Sean Murray craves competitive bouts. The Upper Perkiomen sophomore is eager to test himself.

            Last week, he succeeded against a highly regarded opponent. A ninth grader

Sean Murray, top, looks to control Owen J. Roberts' ninth grader Carter Soto.  Murray defeated Soto 3-0.

from Owen J. Roberts forced Murray to utilize his counter-wrestling abilities.

          Murray tossed his fifth shutout of the season in his bout at 133 pounds. A 3-0 victory over Carter Soto highlighted the Indians' performance against the visiting Wildcats in the Pioneer Athletic Conference.  "It's a big confidence boost," said Murray, a Pennsburg resident. "I proved that I can wrestle my best when I need to."

            However, Owen J. Roberts delivered a dominant performance in a 40-27 victory on Wednesday, Jan. 15. Six of the team's seven victories came by fall.

            Joe Schmittinger (121), Ben Godshall (127) and Drew Bennett (189) scored falls for the Tribe (3-8 overall, 1-1 PAC). Zane Saeger (152) and Adam Gravinski (160) each won a decision.

           According to Indians head coach Steve Adam, the victory over Soto – the No. 2 ranked performer in District One during the match's feature bout – held special meaning to Murray, obvious by his emotional expression. The coach said his wrestler, ranked No. 6 in the district, briefly smiled and clapped his hands on his way back to the bench.  "I like being able to find myself in difficult positions," Murray said. "It's going to prepare me to wrestle tougher opponents."

            Murray (20-3) scored the only points on a first-period takedown. He stayed off his back during the second period, then controlled Soto (12-4) from the top position during the third period to secure his ninth consecutive victory and third shutout of the season.  "Sean is very sticky on top," Adam said. "He rode out a quality opponent for two minutes. That's the sort of thing that gets you on the podium at states."

            Murray expressed determination to qualify for the PIAA Championships this season after falling one victory short last season. He said he probably should have been more upset after losing 7-3 to Quakertown's Isaac Williams during the 133-pound fifth-place bout at the South East AAA Regional Tournament at Oxford High School.  "The loss was crushing," Murray said. "It was brutal because I felt like I could have won."

            The current month has been more challenging for Murray than during last season, according to Adam. The coach said he was tested more vigorously in December as a ninth grader.

            This season, eight of Murray's victories have come by technical fall. They include five pins and three by major decision.

            Owen J. Roberts opened the Liberty Division match, which started at 215 pounds, with four straight victories. Three early pins staked the team to an early 22-0 lead.

            Schmittinger (10-8) delivered the Tribe's first win, a third-period fall over Jackson Hauseman. The junior delivered his third straight victory and his sixth pin of the season.

            In the next match, Ben Godshall (19-6) dominated Joaquin Fernandez. The junior – who has won eight of his last nine bouts – delivered his sixth consecutive victory by pin, and 10th of the season, midway through the second period.

            Bennett (16-6) registered his ninth consecutive victory with a 23-second pin of Jeff Russo. Nine of the junior's last 10 victories have come by fall.

            Saeger (12-6) returned from an 18-day injury absence to post his sixth consecutive win. The junior hung on for a 7-5 victory over senior Blaine Schmoyer. "Zane looks very good on his feet." Adam wrote in a text message. "He didn't make any mistakes and there were no signs of fatigue or rust."

            Gravinski, a ninth grader, followed with his first shutout victory of the season. He defeated Zack Luckowski, 5-0.