Bulldogs pick up five wins, three falls in home loss to Selinsgrove
JERSEY SHORE – It’s been quite a while since Jersey Shore (6-12) defeated Heartland-I foe Selinsgrove (6-1) in a dual, with its last win in the matchup coming in January of 2016.
That drought wouldn’t end in Thursday’s bout either, as Selinsgrove picked up its tenth straight win over the Bulldogs by a score of 46-24. But it was the closest the program has gotten since 2017, a far cry from last season’s 66-6 loss and another sign of potential progress from the standpoint of returning first-year head coach Tony Owens.
Facing a 16-0 deficit through three matches, the Bulldogs rattled off three straight wins, two by pin, to narrow the gap to one. No. 16 Slate Sechrist added a third fall two matches later to make it 22-21 and freshman Bradley Derr capped the team’s win total on the night at five with a 7-1 decision.
A loss is still a loss, but it was a promising one at that.
Three underclassmen in Derr, Tobias Morgret and Zeke Sechrist picked up wins, with Sechrist’s late third-period pin igniting the crowd. And senior Slate Sechrist continued his prosperous senior campaign, posting his 27th win of the season.
“We battled and that’s all I ask for our guys. They came out, and they wrestled very well,” said Owens. “There were a couple places where I think we could have picked up some bonus points and we gave up bonus points where we shouldn’t have. But all in all, top to bottom, I believe our guys wrestled very well.”
Morgret kicked off that strong, three-match stretch of victories for the Bulldogs on a high note, landing an immediate shot on Selinsgrove’s Cain Carter and taking it all the way to the finish line for a much-needed pin.
“Tobias picking up that win was nice for us,” said Owens on the sophomore. “Once he builds up a little more strength, a little more experience, he’s going to be a very successful young man.”
Tasked with turning Morgret’s win into a run, Jonathan Dincher faced a tough hill to climb. In a flash, the junior went down 6-1, surrendering two early takedowns to Selinsgrove’s Hunter Derk. But he’d quickly compose himself, getting out from underneath Derk for an escape to close out the first down by four and securing another at the start of the second.
From there, Dincher continued building momentum, transitioning from defense into offense and pulling off a takedown to even the score near the midway point of the second. Then, he’d dominate through the third, absorbing a shot from Derk and wrapping around him for a takedown before almost pinning him prior to the buzzer.
Zeke Sechrist faced a similar challenge, going down 3-1 late in the second and struggling to score points despite obtaining advantage in the third. But with the clock winding down, he’d finally make the adjustment he needed to pull off the win, pulling Elijah Billheim over him and securing the fall.
“Jon wrestled well and of course, Zeke, that’s why we preach in practice every day to never stop wrestling,” said Owens on the pair. “You don’t know what the outcome’s ever going to be. He wrestled all the way up to the whistle and we’re fortunate enough to pick up that pin. It’s good when guys do that. I love it when they’re rewarded and their work, their effort is displayed.”
The going got tough for the Bulldogs from there, as the Seals rattled off four pins in the final six competitive bouts and Shore was forced to forfeit at 121, matches which more than sealed it for Selinsgrove. But it was a hard-fought loss nonetheless, one which displayed a lot of positives for the developing program.
Freshman Louden Spotts and Owen Vandruff fought hard against state-ranked opponents, with Spotts coming one last-second takedown away from holding No. 23 Alex Kadryna to a decision and Vandruff seeing a near-takedown turned against him in a well-fought match up to that point against one of the best wrestlers in the state in No. 3 Jack Peters.
Fellow freshman Bradley Derr earned his 14th win of the season, as that class continues showing promise. And the team as a whole forfeited just one match on the night after forfeiting six in last year’s matchup.
“We’re reaching the hump of the season, and we’re not there yet. But we’re definitely a team that people are starting to take notice to,” said Owens. “The bottom line is we’re going to come back, we’re going to train these guys to the best of our ability and if they believe in our system, I think we’re going to be successful.”
With four dual matches remaining and District 4/9 AAA Duals on the horizon, there are plenty of places left for the team to keep displaying its progress and vying to exceed last season’s win total of six. Next up, the Bulldogs face off against their rival in No. 16 Central Mountain (8-0), with that match set for next Thursday at 7 p.m. in Jersey Shore’s home gym.
Selinsgrove 46, Jersey Shore 24
133: Ryan Harpster (S) pinned Kaleb Morse (JS), :54. 139: No. 23 Alex Kadryna (S) maj. dec. Louden Spotts (JS), 11-1. 145: Nathan Martin (S) pinned Blake Murphy (JS), 1:36. 152: Tobias Morgret (JS) pinned Cain Carter (S), :38. 160: Jon Dincher (JS) dec. Hunter Derk (S), 13-6. 172: Zeke Sechrist (JS) pinned Elijah Billheim (S), 5:46. 189: Ethan Miller (S) pinned Garrett Barner (JS), 1:09. 215: No. 16 Slate Sechrist (JS) pinned Owen Hoffman (S), 1:21. 285: No. 3 Jack Peters (S) pinned Owen Vandruff (JS), 3:00. 107: Bradley Derr (JS) dec. Colton Kretzer (S), 7-1. 114: Mike Zettlemoyer (S) pinned Draylen Phillips (JS), 1:42. 121: Dagen Piermattei (S) won by forfeit. 127: Cael Badman (S) pinned Camden Baker (JS), 2:53.
Records: Selinsgrove 6-1 (2-1 Heartland-I); Jersey Shore 6-12 (1-2 Heartland-I).