Wrestling: North Schuylkill soars to 2nd at junior high districts

North Schuylkill's junior high wrestling team placed second in a field of 39 at the Tony Iasiello Memorial District 11 Junior High Wrestling Championships on Monday at Parkland High School. The Spartans had 10 placewinners, including six in the finals. Bode Gates won the 138-pound title. (Photo courtesy of North Schuylkill Athletics)

OREFIELD — North Schuylkill’s junior high wrestling team served notice Monday that the Spartans are on the rise.

Led by Bode Gates’ stunning victory in the finals, North Schuylkill placed second among 39 teams at the Tony Iasiello Memorial District 11 Junior High Wrestling Championships at Parkland High School.

Easton captured the team title with 285 points. North Schuylkill followed in the runner-up spot with 228.5, just ahead of third-place Parkland (227.5). Nazareth (197.5) and Bangor (144) rounded out the top five. Tri-Valley placed eighth overall. Other Schuylkill League teams: Blue Mountain (14th), Pine Grove (24th), Tamaqua (31st), Pottsville (37th), Panther Valley (38th) and Williams Valley (39th).

The Spartans put six wrestlers into the finals, most of any school. They placed 10 wrestlers overall. The Schuylkill League had nine wrestlers reach the finals.

That’s an uptick from last season, when the league had four finalists and three champions.

For his efforts, North Schuylkill coach Shane McGrath was named District 11 Class AA Junior High Coach of the Year.

Shane McGrath, North Schuylkill junior high wrestling head coach, was voted District 11 Junior High Coach of the Year on Monday. (Photo courtesy of North Schuylkill Athletics)

North Schuylkill had a rough round in the finals, going 1-5. Other placers stepped up for the Spartans, though, as Bobby Holmes took third at 115 with a fall in 3:46 over Palmerton’s Steele Zalik, and Brian Torres finished fifth at 210 by edging Pleasant Valley’s J.J. Mihalichko 3-2 in the overtime tiebreaker. Those points proved crucial in holding off Parkland.

Gates, trailing Easton’s Logan Young 6-3 with 22 seconds left in regulation, hit a seven-point throw — three-point takedown and four near-fall points — to pull out a 10-6 victory in the 138-pound final.

North Schuylkill had five runners-up in Brock Holmes (122), Otilio Lopez-Montz (145), Chase Slotcavage (190), Taylor Javier (210) and Nelson Berger (250).

Holmes dropped a 7-0 decision to Easton’s Tanner Milburn; Lopez-Montz got pinned in 1:04 by Saucon Valley’s Taylor Rohn; Slotcavage lost 4-1 to Parkland’s Jayden Santiago; and Javier (210) got pinned by Pocono Mountain East’s Zakai Chambers in 1:27.

The 250-pound final pitted local wrestlers against each other, and Pine Grove’s Daniel Shadle earned a 4-2 decision over Berger.

In other finals, Tamaqua’s Rylan Reitz dropped a 7-0 decision to Whitehall’s Dionte Wheeler at 108; Blue Mountain’s Joey Frey fell by technical fall, 20-4 in 3:59 to Whitehall’s Mason Hopkins at 155.

In addition to Holmes, placing third were Tri-Valley’s David Wehry (94) and Landon Horoschak (130) and Blue Mountain’s Caden Fenstermacher (101).

Tony Iasiello Memorial District 11 Junior High Wrestling Championships

At Parkland HS

Monday’s area results

Team scores (39 total): 1. Easton 285, 2. North Schuylkill 228.5, 3. Parkland 227.5, 4. Nazareth 197.5, 5. Bangor 144 … 8. Tri-Valley 138 … 14. Blue Mountain 94.5 … 24. Pine Grove 58.5 … 31. Tamaqua 36 … 37. Pottsville 14, 38. Panther Valley 12, 39. Williams Valley 9.5

Championship Finals

108 — Dionte Wheeler (Whitehall) dec. Rylan Reitz (Tamaqua), 7-0

122 — Tanner Milburn (Easton) dec. Brock Holmes (North Schuylkill), 7-0

138 — Bode Gates (North Schuylkill) dec. Logan Young (Easton), 10-6

145 — Taylor Rohn (Saucon Valley) pinned Otilio Lopez-Montz (North Schuylkill), 1:04

155 — Mason Hopkins (Whitehall) tech. fall Joey Frey (Blue Mountain), 20-4, 3:59

190 — Jayen Santiago (Parkland) dec. Chase Slotcavage (North Schuylkill), 4-1 SV

210 — Zakai Chambers (Pocono Mountain East) pinned Taylor Javier (North Schuylkill), 1:27

250 — Daniel Shadle (Pine Grove) dec. Nelson Berger (North Schuylkill) 4-2

3rd Place

94 — David Wehry (Tri-Valley) pinned Jack Dressler (Nazareth), 3:46

101 — Caden Fenstermacher (Blue Mountain) maj. dec. Landon Eckhart (Palmerton), 9-1

115 — Bobby Holmes (North Schuylkill) pinned Steele Zalik (Palmerton), 3:46

130 — Landon Horoschak (Tri-Valley) pinned Joren Lesser (Saucon Valley), 4:12

155 — Braedan Lobb (Easton) dec. Kole Rollenhagen (North Schuylkill), 4-1 SV

210 — Brian Torres (North Schuylkill) dec. J.J. Mihalichko (Pleasant Valley), 3-2 TB2

250 — Cody Schneck (Pine Grove) pinned Shabre McDowell (Easton), 1:57

7th Place

80 — Logan Helfrich (Saucon Valley) pinned Bryce Leib (North Schuylkill), :25

115 — Easton Moore (Tri-Valley) pinned Alexander Thomas (Southern Lehigh), :22

122 — Seth Goodman (Blue Mountain) maj. dec. Adam Griffith (Northwestern Lehigh), 15-3

170 — Lyle Lesher (Tri-Valley) pinned Luciano Salerno (Stroudsburg), 1:18

People-Tag: Bode Gates, Brock Holmes, Bryce Leib, Caden Fenstermacher, Chase Slotcavage, Daniel Shadle, David Wehry, Easton Moore, Joey Frey, Landon Horoschak, Nelson Berger, Otilio Lopez-Montz, Rylan Reitz, Seth Goodman, Taylor Javier

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