Sean Murray continued his impressive sophomore season last weekend. The Upper Perkiomen sophomore dominated three opponents at the Pioneer Athletic Conference Wrestling Championships to earn a second gold medal.
Brandon Godshall and Mason Cunningham reached the championship match in their respective weight classes. Godshall moved within 20 victories of 100 for his
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Sean Murray reaches for the ankle in his match at 133 lbs.
against Spring-Ford last week.
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career.
Joseph Schmittinger (121), Zane Saeger (152) and Drew Bennett (189) each finished third to help the Indians finish fifth out of 12 teams on Saturday, Jan. 25 at Pottsgrove. Adam Gravinski (160) ended up in fourth place and Dylan Marshall (285) finished sixth.
Murray (24-3), who finished first at 127 pounds as a ninth grader, won three straight matches to extend his personal winning streak to 13. He opened with a first-period pin of Pottsgrove's Jacob Larroy.
In the semifinals, Murray registered a 12-4 major decision over Methacton sophomore Alidel Vidal. He defeated Boyertown sophomore Liam Diamond early in the second period to return to the top of the medal stand.
Godshall (22-7) opened the tournament with a pair of wins via fall. Both came midway through the second period.
The junior defeated Perkiomen Valley's Connor Sacks in the quarterfinals before beating Methacton junior Brayden Giovinco in the semis to extend his winning streak to eight matches.
In the final, Upper Merion's Nikito Hansell outlasted Godshall. Hansell, a returning regional qualifier, eked out a 5-4 victory.
Cunningham (16-11) debuted in the PAC tournament with two victories to advance to the gold medal match. He opened with a 52-second pin against Ryan Cooper, a freshman from Pope John Paul II.
In the semis, Cunningham posted his sixth straight win with an 11-5 decision over Spring-Ford's Crew Jackson. In the final, Boyertown ninth grader Jake Stanchak pinned him with 18 seconds left in the first period.
Schmittinger (14-9) pinned Methacton's Landon Wunsch during the first period to advance to the semis. However Brody Coleman, a returning regional qualifier from Boyertown, finished off his technical fall victory early in the third period.
Schmittinger responded with a pair of victories in the consolation round to earn the bronze medal. The junior pinned Spring-Ford's Evan Dinh and Landon Wunsch, a ninth grader from Methacton.
Saeger (16-7) followed a similar path to third place. After opening with a 3-0 victory over Phoenixville's Landon Koch, he lost to Owen Dykie, a returning sixth-place finisher at regionals.
In the consolation round, the junior delivered two dominant victories. Saeger defeated Methacton's Augie Reith 10-2 before pinning Joseph Yannick, a junior from Owen J. Roberts with 21 seconds left in the second period.
Bennett (20-7), who opened with a third-period fall against Spring-Ford's Luke Byrne, lost 8-2 to Carter Euker, a returning state qualifier from Perkiomen. However the Tribe junior bounced back to post consecutive victories.
First, he pinned Ali Vasey, a senior from Upper Merion, early in the third period. In the third-place bout, Bennett defeated Norristown's Viktor Lebron 9-3.
Last week, the Indians were defeated 38-31 in a Pioneer Athletic Conference match by Spring-Ford. Godshall (127), Murray (133), Bennett (189) and Schmittinger (121) each won by pin.
Saeger (152) and Cunningham (107) also won for the Tribe (3-9 overall, 1-2 PAC), which built a 22-21 lead. However, the visiting Rams won three of the next four bouts to earn the Liberty Division victory. Gus Smith's 36-second fall at 114 pounds clinched his team's win.
Godshall and Murray opened the match with consecutive falls. Godshall defeated Gavin Maguire midway through the second period. Murray decked Brayden Dombrosky midway through the first period to give his team an early 12-0 advantage.
Bennett (17-3) delivered his 15th fall of the season, over Keith Grant, with 28 seconds left in the first period to put the Indians ahead by one point. Schmittinger defeated Evan Dinh with 27 seconds left in the initial round during the final match.
Saeger scored a 9-1 victory over Christian Ruiz. Cunningham beat Crew Jackson 9-5.