Sean Murray dominated the opposition at the District 1 Class 3A Section Central wrestling tournament last weekend. The Upper Perkiomen junior performed a level above the rest of the field at 133 pounds, according to head coach Omar Porrata.
 |
|
Sean Murray, right, grabs the ankle of Marple Newtown's
Ben Ruttledge during the initial match at District 1 Class 3A
Section Central tournament. The Upper Perkiomen junior
won the gold medal at 133 pounds.
|
Murray rolled to his second consecutive district gold medal by winning four matches on Saturday, Feb. 21, at Perkiomen Valley High School. He continued to climb the program's all-time wins list, passing 1988 graduate Jason Marks, 2020 graduate Zach Rozanski and 2013 graduate Dante Steffenino to move into 24th place on the program's all-time wins list (107).
Chase Ulmer finished third at 121 pounds. The ninth grader relied on an unusual confidence to excel, according to Porrata.
Ben Godshall finished fourth at 139 pounds. Brandon Quinton, his senior classmate, ended up in fifth place at 114 pounds for the Indians, who finished eighth overall out of 20 teams.
All four advance to this weekend's 2026 South East Class 3A Regional. The two-day tournament, at Oxford Area High School, starts Friday.
Murray (34-4), who extended his winning streak to 14 matches, was not challenged, according to the coach. Porrata described him as superior in terms of technique, mentality and physicality.
"He was at a much different level than everyone in the field," the coach wrote in a text message regarding Murray, who won the district gold medal at 127 pounds last season.
The returning state medalist opened with a first-period pin of Ben Rutledge, a junior from Marple Newtown. He followed with a fall over Boyertown's Brody Tobias midway through the third period.
In the semifinals, Murray defeated Steven Wiechecki, a senior from Conestoga who finished second at sectionals and qualified for the PIAA championships last season, 4-1. In the final, he scored an 11-2 victory over Carter Soto.
Murray's major decision over Soto marked his second straight win over the Owen J. Roberts sophomore. Soto registered a third-period pin in their first bout of the season last month.
Ulmer's confidence is catching up with skill, according to Porrata. The ninth grader won four of his five matches, including the final two after a 13-1 loss to Souderton's Ezra Swartley in the semifinals.
Ulmer (32-11) clinched a berth in regionals with a 13-5 victory over Evan Burns, a ninth grader from Plymouth Whitemarsh. He took the bronze medal by defeating Crew Jackson, a Spring-Ford junior, 7-4, for the second time in the tourney.
According to the coach, Ulmer learned from two losses earlier in the season to Jackson. Porrata claimed he's not surprised by his wrestler's performance.
"I love the drive and emotion [Chase] shows when he wrestles," the coach wrote in a text message. "He's got the skills."
Godshall (32-10) rallied from a semifinal round loss to Boyertown's Liam Diamond to qualify for regionals for the second straight season and third time in his career. The senior qualified with a 4-1 overtime win over Conestoga's Ryan Kramer in the consolation semifinals.
Godshall, who lost 5-1 to Eric Catenacci Jr., a senior from Plymouth Whitemarsh in the bronze medal match, tied 2006 graduate Sam Walters for 13th place on the program's all-time win list (123). Godshall has not been pinned this season.
Quinton (30-11) continued an impressive season by qualifying for regionals for the first time. The senior has more victories this season than the last two combined. According to Porrata, he has made significant strides in technique and mental attitude.
"You don't see many kids do what Brandon did in one year," the coach said of Quinton, who won eight bouts last season. "He bought in fast and just excelled all year."
Quinton posted bonus points in three of his four victories. He won the fifth-place bout with a 7-0 win over Norristown's Jacob Echevarria.
