The best high school wrestling in the nation takes place at the PIAA wrestling tournament in Hershey.
Five of six Saucon Valley wrestlers advanced to Day-Two of the 2019 PIAA State Wrestling Championships. Josh Jones (132), Nick Rosengrant (145), Matt Arciuolo (160) and Dane Csencsits started the day in the quarterfinals of the championship bracket. Thomas Spirk (138) who suffered an opening-round defeat, was still alive and in wrestle-back mode of the consolation bracket. This PIAA tourney is a grind and the Panthers are tough customers who look forward to these types of challenges.
Now, after the quarterfinal round is over, four Panthers remain alive with two of them in the PIAA State wrestling semifinals. Jones and Arciuolo advanced into the semifinals while Rosengrant and Spirk will keep pushing through the consolation bracket. The great thing is, at this point, all four Panthers are guaranteed to medal.
PANTHER QUARTERFINAL RESULTS
- 132 #1 Josh Jones Sr. (43-4) Saucon Valley, major-decision #3 Kaeden Berger So. (30-8) Reynolds, 10-2.
- Jones was dominant with a couple of takedowns and five near-fall points.
- 145 #2 Tristan Pugh (38-2) Berlin Brothers, decison #4 Nick Rosengrant Sr. (37-11) Saucon Valley, 7-5.
- Nick got down early 6-0. He courageously fought back to 6-5 with a takedown and three near-fall points. However, it was not enough.
- 160 #1 Matt Arciuolo Jr. (38-4) Saucon Valley, decision #2 Tyler Stoltzfus (39-6) St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy, 6-3.
- In a “bloodbath” (both wrestlers needed to use a significant amount of blood time), Arciuolo used three methodical takedowns to secure the victory and advance to the semifinals.
- 195 #5 John Vargo (27-6) Bentworth, fall #2 Dane Csencsits Jr. (37-8) Saucon Valley, (3:52).
- Yesterday, Dane defied the wrestling gods with his against-the-odds pin. Today, the gods got their revenge. Csencsits led 4-1 and then 6-3 before getting caught and pinned as time ran out in the second period. This was a heartbreaker for sure.
2nd Round Consy’s
- 138 #5 Thomas Spirk Jr. (37-9) Saucon Valley, maj-decision #4 Noah Blankenship Sr. (29-9) Kane, 11-1.
3rd Round Consy’s
- 138 #5 Thomas Spirk Jr. (37-9) Saucon Valley, dec. #4 Jack Coulston Sr. (37-12) Boiling Springs, 5-3.
- Spirk secured a third-period escape and takedown to will his way into the medal round!
- 145 #4 Nick Rosengrant Sr. (37-12) Saucon Valley, dec. Jackson Spires So. (15-5) General McClane, 10-6.
- Rosengrant rallied with less than 30 seconds remaining in the third period with a reversal and two near-fall points to make his way onto the PIAA podium.
- 195 #1 Colin Fegley Sr. (40-2) Mahanoy, maj-decision #2 Dane Csencsits Jr. (37-9) Saucon Valley, 16-4.
- Csencsits ran into a buzz-saw in Fegley. Fegley led 4-0 after the first period and then 10-1 after the second. Fegley has Csensits’ number and defeated him in the District XI and Regional final. The third time was not the charm for Csencsits.
Up Next: Four Panthers have found their way to the 2019 PIAA podium. How high they finish, however, is still up in the air. Josh Jones (132), Nick Rosengrant (145), Matt Arciuolo (160) and Thomas Spirk have reached paydirt. Jones and Arciuolo will compete in tonight’s semifinals. Spirk and Rosengrant will continue to wrestle-back with the hopes of a third-place finish. All of the semifinal round action gets started tonight at 7:30 p.m.
Good luck Panthers, the Source is with you!