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 reaching the championship finals. He opened with a 7-3 win over Spring-Ford's Dominick Ferrizzi.
"Zane wrestled very well on his feet," the coach said. "He has exceeded my expectations this season. He has a very bright future."
In the semifinals, Saeger scored a second period fall over Joey Capaldo, a junior from Perkiomen Valley, to extend his winning streak to six matches. However, Boyertown's Luke Heimbach, a returning state qualifier, denied him the gold medal with a fall late in the second quarter.
"Zane just got overpowered," Adam said. "He made one mistake and ended up on his back. A wrestler of Heimbach's caliber is going to make you pay for that."
Brandon Godshall (21-8) opened with a major decision win over Pottstown's Malachi Jones. He followed with a 3-1 win over Nikosh Marston, a junior from Norristown.
In the championship bout, he struggled against Gavin Sheridan, a returning state qualifier. The Boyertown junior registered a technical fall victory midway through the third period.
"Brandon continues to impress," Adam said of Godshall. "His gas tank is endless."
Seven Tribe wrestlers reached the semifinals. Ben Godshall and Tulone lost but salvaged bronze medals.
Ben Godshall (21-5) opened with a 20-second pin of Pottsgrove's Taylor Capetola. However, he lost 9-2 to Gus Smith, a returning state qualifier from Spring-Ford, in the semifinals.
The Indians junior allowed just one point in his final two matches. He defeated Boyertown's Cole Fogle, 10-1, then shut out Cole Dimitri, a sophomore from Pope John Paul II, 4-0.
Tulone (23-6) opened with a 6-2 win over Norristown's Doug Cawley. He suffered a technical fall defeat to Cole Smith, a senior from Spring-Ford, in the semifinals to snap his six-match winning streak.
In the consolation round, Tulone registered an early second-period pin over Owen J. Roberts' Quinn Carr to advance to the third-place match. He secured the bronze medal by posting a 3-2 win over Brady Pires, a junior from Pope John Paul II.