Pittston Area went 5-1 to tie Hanover Area and host Honesdale for the best record Jan. 10 in the Richard “Chooch” Chulada Duals.
Noah Gruber was one of two individuals on the day to not just go 6-0, but also produce the maximum 36 team points.
The highlight of the day was a 36-35 victory over the host Hornets, who have the most wins in District 2 with a 14-3 record.
The teams actually finished in a 35-35 tie. Pittston Area won the tiebreaker and was awarded an extra team point for winning the most bouts, seven to Honesdale’s six.
The Patriots trailed 24-20 before Brody Spindler pulled out a 4-2 decision over Levi Landry at 215 in a meeting of 2025 district finalists.
Gruber then put Pittston Area ahead with a 50-second pin at 285. A forfeit gave the Patriots a 35-24 lead.
When Tim Riefler managed to avoid a pin, losing by technical fall to returning state medalist Nathan Schuman in the final bout at 121, the score wound up tied, setting the Patriots up to win the tiebreaker.
Chase Baron (145) also contributed a pin, Tibor Toth (127) and Ethan Aftewicz (160) technical falls, and Damien Hernandez (139) a major decision in the victory.
Pittston Area’s other wins were 70-6 over Eldred-Liberty-Sullivan West (N.Y.), 51-24 over Lake-Lehman, 43-24 over Pocono Mountain West, and 69-5 over Scranton.
Hanover Area defeated Pittston Area 44-29.
Spindler, Aftewicz, and David Krantz (107) joined Gruber in going 6-0 on the day.
Wyoming Area 54, Tunkhannock 24
Wyoming Area combined seven pins and two forfeits into a comfortable victory in Thursday’s Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 match at Tunkhannock.
Emerson Langdon won in 39 seconds at 127 for the fastest of the team’s five first-period pins. Tyler Randazzo (107), Michael Appel (160), Riley Pierce (189), and Caden Reynolds (215) had the others.
Evan Lark and Lincoln Smith also won by pin at 114 and 139.
Wyoming Area is 2-2 in the division and 5-11 overall. The Warriors currently hold the last of eight spots for the District 2 Class 2A Dual Meet Tournament out of 16 teams attempting to qualify.
Pittston Area 53, Crestwood 24
Host Crestwood forfeited six weight classes, including the three lightest, contributing to Pittston Area’s victory in Wednesday’s WVC Division 1 match.
Tibor Toth and Noah Gruber had first-period pins at 127 and 285. Ethan Aftewicz won a technical fall at 152.
The Patriots improved to 2-2 in the division and are 13-5 overall. They are fifth out of 12 teams working toward eight spots in the District 2 Class 3A Dual Meet Tournament.
Southern Tier Memorial
Wyoming Area’s Tyler Randazzo picked up one last win Jan. 10 to finish 3-3 at 103 pounds and take eighth place in the weight class in the Southern Tier Memorial Tournament.
Randazzo was the only Warrior to make it to the second day of the two-day event at at LECOM Event Center in Elmira, N.Y.
Wyoming Area finished 34th in the 38-team field with 25½ points.
Bellefonte won the title.
Randazzo pinned Upper Dauphin’s Brayden Morgan in 3:56 to get to the seventh round of consolations, but then lost his final two bouts.
