Upper Perkiomen's wrestling team responded to a season-opening dual meet loss with a solid performance at the Penn Manor Tournament in Millersville. Two second-place finishes, and one third, allowed the Tribe to place eighth out of 31 teams.

            Brandon Godshall (133 pounds) and Branden Rozanski (139) reached the

Roy Cobb, top, maintains control during Upper Perk- iomen's dual meet against Downingtown East.  Cobb rallied to win the 145 pound match on Dec. 8.

championship match but had to settle for silver. Gabriel Tulone (114) earned the bronze medal.

            Sean Murray, a ninth grader, finished fifth at 127. Ben Godshall ended up seventh at 121.

            Brandon Godshall (8-2) reeled off three straight victories to qualify for the gold medal bout. He opened with a first-period fall of Solanco's Bradeon Bickford, before posting a 7-6 win over Jackson Orrell, a returning regional qualifier from Red Lion.

            In the semifinals, Godshall scored a third-period fall against Christopher Foster, from St. Mark's in Delaware. In the title bout, the senior lost 5-2 to Wyoming Seminary ninth grader Marcus Heck.

            Rozanski opened his tournament with a third-period technical fall win over Troy Jones, a returning district qualifier from Dallas. A 1-0 victory over Griffin Barilla, a returning district medal winner from Lower Dauphin, followed.

            In the semifinals, the senior defeated Jacob Grzybek, a returning district medal winner from Twin Valley, 8-2. However, he lost 8-1 to Carter Nagle, a senior from Mount St. Joseph and the defending Maryland Independent Schools state champion, who has committed to attend the Air Force Academy.

            At 114, Tulone (7-2) responded from a semifinal round first-period defeat to Kaedyn Williams – a returning sectional and regional champion who finished fourth at states last season – by winning his final two bouts over opponents from Maryland.

            First, he defeated J.D. Vassar, from Gilman School, 3-0. In the consolation final, Tulone outlasted Joseph Cooper, from Mount St. Joseph, for a 3-1 win.

            The Indians responded admirably a few days after absorbing a 32-28 non-league loss to Downingtown East. They squandered a 24-point lead by losing the final six matches of their first dual meet of the season on Wednesday, Dec. 6.

            Down 28-4 following a dramatic win by Roy Cobb at 145 pounds, the Cougars reeled off six consecutive individual victories. They utilized falls in the final three bouts to cap the comeback.

            "Hats off to Downingtown East," Tribe head coach Steve Adam said. "They stayed in good position and minimized the damage."

            Downingtown East took advantage of Upper Perk's relative inexperience in the heavier weights. The Indians' final four competitors entered the match with just 41 career varsity matches.

            Drew Bennett, a sophomore at 189, accounted for 37 of them. Dylan Bieber and Aaron Coates, a pair of sophomores, made their varsity debuts.

            After a pair of 2-1 victories by Steve Elinski (152) and Ricky Jewell (160) started the Cougars' comeback, they ended the match with four convincing wins. At 172, Cade McDowell posted a 13-3 major decision in his 30th career match over Bieber, who wrestled up a weight during his debut.

            "It was a massive ask," Adam said.

            Tommy Grizzanti, a junior in his 54th career bout, pinned Bennett at the final buzzer of the second period at 189. Felix Mason, a senior with 55 previous varsity bouts who finished fifth at regionals last season, needed 33 seconds to pin Coates at 215.

            In the final bout, Downingtown East's senior heavyweight, Adham Abouraya – a returning regional qualifier and two-time sectional medal winner – scored a first-period fall against Dylan Marshall, a ninth grader in his fifth varsity bout.

            "My uppers are definitely going to have to make the adjustment to high school competition," said Adam, who described Mason and Abouraya as the Cougars' best wrestlers. "There will be wins in their future for sure. The upside is there."

            The Tribe opened the match by winning six of the initial seven bouts. Rozanski scored a first-period fall at 139. Kia Finger (107) put his opponent away similarly in the third period. Ben Godshall displayed dominance in a third-period technical fall win at 121.

            A pair of seniors delivered major decision victories. Brandon Godshall shut out Frankie Hydutsky 8-0 at 133. Gabe Tulone (114) allowed just a first-period escape in a 9-1 victory over Christian Fosmire.

            Cobb, a senior who entered the 2023-24 season with 23 victories, delivered the most exciting finish in the match. He blocked a leg shot by Paxson Warnock with 24 seconds left in the third period, scored a takedown and hung on for a 5-3 victory to give his team a 24-point advantage.

            "He defended the shot really well," Adam said. "One of Roy's biggest strengths is his reaction time on his feet. As a program, we work on takedown defense every day, and he has picked that up well."