First Posted: 2/21/2015
KINGSTON — Wyoming Area sophomore Kendrick Beyer and Scranton Prep freshman Ivan Balavage each won a pair of matches Friday to head into Saturday’s action at the District 2 Class AA Championships still in title contention.
The first half of the tournament at the Kingston Armory trimmed each weight class to four semifinals and four others alive in consolations trying to make it back to third place and a berth in next weekend’s Class AA Northeast Regionals in Williamsport.
The tournament continued Saturday.
Beyer was one of five Wyoming Area wrestlers to make the semifinals. Ivan and Thor Balavage, brothers from Avoca, were two of the four semifinalists for Scranton Prep.
Charles Johnson (126), Patrick Heck (132), Zachary Briggs (152) and Jude Polit-Moran (170) each received a first-round bye, then won a quarterfinal bout to reach the semifinals. Johnson and Heck won by first-period pins. Polit-Moran also won by pin. Briggs won a major decision.
Beyewr pinned Pat Bova from Nanticoke in 3:09 and decisioned Brandon Swift from Montrose, 10-1.
The Warriors had four other wrestlers in the consolation bracket.
Adam Buczynski won two of his three bouts at 160 pounds to make it to Saturday in the double-elimination event.
Frank Yurek won once and lost once at 220.
Tyler Vance, at 106, and Justin Joseph, at 182, each lost their only bout and received a consolation round bye to get through Friday night.
Three other Warriors went 0-2 and were eliminated.
Meyers had an 81 ½-77 lead over Lake-Lehman at the midway point and had all 14 of its wrestlers in action Saturday.
Wyoming Area was fourth in the team standings at the midway point, tied for fourth with four semifinalists and in a three-way tie for fourth in total wrestlers surviving into Saturday with nine.
Ivan Balavage won twice. Thor Balavage, a junior 220-pounder with just one loss all season, needed only 36 seconds of wrestling to advance through the quarterfinals after receiving a first-round bye.
District 2 Class AAA
Jake Vaxmonsky was the only Pittston Area wrestler to get through Friday night unbeaten in the District 2 Class AAA Championships, which were also conducted at the Kingston Armory.
Midway through the tournament, the Patriots were in last place out of 14 schools with just 21 team points. They were tied with Crestwood as the only teams to advance just one wrestler in the championship bracket and had the least wrestlers active into Saturday morning with three.
Delaware Valley had an 86 1/2-81 lead over Scranton in the team standings.
Vaxmonsky pinned West Scranton’s Anthony Giordano in 2:45 at 220 pounds.
Dan Gambini sandwiched pins around a 7-0 loss to Nick Carr of Abington Heights at 152.
Brandon Goodlavage split two matches to advance at 285.
The top four wrestlers in each weight class advance to the Class AAA Northeast Regional in Bethlehem.
West Scranton 46, Wyoming 33
Wyoming Area closed out the dual meet season with a 46-33 loss at West Scranton Feb. 14.
Jude Polit-Moran (170) and Frank Yurek (220) had first-period pins for the Warriors, who finished 14-8.
Zachary Briggs (152) also had a pin while Kendrick Beyer (138) won a decision.
