Shane Freeh turned a likely major decision loss into a victory last week. The Upper Perkiomen senior rallied in the third period to post a dual meet win over Hatboro-Horsham.

            Freeh's fall at 139 pounds helped lift the Indians to a 52-15 non-league win on

Upper Perk's Shane Freeh holds a headlock on Hatboro- Horshams's Orion Newell to get the pin in the 139 pound bout.

Wednesday, Dec. 14, and capped a stretch of six consecutive victories.

            Joe Reed (107), Ben Godshall (121), Branden Rozanski, Drew Bennett (172) and Tommy Flud (215) also won by pin for the Tribe, which won 10 of the 14 bouts. Gabe Tulone (114), Roy Cobb (152) and Gabe Sanfelice (160) each won by decision.

            Freeh (5-3) rallied from a 7-0 deficit midway through his bout to defeat Orion Newell with a headlock.  "I saw an opportunity, so I took it," said Freeh, a Pennsburg resident, who usually relies on in a cross wrist tilt as his finishing move. "His head was hanging out. Whenever I see that, I'm going to throw it."

            The win should provide Freeh with a significant confidence boost, according to head coach Steve Adam. He said the wrestler is displaying the urgency typical of most seniors with limited post-season success.

            "I love Shane's resiliency," Adam said. "He's a super-quiet kid. But he'll do whatever the coaching staff asks him to do. He's a total team player."

            Freeh – who improved his career record to 30-29, according to information posted on pa-wrestling.com – believes he can at least qualify for the Southeastern Regional Tournament. His last full season of competition came as a ninth grader when he competed in 26 matches.

            COVID limited his sophomore season to just 10 bouts. Last season, he went 9-6 with a shoulder injury.  "I had to use him sparingly," Adam said.

            Freeh, who claims his shoulder is feeling better than ever, said he was expecting a closer match against the visiting Hatters, who compete in the Suburban One Liberty Division.

            Adam credited the efforts of four – Godshall, Cobb, Sanfelice (7-4) and Bennett (5-3) – who bumped up at least one class.  "On paper, I thought this was going to be pretty close," Adam said.

            After forfeiting in the initial bout, at 285 pounds, the Tribe rallied to win the next six bouts. Reed (4-3), a ninth grader, triggered the flurry with a second period fall over Keith Toll.

            Tulone (8-2) dominated Ryan Allgeier for a 7-1 victory. Godshall (4-4) and Rozanski (6-2) followed with consecutive pins against Ben Staub and David Jensen, respectively.

            After Brandon Godshall (7-4) won by forfeit at 133 pounds, Freeh struggled early in his bout. Newell posted a first-period takedown, then added an escape and a takedown in the second to extend his advantage to 5-0.

            Despite trailing big early in the third period, Freeh continued to battle. Midway through the period, he connected on the headlock near the edge of the mat.

            After taking Newell directly to his back, Freeh earned the pin with 52.6 seconds remaining in the match. Adam said the flurry led to a swing of 10 team points.