First Posted: 1/12/2015
LEHMAN TWP. – Before coaches voted to deem his performance worthy of the Outstanding Wrestler award, Wyoming Area’s Charles Johnson had already decided that his Wyoming Valley Conference Tournament title was extra special.
Johnson’s high school career already included victories that won him a district title and sent him to the state championship, yet he called the 3-1 championship match win over Hazleton Area’s James Hoffman the “favorite” of his career.
With Johnson winning the battle of returning state qualifiers and Zachary Briggs adding another championship, the Jan. 9-10 tournament was also a big one for the entire Wyoming Area team.
After never finishing in the top half of the team standings in the event’s first five years, the Warriors led for part of the second day and remained in title contention well into the final round before falling just short of Coughlin, 161-157.5, in the title race.
The two champions, four finalists and eight wrestlers finishing in the top six were all the best efforts ever by Wyoming Area. The Warriors were ninth in the 14-team field in 2013, between 10th and 12th in the other four years and never had more than one winner, two finalists or five place-winners previously.
Briggs found extra meaning in his win because he thought it might help the Warriors, who he said were “thinking maybe top five,” pull out the team championship.
“The team worked with me all summer,” Briggs said. “They’re like my best friends.
“I really would love to take first place in this.”
Johnson won his title by making an early move stand up, then Briggs won his with a late flurry.
A first-period takedown was the final margin in Johnson’s 3-1 win over the defending champion at 126.
“I just had to stay focused and rely on my defense,” said Johnson, who held on for more than a minute at the end in neutral position after escaping for the bout’s final points. “The key is just holding his hands, keeping his hands tied up so he can’t get in on a shot and get his hands around my legs.”
Johnson said he considers Hoffman, whom he has known through wrestling since fifth grade, as a friend. Hoffman won last year’s District 2 Class AAA 120-pound title as a freshman.
“This is probably my favorite win of all-time,” Johnson said. “Hoffman’s a great wrestler. He went to states as a freshman and was a match away from placing.”
Briggs trailed Gino Setta of Meyers, 3-0, when he took an injury timeout in the third period of the 152-pound final. He rallied to score all his points in the final minute and turn Setta in the closing seconds to break a tie and win, 6-4.
“When I was down 3-nothing and getting broken down like nothing, it felt hopeless,” said Briggs, who had confidence from rallying late in other bouts in the past.
Johnson, who protected one of just two perfect records among WVC wrestlers, reached the final with a pin and a technical fall.
Briggs pinned eventual third-place finisher Jimmy Stuart of Lake-Lehman in the quarterfinals, but needed overtime to get past Pittston Area’s Dan Gambini, 11-9, in the semifinals.
Patrick Heck and Kendrick Beyer also reached the finals for the Warriors.
Heck posted two pins and won another bout by injury default before being pinned by Coughlin’s Bobby Hawkins in 4:19 in the 132-pound final.
Beyer had two first-period pins and a shutout on the way to the 145-pound final where he was blanked by Tunkhannock’s Mike Manley, 7-0.
The Warriors also placed Jude Polit-Moran (170) and Frank Yurek (220) in third, Tyler Vince (106) in fourth and Adam Buczynski (160) in sixth.
Polit-Moran recovered from an upset loss in his first bout to pin three straight opponents then avenge that loss with a 6-2 victory over Berwick’s Nathan Maczuga in the consolation final.
Yurek pinned four opponents in a total of 7:20.
While Wyoming Area was reversing its previous results in one direction, Pittston Area was going the other.
The Patriots, who had won the tournament in 2011 and 2013 and finished in the top three each of the first five years, slipped to ninth place with 88.5 points.
Jake Vaxmonsky took an individual title for the second time in three years and turned in the championship round’s most dominant performance.
None of the four opponents went the distance against Vaxmonsky, Pittston Area’s only finalist. He won by technical fall, pin and injury default on the way to the 220-pound final where he defeated Hanover Area’s Nick Hannon with a pin in 1:38.
Vaxmonsky had one takedown in the first 30 seconds, then took Hannon down to his back to finish the bout.
Dave Deleo, at 160, and John Armitage, at 195, added third-place finishes for the Patriots.
Chris Starinsky was fifth at 126 and Gambini was sixth at 152.
Lake-Lehman 33, Wyoming Area 30
Following up its big tournament performance, Wyoming Area suffered a disheartening loss that could impact the team’s regular-season title hopes.
The Warriors fell at Lake-Lehman, 33-30, Wednesday in a meeting of two of the three WVC Division 2 unbeatens.
A disqualification and three team penalty points in the opening bout at 220 put Wyoming Area in a nine-point hole.
The Warriors rallied and led going into the final bout, but Lake-Lehman had WVC Tournament champion Derek Dragon there to clinch the win with a pin at 195.
Charles Johnson (132) had a pin, Zachary Briggs (152) won by technical fall and Adam Buczynski (170) won a major decision for Wyoming Area. Jude Polit-Moran won the decision that put the Warriors in front late.
Tunkhannock 40, Pittston Area 33
Pittston Area’s match at Tunkhannock also came down to the final bout where the Tigers pulled out a 40-33 Division 1 victory with a major decision by David Gavik at 106.
Chris Starinsky (126), Dan Gambini (152), Jake Vaxmonsky (220) and Brandon Goodlavage (285) had pins for the Patriots.
