Tuesday's Recap and More

A Local Look
   The first full night of local wrestling didn't find too many surprises. I was at Everett as the Warriors defeated an undermanned Glendale team, 48-25. There wasn't much to talk about, as the Vikings forfeited to many of Everett's better wrestlers. Everett coach Robbie Ripple is excited about many of his younger kids and he should be. The four freshmen starters along with sophomore and returning state qualifier Liam Flaherty give him a nice core to build on, as well as compliment veterans like Ben Stover and Wes Graham. One of the ninth graders, Evan Brennan at 113, had a solid win last night, while classmate Macen Akers was heading towards the victory at 138 before being caught in a late cement job.
   Elsewhere, Mount Union showed it will still be one of the best squads in District 6, dispatching Northern Bedford 49-18. The Black Panthers forfeited the three lowest weights, and that certainly didn't help against the Trojans.

Around the Region
   One final that sticks out from last night was Penn Cambria's 40-33 win over Westmont-Hilltop, which threw an early monkey wrench into the battle for the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference title. Quite a few in the know pegged Penn Cambria as a darkhorse team in that league and District 6-AA this season, but I didn't see this one coming. The Panthers won the toss, then took a huge win with Brock Talko's overtime pin of Trent Blackburn at 138.

Around the State
   Could you imagine Bedford and Chestnut Ridge not wrestling in a dual? Or Everett vs. Northern Bedford? Or any other big, close-knit rivalry?
   Seems hard to believe, but that's what's happening in one of the best areas in the nation for the sport.
   I came across rumors of this during the summer, and really still can't believe the powers that be in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference are completely misguided when it comes to making the wrestling schedules. The EPC is a two-year old league that took the place of the former Lehigh Valley and Mountain Valley conferences, combining those into an 18-team, two-division format.
   Wrestling lives in that area. Easton, Nazareth, and Northampton dominated the state for a long time, and more recently, Bethlehem Catholic and Parkland have emerged as year to year top contenders for PIAA's biggest prizes on the mat.
   But via the schedule for this season, some of the matchups that won't happen are Easton-Northampton, Easton-Parkland, Nazareth-Parkland, and Easton-Bethlehem Catholic. The one that really sticks out in my mind is no Nazareth-Northampton this winter.
   REALLY? Two schools separated by 12 miles in the cement belt of the Lehigh Valley. Two schools that everyone wanted to beat, because of their statewide and national standing. Back in the heyday of the 1980's and 90's, you had Hall of Fame coaches in each corner, Don Rohn of the Konkrete Kids, and the late Ray Nunamaker of the Blue Eagles. Unbelievable battles, and those two programs along with Easton made everyone better for it.
   It's just a real shame that this match and the others, for the fan bases if not for the wrestlers themselves, won't be happening in a single dual setting. Even the all-Bethlehem city match between Freedom, coached by former Tussey Mountain wrestler Brandon Hall, and Liberty had to be scheduled as an independent dual because of the stupid league setup.
   Some of these matches could take place in a one-day crossover that the EPC has set for late January, but as Brad Wilson of The Express-Times/lehighvalleylive.com says, "an all-day event in a neutral gym is no substitute for a one-off dual on a Saturday night."
   I really wonder how many of the coaches had any say in this, and would doubt that many would sign off on such a plan.