Sports
Pope John Paul II wrestlers finally pin down a league win
Pope John Paul II 45, Phoenixville 36
The respectable but unspectacular 9-11 record that had been compiled by the Pope John Paul II wrestling team concealed an uncomfortable fact: the team's winless record in its own PAC-10 conference.
It was for that reason that the inaugural squad's 45-36 win over Phoenixville on Tuesday was so important to head coach Seldon Staples and his charges.
“It was awesome to finally get a league win,” said senior co-captain Anthony Pugliese. “I didn’t want to go through my senior year without a league win. It hasn’t been lack of effort, we have had some great meets this season, but our league has gotten brutal.”
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Four of the teams in the PAC-10 advanced to the District One semifinals, making it a challenging field for a young team like the Golden Panthers to distinguish itself. The top six teams in the PAC-10 this season are a combined 92-44 overall and all six of those squads made it to the third round of the PIAA district duels.
At St. Pius X, one of the two high schools that merged into Pope John Paul II, there was a rich history of successful wrestling. 2010 graduate Josh Rogers advanced to the final day of the state tournament last season, so it was no surprise that senior co-captains Pugliese and Conor Myers were instrumental in posting the first league win in the Golden Panthers’ inaugural campaign.
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At 189 pounds, Pugliese, who improved to 10-6 on the year, wasted no time snagging six team points as it took him 38 seconds to pin the Phantoms' Paul Hossler.
It was Conor Myers who set the tone for the evening after Phoenixville’s Matt Cermanski pinned John Anuszewski (12-12) to give the Phantoms a brief 12-6 lead.
Myers, who improved to 16-2 on the year, was leading Tim Labik 5-0 in the match when he achieved the pin at 2:26 to even the meet for PJP2 at 12.
“I have been waiting for this match since my freshman year. My buddy Conor’s match was big for us,” said Pugliese. “After that, we really got it going. It was great to have some of our young guys get pins and to see everybody really get excited during the match.”
The Golden Panthers won four consecutive bouts following Myers.
John Cherneskie (4-4), Jared Robbins (10-15), Pugliese, and Alex Genetti posted falls in the 145 through 215 pound weight classes, respectively. Genetti’s match against the Phantom's Colin Mea was the only match to enter the third round.
Leading by three points, Genetti (7-14) was finally able to get Mea on his back at the 5:16 mark, erupting with jubilation as the referee raised his arm in victory.
“I was jacked," said Genetti. “He is pretty strong and I tried a couple of shots, before that and just couldn’t get him down. This was great to get a win in our league. It means a lot to us as a team.”
“These guys have worked so hard all year,” said Staples. “Guys like Conor and Anthony are such good examples for the younger kids. They have a great work ethic and a dogged determination not to quit. I am very happy for every one that we got this win. It’s been a long time coming.”
135 Tyler Roger (PJP) pinned Will Miller at 1:20 0-6
140 Jordan Valenteen (PX) pinned Nico Peloro at 3:38 6-6
145 Matt Cermanski (PX) pinned Anuszewski at :31 12-6
152 Conor Myers (PJP) pinned Tim Labik at 2:26 12-12
160 John Cheneskie (PJP) defeated Henry Hancock 7-1 12-15
171 Jared Robbins (PJP) pinned Sam Laporte at 2:41 12-21
189 Anthony Pugliese (PJP) pinned Paul Hossler at :38 12-27
215 Alex Genetti (PJP) pinned Colin Mea at 5:16 12-33
285 Ken Cenci (PX) pinned Jake Quin at :51 18-33
103 McCarthy won by Forfeit 24-33
112 Zach Schauer (PJP) pinned Pat McGinnis at 1:06 24-39
119 Tristen Alvarado (PX) pinned Anthony Mastrangelo at 2:33 30-39
125 Adam Cusatis (PJP) pinned D.J. Brock at 1:30 30-45
130 Brandon Bonner (PX) pinned Anthony Yerger at 2:58 36-45
