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Montoursville drops opening match of PIAA team tournament, loses to Bishop McDevitt 41-25

By HENRY HUBER 4 min read

In its quest to compete for a state title, Montoursville was dealt a rough initial draw. Its first-round matchup at the PIAA team tournament on Thursday came against a stout, undefeated Bishop McDevitt squad ranked No. 4 in the state.

Though there was an avenue to success, a few critical losses put the Warriors in a bad spot. Defeats at 139 and 152 made the road ahead disconcerting and a loss by fall at 172 effectively sealed their fate, as the Crusaders came out victorious by a score of 41-25.

To fall so early in this tournament can be demoralizing. Montoursville head coach Matt Yonkin hopes his kids can take away the positives of their performance, along with the positives of simply being able to compete at this event.

"It's a huge accomplishment just to be down here," said Yonkin. "We could have done better. We could've wrestled a little better. But overall, I'm proud of the kids. It was a good battle and it’s a good opportunity for these kids."

Things started off well for the Warriors.

They kicked the match off with a pin from Landon Morehart and win by decision from Teli Bobotas, getting out to a 9-0 lead and establishing momentum early. The Crusaders responded with back-to-back pins to quickly steal the lead, but David Kennedy would reclaim it for the Warriors with a 17-4 major decision victory, coming two points away from a tech fall amidst a strong third period.

Those matches went the expected route for the most part, as either team possessed a lineup advantage through the first five weight classes. The key to the match would come from the bouts that followed.

Following a tech fall win from Bishop McDevitt at 133, Blaize Vogel would be tasked with regaining the momentum and lead for the Warriors against an even opponent in Easton Comp - who went into the match with a 22-6 record.

The score remained deadlocked at 0-0 for half the match before Comp caught Vogel in a bad position midway through the second period and nearly pinned him, scoring three critical points in the process. That near fall proved to be the dagger, as apart from a penalty at the end of the match, it was the only instance in which points were scored.

Similarly, Hayden Harvey would keep things close against No. 23 Nicky Negron at 152, spending much of the second period down 2-1. But a takedown in the waning moments of the second period and a dominant showing from Negron in the final stanza proved insurmountable, as Harvey fell by decision, 8-3.

And lastly, in a neck-and-neck battle point wise, Owen Kleinman seemed to have control of his match at 172 against Jaire Rawlison, with multiple chances at securing a pin falling just short. A pin at that point would've gotten the Warriors within four points of tying things and left the match up to the ones at 189 and 215.

But after exhausting his first two chances, he wouldn't receive another one. And when Rawlison eventually found an opening and got the opportunity to secure a pin of his own, he took advantage, sealing the match in the process.

"There's a couple of matches in there that on a good day, you can see them going the other way," said Yonkin. "Whether it's Vogel or Kleinman, those are matches we can flip but I've talked to the kids. You've got to be able to put your best six minutes on the mat down here."

Even with its chances at a state title exhausted, there's still plenty that can be gained for the team in the next two days. Its focus at the moment is to get past Burgettstown on Friday to keep from getting eliminated.

"We've definitely got to step our game up tomorrow if we want to get some wins down here," said Yonkin. "If we go out, we wrestle well, and everybody puts a good, solid effort in tomorrow, we can win that one [against Burgettstown]."

Bishop McDevitt 41, Montoursville 25

285: Landon Morehart (M) pinned Jack Dawson (BM), 2:50. 107: Teli Bobotas (M) dec. Braiden Lotier (BM), 7-2. 114: Zane Crouse (M) pinned Brody Bower (M), 3:12. 121: Greyson Music (BM) pinned Ryan Aguirre (M), 1:53. 127: David Kennedy (M) maj. Dec. Liam Lawler (BM), 17-4. 133: Camden Baum (BM) tech fall Karter Stone (M), 21-5, 5:33. 139: Easton Comp (BM) dec. Blaize Vogel (M), 4-0. 145: Ryan Lawler (BM) pinned Hunter Gee (M), 1:26. 152: Nicky Negron dec. Hayden Harvey (M), 8-3. 160: Gage Wentzel (M) pinned Ryan Lengal (BM), 4:29. 172: Jaire Rawlison (BM) pinned Owen Kleinman, 3:50. 189: Lucas Lawyer (BM) pinned Evan Bloom (M), 1:59. 215: Cole Yonkin (M) won by forfeit.

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