York-Adams Wrestle Weekly: Down the Homestretch
The past week in YAIAA wrestling featured a little bit of everything.
From milestones to injuries, victories to defeats, and everything in between. Looking back on it, what a week it was.
We'll start off with was big match in Class AA at Bermudian Springs between the Eagles and Boiling Springs. The Bubblers jumped out early, 23-0, but Bermudian Springs stormed back to make it 27-20 with two bouts remaining. That's when the Eagles experienced both injury and defeat, however.
At 113 pounds, Bayley Oberlander, bumping up from 106, looked to pull the Eagles within striking distance for teammate Austin Clabaugh in the final bout. In the second period with the score tied 2-2 against Caleb Holley, Oberlander injured his shoulder and was unable to finish the match, however. The turn of events awarded the Bubblers six points and granted them the 33-23 victory.
It was the eighth-consecutive loss for the Eagles against the Bubblers. It did, however, show the Eagles they can compete against Boiling Springs, something that could favor Bermudian if the two programs were to meet again this year.
Now, switching gears, we'll revisit the key Division I battles from last week, starting with South Western's 55-12 blowout victory over Red Lion. My prediction in last week's Wrestle Weekly was not lost on the Mustangs afterwards, as fellow GameTimePA member Brandon Stoneburg informed me.
A tweet sent out by a South Western wrestler with the image of the scoreboard - and of my Red Lion-victory prediction - was retweeted and favorited numerous times by Mustang faithful.
Yeah, I was wrong! Kudos to the Mustangs on the victory.
The Lions didn't let that loss take away from their goals, as they returned to the mats Thursday and picked up a huge victory over Spring Grove. Anthony Moser recorded a 9-3 decision over Joshua Cribbs in the final match of the evening to give Red Lion the win. You can watch the entire match below.
"It's a nice rebound," said Red Lion head coach Chris Schell of the victory. "We didn't wrestle Tuesday night, I mean we didn't, and beating Spring Grove is a dream come true. Tony (Miller) and his staff have that team running on all cylinders every year, it doesn't matter how many kids they lose."
Schell continued, ”We had a meeting yesterday with the team, we have to rebound, we have to get our heads straight and (know) where we want to be at the end of the season. They want a rematch, they want a rematch with South Western.”
That rematch is a distinct possibility with a week to go before the final rankings, as South Western is currently at No. 7 and Red Lion No. 8 in the Class AAA power rankings.
Continuing in Division I, Dallastown had a bit of a disappointing week with lopsided losses to South Western (46-24) and Spring Grove (47-19). There was a silver-lining for the Wildcats, however, as senior Nick Shields won his 100th career match Thursday against South Western and then added five more wins on Saturday at the Garden Spot Hecker Duals.
Moving back to the YAIAA races, Kennard-Dale took two giant leaps towards securing its first-ever YAIAA title with victories over West York (33-32) and Dover (36-28). The Rams will now face Susquehannock on Tuesday, with a victory clinching a share of the title. Kennard-Dale will then take Gettysburg Thursday for a possible chance to clinch an outright title
Down in Division III, Bermudian Springs strengthened their hold on the title after a 59-10 dismantling of Littlestown on Thursday. The Eagles face Hanover on Tuesday for a share and then host Biglerville Thursday for the outright title. You can catch that match on GameTimePA.com, or come on out and visit us as the NewsVroom will be on site.
We also have a Division I livestream on Tuesday as South Western will host Spring Grove. I think I'll take the Mustangs this time! Especially with the YAIAA Division I title on the line.
Now, ithout further ado, we move on to the newest set of our power rankings.
1. Bermudian Springs (Last week’s ranking: 1): The Eagles remain in the top spot despite recording their first loss of the season. No other team in the YAIAA, District 3 or even the PIAA has the talent in the upperweights that Bermudian Springs possesses (with the likes of Briton Shelton, Colton Dull, Sam McCollum and Brady Linebaugh). There’s also been the emergence of Logan Luckenbaugh at 195 pounds. Austin Clabaugh and Bayley Oberlander aren’t too shabby in the lightweights. Do the Eagles have what it takes to make a run for PIAA gold? I’d say yes.
2. South Western (LW: 3): It was an easy choice to vault the Mustangs back to No. 2 after their demolition of Red Lion. Seth Janney, Owen Wherley, Derek Wilson, Ben Doll, Gage Thomas and company are rolling right now.
3. Red Lion (LW: 2): Before Thursday’s match with Spring Grove, I had the Lions tentatively slotted at No. 4, That was prior to their impressive victory over the Rockets in a hostile environment. Jared Schell and Jacob Frock are a nice 285-106 turn-of-the-lineup duo.
4. Spring Grove (LW: 4): I toyed with moving the Rockets up to No. 3 before their match against Red Lion, but decided to keep them at No. 4 this week. Rockets have a very young lineup which should pay dividends in a few years. Dalton Rohrbaugh is the real deal at 106.
5. Kennard-Dale (LW: 5): The Rams are closing in on their first ever YAIAA Championship in wrestling and for good reason. Mike Bracey and Andrew Barnett are as good a light-weight combo as there is in the YAIAA.
Honorable Mention (no specific order this week): Biglerville, Dallastown, Delone Catholic, Littlestown, West York.
While you're at it, be sure to check out this wonderful piece by former Hanover Evening Sun beat writer, Michael Rubin about New Oxford's Michael Lua-Morales and Darian Williams. Incredible read.
A week away from District 3's version of selection Sunday, what YAIAA teams do you think will make the tournament and how far can they go? How would you rank your type five teams?
Let me hear it!
You can find me on twitter @ameaseYDR or you can email me amease@ydr.com