valley edge Bald Eagle Area

If you had walked into the Penns Valley Area High School gymnasium Tuesday night unaware of the records of the teams battling on the mat, you’d have thought Penns Valley and Bald Eagle Area were wrestling for a conference crown or defending undefeated records.

A standing-room-only crowd packed the stands. Fans stood between the sets of bleachers and along the walls at each end of the gym.

Neither Penns Valley nor Bald Eagle competed like a team with a sub-.500 record.

The Rams (6-11) and Eagles (3-9) ended the night tied 34-34, but Penns Valley was declared the winner on Criteria No. 2 — most bouts won (7-6).

A series of lineup shifts by both coaches resulted in two forfeit wins for each team and no match wrestled at 113 pounds. Penns Valley recorded two falls, a major decision and two decisions. Bald Eagle Area countered with three pins and a major decision.

“For us to beat Bald Eagle Area, on a night like tonight, Senior Night, recognizing Corey (Hazel) and it’s a league match, we’ll take a win any way we can get it,” Rams coach Joel Brinker said.

“Both teams are built the same way. Both teams have some really solid guys and some guys who are trying to find themselves. I think both teams are probably looking for an identity. The score reflected it. We’re both even; we just won one more match.”

Eagles coach Steve Millward said the intrigue of shifting lineups made for an uncomfortable night.

“It’s never fun when we have to move guys and bounce around and wait to see who they send out on the mat. It seems like that’s the name of the game when you have holes. I know they had a few, too, so it was kind of like a chess match waiting to see who was sending who out,” he said.

No sooner had the starting lineups been announced and the starting weight revealed as 160 pounds when the strategy started — each team got a win by forfeit at 160 and 170.

In the first contested bout of the night, Rams 182-pounder Allen Cain rolled up an 11-2 major decision over Dylan Bisel. Cain almost had a fall at the end of the second period, but Bisel was able to weather the storm.

After the Rams won by forfeit at 195, the lead swelled to 22-6 when Logan Johnson caught Corey Thompson in a headlock and pinned him in 58 seconds.

BEA stunted Penns Valley’s momentum at 285 as Josh Fye needed just 1:31 to pin Jared Bressler and draw the Eagles within 22-12.

That set up a pivotal 106, where BEA’s Garrett Giedroc was paired with PV’s Baylor Shunk. The Ram came on top, 4-2. Shunk started a scoreless match on the bottom to start the second. He escaped and scrambled for a takedown. Giedroc reversed Shunk, but the Ram escaped and there was no more scoring. Shunk rode Giedroc out in the third to preserve the win.

Then came perhaps the pivotal decision of the night. When the lineups were announced, it looked like the Rams would receive a forfeit at 113 and BEA would receive one at 120.

Brinker decided to roll the dice and move Darren Yearick up to 120 to face off with Clayton Giedroc, meaning no match would be wrestled at 113 and one team would gain points at 120.

The two scrapped through two scoreless periods. Yearick started on bottom to start the third, escaped and converted a single into a takedown. Giedroc scored a reversal late and nearly turned Yearick, but the Ram hung on for a pivotal 3-2 win.

“We got some critical wins, like bumping Yearick up to 120 instead of splitting forfeits,” Brinker said. “We wanted to take points away. He wrestled a great match. We bumped him up last year and he lost to him.”

Five matches remained and Penns Valley led 28-12.

The Eagles knew they had six points coming for a forfeit at 152, and they were heavily favored with their big guns from 126 through 138 — Garrett Rigg, Seth Koleno and Coby Bainey.

Penns Valley knew it was heavily favored at 145, where its all-time wins leader, Curtis Decker, awaited.

So, for those doing the math, the forfeit at 152 would likely be negated by a Decker pin at 145, which is exactly what happened. Decker needed just 11 seconds to record a fall.

So, BEA needed 17 bonus points from its three stars from 126 to 138 to pull out a win. Rigg built a 16-5 lead before locking up a headlock and getting a pin in 5:27. Koleno built a 9-0 lead before running a half Nelson and getting a pin in 1:59.

That left Bainey. He built a 15-1 lead and was a takedown away from a technical fall. But Isaac Bierly thwarted a couple near takedowns by Bainey in the closing seconds, and Bainey had to settle for a 15-1 major decision.

“Our regulars (stood out). The same four or five kids who have been doing it every week for us: Garrett (Rigg), Seth (Koleno), Coby (Bainey) and Josh,” Millward said.

Brinker said teams with small rosters, like the Rams and Eagles, are relegated to whatever tactics necessary to fashion a win some nights.

“That’s what high school coaches have become, honestly. I’m sure they were doing it. We were doing it. You’re trying to get your matchups,” he said. “The coin toss is huge. We didn’t win it. I think the matchups worked out in our favor, though.”

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 11:00 PM with the headline "Strategy helps Penns Valley edge Bald Eagle Area."