Branden Rozanski continued his season of dominance last weekend at the Pioneer Athletic Conference Wrestling Championship tournament. Zane Saeger also delivered an impressive performance.
Rozanski earned Upper Perkiomen's only gold medal at 127 pounds during the
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Brandon Rozanski earned Upper Perkiomen's only gold
medal at 127 pounds defeating Spring-Ford's Joey Simko
during Saturday's Pioneer Athletic Conference Wrestling
tournament.
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tournament, on Saturday, Jan. 21, at Pottsgrove High School. Saeger, a ninth grader at 114, and Brandon Godshall at 121 each finished second.
Ben Godshall (107) and Gabriel Tulone (114) each finished third. Roy Cobb (139) and Gabe Sanfelice (145) each added a fifth-place finish Tommy Flud (215) ended up in sixth place as the Indians finish fifth overall out of 14 teams.
On the way to the gold medal, Rozanski (21-4) opened with a first-period fall over Pottstown's Kyree Stillman and posted a 13-0 major decision win over Joey Simko, a junior from Methacton, to advance to the gold medal match. There, Rozanski survived a challenge from Spring-Ford's Joey Simko to notch a 5-3 victory.
Rozanski registered the gold medal winning points at the final buzzer, taking the decisive shot with eight seconds remaining against Simko, a returning state qualifier.
"This was a big deal for Branden," Upper Perk coach Steve Adam said. "It's what he's worked for all season. The fact that he beat a quality opponent makes it that much sweeter."
Saeger (12-6), the tournament's No. 3 seed, continued his early roll by ...
Upper Perkiomen's offense flashed its potential during the fourth quarter of a loss last weekend and Erin States displayed her offensive versatility down the stretch during a 52-36 loss to Owen J. Roberts in the Pioneer Athletic Conference on Saturday,
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Upper Perk junior Erin States takes a shot during the first
quarter of Tuesday's game against Upper Merion.
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Jan. 21.
States, a junior post player, delivered 12 of her team-high 18 points in the final eight minutes. Natalie Keaney and Dana Cahill each added three points for the Tribe, which delivered 20 points during the quarter, a season-best.
The outburst provided solace for head coach Shelli Petsch during a challenging season. The first-year coach said the key is figuring out how to get the Indians to play that way for the rest of the game. "The fourth quarter was beautiful," Petsch said. "The girls settled down, and played the way I know they can."
The Tribe's offensive outburst against Owen J. Roberts wasn't enough to avoid a loss in the PAC crossover game. Despite its struggles, the team never quit, according to the coach. She said the players don't check out mentally. "It's definitely been a tough season," States said. "But this team will not back down. We will continue to play together. This is a very, very, very close team."
Gabrielle Koury and Asya Price led the visiting Wildcats to victory. Koury, a senior, finished with a game-high 22 points. Price, a junior, delivered 15 points.
Both guards combined to spark the decisive second-quarter run. They combined to score 10 points during a 12-0 run to expand a 13-10 lead early in the second quarter. Koury's steal and layup late in the second quarter staked her team to a 25-10 advantage.
Owen J. Roberts took advantage of numerous bad passes and subpar ball handling by the Indians. Petsch said they've done ...