Town and Country Newspaper

Sports Article

Upper Perk Headed to Hershey After First-Round Win

Written by Jake Hallman, Staff Writer
2013-02-06

Upper Perk's Wolfgang McStravick works to get Boyertown's Reuben Maldonado into a headlock as the two face off in the 138-pound match of the District 1-AAA Duals held last Friday at Upper Dublin High School. McStravick won with a pin.

If someone was to hand the brackets of the District 1-Class AAA Team Duals to a Hollywood scriptwriter, the end result would have paled in comparison to what actually took place this weekend.

Talk about drama, rematches grudge matches, upsets and storylines.

And when all of the dust settled at Upper Dublin High School, there were four teams from the district, with the Pioneer Athletic Conference representing themselves quite well, who moved on to the PIAA Team Wrestling Championships.

They included defending champion Owen J. Roberts, runner-up Downingtown East, Boyertown and Upper Perkiomen. No. 2-ranked Spring-Ford fell to Council Rock South and then Boyertown in the consolation bracket and failed to advance.

The storyline for Upper Perkiomen got even better as the team traveled to Chambersburg High School for the first round of state duals Monday night.

The Trojans came in as District 3 runner-up after falling to powerhouse Central Dauphin. Upper Perk came in to the match after a four-hour bus ride thanks to traffic but responded in a big way, setting the tone with four straight wins from 132-152, and then closed the door with some help from the lightweights to post a 38-25 victory.

The win earned the Indians a trip to the grandest stage of high school wrestling in Pennsylvania at the Giant Center in Hershey. Upper Perk, who has not had depth all season but has gotten every ounce out of its squad, will look to keep up the momentum against La Salle College High School tonight. The second-round match against the District 12 champions is slated for 8 p.m. and Upper Perk will be the only fourth-seeded team from its district who will take to the mats in Hershey.

Boyertown didn’t fare as well in its state duals opener as the Bears fell to Spring-Grove, 37-24. Owen J. Roberts will enter the fray tonight at 6 p.m. against District 2 champion Delaware Valley.

Despite the underdog status and late arrival to the match, Upper Perk (6-2 PAC-10, 18-7 overall) showed no signs of wear. Dan Jordan set the tone with a decision at 132, and Wolfgang McStravick (pin), Kyle Fellman (major) and unsung Chris Kramer (pin), who saw the majority of his action at the JV level this season, kept things rolling to give the visitors a 19-0 advantage.

Casey Cook, who went 4-0 at district duals, bumped down to 182 and delivered with a first-period pin that took just 63 ticks. Tyler Godshall chipped in with a decision at 220 and Dustin (106) and Dante (120) Steffenino helped lock things up as they added a fall and major decision to end any comeback hopes for Chambersburg.

Upper Perk finished 2-2 at the district duals this past Friday and Saturday, with both losses coming against the Bears of Boyertown. Upper Perk, who prevailed in the previous league meeting between the two, fell to Boyertown 40-24 in the quarterfinals, only to meet up with its backyard rival again in the consolation final. Boyertown again held on, this time by a closer, 35-31 final, as both teams split the matches 7-7. The Bears, however, took advantage of the bonus-point battle with the help of a forfeit to seal the deal.

The Tribe earned its way to the third-place match after a 42-21 nod over Council Rock South – the same CRS who sent Spring-Ford into consolations with a one point win. Upper Perk earned the win thanks to majors from Dante and Dylan Steffenino and Kyle Fellman and pins from McStravick, Kramer, Cook and Godshall. Young and Dustin Steffenino posted decisions.

Upper Perk opened its duals action Friday night in the loss to Boyertown, but then bounced back with a 38-30 win over Downingtown West with help from Billy Brower (dec.), Cook (pin), Dustin Steffenino (major), Eric Miller (major), Dante Steffenino (dec.), McStravick (forfeit), Fellman (pin) and Young (pin).

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