Panther junior Nick Rosengrant is all fired-up and flexes after his big 2-0 victory over Northwestern Lehigh’s Matt Peters.
It was a wrestling double-header on Monday night in Saucon Valley. Not only did the Panthers compete against the Northern Lehigh Bulldogs and the Northwestern Lehigh Tigers, but they also hosted Teacher Appreciation Night and Youth Wrestling Night. The pizza served by the Wrestling Club to all of their guests was good, but the outcome of the contests was better.
The Panther gym was packed with wrestlers of all ages.
Saucon beat the Bulldogs 69-9 in the opener. Then, the Panthers defeated the previously undefeated Tigers 47-22 in the main event. With those wins, the Panthers have won 64 straight in the Colonial League and have likely earned themselves the #1 seed in Monday’s Colonial League Championships. If Saucon Valley wins both matches on Monday night, they will secure their 6th consecutive Colonial League title!
Sophomore Thomas Spirk on his way to a pin for the Panthers.
Sadly, against Northern Lehigh in the night’s opener, the Panthers were awarded ten forfeits for sixty points. The Bulldogs certainly have had their fair share of wrestling championships. Just three seasons ago the Bulldogs won the District XI championship by defeating Saucon Valley. Now, Northern Lehigh is trying to make due with only four or five varsity wrestlers. The good news for wrestling fans is that Northern Lehigh does have solid numbers at the junior high level.
Aside from the forfeits, Junior Nick Rosengrant (132) and sophomore Thomas Spirk (152) were the only other Panther points. Spirk recorded a fall in 1:50 while Rosengrant found a groove to the tune of a 7-0 decision.
Saucon Valley 69, Northern Lehigh 9
106: Saucon Valley’s Dane Druckenmiller (Sr.) won by Forfeit
113: Saucon Valley’s Kevin Dyer (So.) won by Forfeit
120: Northern Lehigh’s Preston Bauer (So.) won by Forfeit
126: Saucon Valley’s Josh Jones (Jr.) won by Forfeit
132: Saucon Valley’s Nick Rosengrant (Jr.) won by Decision, (7-0)
138: Saucon Valley’s Justin Kyra (Jr.) won by Forfeit
145: Saucon Valley’s Jason Jones (Sr.) won by Forfeit
152: Saucon Valley’s Thomas Spirk (So.) won by Fall, 1:50
160: Saucon Valley’s Angelo Mahaffey (Sr.) won by Forfeit
170: Saucon Valley’s Braydyn Lugardo (So.) won by Forfeit
182: Saucon Valley’s Dane Csencsits (So.) won by Forfeit
195: Saucon Valley’s Jarrett Hirschbeck (Jr.) won by Forfeit
220: Northern Lehigh’s Dominic Bandle (Jr.) won by Decision, (1-0)
285: Saucon Valley’s Jason Nick Warnke (So.) won by Forfeit
SV Teachers have their backs!
In the nightcap against the Tigers, Saucon Valley won 10 of the 14 weight classes. The Panthers received pins from Kevin Dyer (120), Dane Csencsits (182), Jarrett Hirschbeck (195) and Nick Warnke (285).
Saucon also received bonus points from Josh Jones (126), Justin Kyra (138), Braydyn Lugardo (170) and Jason Jones (145). Jason Jones earned a tech-fall while the others were good for major-decisions.
Dane Druckenmiller (113) and Nick Rosengrant (132) each chipped into the Panther cause with a couple of decisions. Druckenmiller controlled his match and avoided trouble to cruise to a 10-6 victory. Rosengrant managed a second period reversal which proved to be the only points scored in the bout. It was a crowd-pleasing match that was hard fought and intense.
The biggest roar from the hometown crowd came at heavyweight. With the scored tied 0-0 in the final period, Saucon Valley’s Nick Warnke brought the house down with his pin to make the team score 38-16 with only three bouts left. The joint was jumping!
Saucon sophomore Nick Warnke picks up an important six points against the Northwestern Lehigh Tigers.
Momma and Poppa Warnke are very proud Panther parents!
Saucon Valley , Northwestern Lehigh
106: Northwestern’s Jake Dellicker (So.) won by Fall
113: Saucon Valley’s Dane Druckenmiller (Sr.) won by Decision, (10-6)
120: Saucon Valley’s Kevin Dyer (So.) won by Fall, 3:23
126: Saucon Valley’s Josh Jones (Jr.) won by Major-Decision, (13-3)
132: Saucon Valley’s Nick Rosengrant (Jr.) won by Decision, (2-0)
138: Saucon Valley’s Justin Kyra (Jr.) won by Major-Decision, (11-0)
145: Saucon Valley’s Jason Jones (Sr.) won by Tech-Fall, (16-1)
152: Northwestern’s Jackson Bernhard (Sr.) won by Fall
160: Northwestern’s Caleb Clymer (Sr.) won by Major-Decision, (12-3)
170: Saucon Valley’s Braydyn Lugardo (So.) won by Major-Decision, (11-2)
182: Saucon Valley’s Dane Csencsits (So.) won by Fall, 2:23
195: Saucon Valley’s Jarrett Hirschbeck (Jr.) won by Fall, :30
220: Northwestern’s Quinn Moyer (Sr.) won by Forfeit
285: Saucon Valley’s Nick Warnke (So.) won by Fall, 4:21
Varsity Wrestler of the Match (Northern Lehigh): Nick Rosengrant was tough in his 7-0 decision over Northern Lehigh senior Seth Fronheiser.
Nick Rosengrant
Junior High Score: Saucon Valley 75, Northern Lehigh 12
Junior High Wrestler of the Match: The junior high coaches want to recognize Chase Hershey as their “Wrestler of the Match” against the Bulldogs. Chase battled hard and came out on the winning side of a big-time, back and forth contest. Great job, Chase!
Chase Hershey with a big win against Northern Lehigh.
Varsity Wrestler of the Match (Northwestern Lehigh): Justin Kyra was honored as a result of his major-decision against Northwestern Lehigh senior Colin Rex.
Justin Kyra
Junior High Score: Saucon Valley 60, Northwestern Lehigh 22
Junior High Wrestler of the Match: Against the Tigers, Dante Mahaffey was silky smooth and earned “Wrestler of the Match” honors from the junior high staff.
Dante Mahaffey looked sharp against Northwestern Lehigh.
Up Next: The 17-0 Panthers will travel to Palisades on Wednesday for the regular season finale against the Pirates. The Pirates have a 3-4 Colonial League record and shouldn’t offer too much of a threat to the Panthers. Saucon Valley will use Palisades to fine-tune in preparation of Monday’s Colonial League tournament. The Panthers are in pursuit of their sixth consecutive Colonial League title. All of Wednesday’s wrestling action will begin with junior high at 6 p.m. The Varsity is scheduled to follow at 6:30 p.m.
With this win over Northwestern, the Panthers are the last undefeated team left standing in the Colonial League.
2018 Teacher Appreciation Night: Before the Northwestern Lehigh match, each wrestler in the Saucon Valley lineup recognized a teacher who has made a difference in their lives. As a group, the teachers sat on the team’s bench during the entire match. Individually, each teacher sat shotgun with Coach Shirk while their wrestler competed.
Saucon Valley teachers were recognized by the Panther wrestlers in the 2018 home finale against Northwestern Lehigh.
Teacher Recognition
- Sr. Dane Druckenmiller (Mr. Robert Svitilla, Science)
- Jr. Kevin Dyer (Mr. Eric Focht, Science)
- Jr. Josh Jones (Mr. Richard Simononis, Business)
- Jr. Nick Rosengrant (Mr. Robert Svitilla, Science)
- Jr. Justin Kyra (Mr. Richard Simononis, Business)
- Sr. Jason Jones (Ms. Tori Heffelfinger, English/Ms. Kimberly Tassinaro, Science)
- Sr. Angelo Mahaffey (Ms. Genia Miller, English)
- So. Thomas Spirk (Mr. Robert McHugh, History)
- So. Braydyn Lugardo (Mr. Eric Focht, Science)
- So. Dane Csencsits (Ms. Cheri Chisesi, Mathematics)
- Jr. Jarrett Hirschbeck (Ms. Cheri Chisesi, Mathematics)
- Jr. Jared Harka (Mr. Beau Schleicher, Technology)
- Jr. Timothy Weaver (Ms. Cheri Chisesi, Mathematics)
Science teacher, Kimberly Tassinaro on behalf of Tori Heffelfinger, assisting Coach Shirk during Jason Jones’ match.
COACH’S QUOTE
“When speaking with the wrestlers they all said they had a couple of teachers that have really made impressions on them throughout their time here at the high school. It was very difficult for them to make a decision and choose just one. I want to thank the entire staff for everything they have done to support our student-athletes over the years. All of the teachers have had made a tremendous impact on these students and this is one little way for our wrestling team to say THANK YOU!“
Chad Shirk
Good Luck Panthers, the Source is with you!
