Mid-week highlights: These wrestlers keyed Cathedral Prep's dual meet victory over Meadville
Lineup decisions sometimes make themselves.
Cathedral Prep’s flexibility is normally a luxury for the Ramblers, one afforded by their depth. In Wednesday’s District 10 Region 5 wrestling opener against Meadville, however, team-wide sickness limited the options at head coach Mike Hahsey’s disposal.
Prep plugged in a lineup, though, that was more than capable of leaving Hagerty Family Events Center with a conference victory. Five pins, two forfeits and two victories by decision did the job in a 48-18 Rambler win, one that started intriguingly at 172 pounds.
Prep’s Bo Martucci closed the evening with a 4-3 thriller over Brighton Anderson at 160 pounds, a fitting ending to a dual meet triumph which the Ramblers had to grind out.
“It was a good match and our kids wrestled well,” said Prep head coach Mike Hahsey. “We have a few kids who are sick, so that’s why we needed to juggle some kids. It’s mainly just because of injuries and sickness right now, but when we’re healthy and at the right weights, we’re pretty good.”
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Ramblers pull away in light weights
Prep and Meadville split the first four matches before the visiting Bulldogs forfeited 107 and 114 pounds. Amir Johnson’s pin at 127 gave Prep a 30-12 advantage, one from which Meadville couldn’t recover.
“I was a little under the weather, but I got out there, did what I had to do and got the job done,” said Johnson, a junior who has bounced between 127 and 121 throughout December. “I’ve been running (arm bars) for a few years now, so that’s my bread and butter.”
Prep also saw pins from Corey Kowalski (189 pounds), Max Spaulding (285), Andrew Gammon (139) and Gabe Dorman (145), the final one in the third period of a competitive match.
“I’m battling an injury with my shoulder, so most of the match was trying to stay in good position,” said Dorman, a freshman. “Not put myself at risk, but not being too cowardly and trying to get it done.”
Although the meet was decided by the time Brandon Byrd stepped onto the mat, his 2-0 victory over Ryder Say at 152 provided an exciting precursor to Martucci’s triumph at 160. With a takedown in the first period and a reversal in the third, the junior logged a signature victory.
“Knowing that there was nothing to lose in that match really helped me ease my nerves and overcome all those thoughts in my head,” said Martucci, one of Prep’s 12 juniors. “Wrestling is a lot about your mental health and overcoming those obstacles in your head, so that’s really what helped me in that match.”
McDowell routs Erie High
Seven McDowell wrestlers won by fall in a 61-6 victory at Erie High.
It marked McDowell’s first dual win of the season in its first Region 5 competition. James Ortiz outlasted Matthew Still 9-8 at 127 pounds and Vincent Deangelis pieced together a 12-3 major decision over Jorge Bonifacio at 285.
After a week off, Region 5 teams will resume conference meets Jan. 3, including the always-anticipated Prep-McDowell dual.
District 10 tracker: Winter high school sports schedules, results, standings and stats
Recent and upcoming milestones
Sharpsville senior 160-pounder Caullin Summers became District 10’s latest 100-match winner this past weekend, notching his milestone victory on home soil during the Blue Devils’ Walleye Duals. He’s won three more times since.
Summers joined Conneaut’s Hunter Gould, who reached the milestone Dec. 2, in the career 100-win club. Reynolds’ Louie Gill currently has 99 wins and Hunter Hohman of Grove City has 98.
Contact Jeff Uveino at juveino@timesnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @realjuveino.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Cathedral Prep wrestling trounces Meadville despite short-handed lineup
