Unfortunately for Montoursville (23-2), it would run into the latter in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Though the Warriors fought hard, coming one late escape away from winning three of their first five competitive bouts against No. 2 Bishop McCort, things fell apart as the Crushers’ stacked light-to-mid-weight cast took centerstage. They’d win the last seven matches by either pin or tech fall, as Montoursville dropped its second match of the season to a team starting in ‘Bishop’, 58-8.

To head coach Matt Yonkin, the Crushers were as advertised, an embodiment of immense talent and balance that not many in the state or nation can hold a candle to. He considered it a great opportunity to face off against them and hopes his wrestlers can take away a lot from the experience.

“My takeaway was, ‘Wow, that shows the difference in boundary schools and private schools. Nothing against them, they’re an incredible team but I think we’re one of the best in the state and we were a little far behind tonight,” said Yonkin. “There’s a lot we’re going to be able to take out of that. You don’t get that level of competition everyday.”

FRANK DIMON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville's Karter Stone wrestles Bishop McCort's Jackson Butler at 139 pounds on Friday in Altoona.

Montoursville did take an initial lead to start the match, with two-time state medalist Gage Wentzel setting the tone with an 8-2 decision over No. 9 CJ Pensiero.

With two takedowns, he’d build up a 6-1 lead by the end of the first period. Pensiero’s defense would shine through from there, but Wentzel found an opportunity to up his win to a major late, falling just short of a takedown due to it occurring out of bounds.

Three competitive matches and one forfeit later, and the Warriors once again found a way to impact the scoreboard.

Teli Bobotas – ranked No. 6 in the state at 121 – put in work against No. 16 Jack Silfies, racking up 11 points and almost securing a pin by the midway point of the second. From there, he’d see one more pin opportunity fall just short before posting a tech fall with an early takedown in the third.

The pair of Montoursville juniors continue to impress heading into the individual postseason, pulling off convincing wins over wrestlers they could expect to see in the Giant Center come March. As it stands, they’re 37-5 and 34-4 on the season respectively.

FRANK DIMON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville's Blaize Vogel wrestles against Bishop McCort's Austin Carfley at 133 pounds on Friday at Altoona.

“It really shows you how good Wentzel and Bobotas are wrestling right now,” said Yonkin. “I really would put them up against anybody in the country. I think they’re fantastic right now.”

At 285, Landon Morehart – ranked No. 10 in the state – put together a solid showing against No. 13 Caleb Rodriguez, taking an early 1-0 lead and reestablishing himself whenever Rodriguez put pressure on him early in the third period.

After falling behind 2-1 off an initial reversal, Morehart fought back for a reversal of his own to take back the lead. But with just over 30 seconds left in the period, Rodriguez shook Morehart off for a match-tying escape. Then, he’d carry that momentum into an excellent stint in tiebreakers, sealing the match with a four-point move in the second tiebreaker to win by decision, 7-4.

“That was a great match for Landon to learn from,” said Yonkin. “We talked about trying to push the pace a little early and not allowing it to get into those late situations. So, it’s an opportunity for him to learn and big matches like that are going to pay off huge in about four weeks.”

Outside of them, Branden Eisenhour held in there against No. 3 Eli Herring after moving up a weight to 114, lasting almost two periods before getting pinned. And while also up a weight, Owen Kleinman went deep into the second period with just a 3-0 deficit against Matteo Noronha, ultimately bleeding away points late before enduring a fall.

FRANK DIMON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville's David Kennedy wrestles vs. Jax Forrest of Bishop McCort on Friday in Altoona at 127 pounds.

It wasn’t the best performance they could’ve pulled off from the standout of Yonkin. But obtaining this opportunity a full month before individual states was still considered a plus.

“We could have done better in some other areas. I truly believe we had an opportunity to win a couple of those matches but at the end of the day, proud of the boys and there’s a lot we’re going to be able to take away from this,” said Yonkin. “The intent was to come down and really be respectable and put a good, strong performance out there and for the most part, I feel we did that.”

With the loss, the Warriors fall to consolations, where they’ll face No. 14 Chestnut Ridge to start off Saturday at 8 a.m. They’ll look to prosper despite the rough start at Altoona, as they aspire to reach the third-place bout for a shot at PIAA bronze.

Bishop McCourt 58, Montoursville 8

(PIAA CLASS AA TEAM TOURNAMENT)

FRANK DIMON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville's Teli Bobotas wrestles against Bishop McCort's Jack Silfies at 127 pounds on Friday at Altoona.

189: Gage Wentzel (M) dec. CJ Pensiero, 8-2. 215: Matteo Noronha (BM) pinned Owen Kleinman, 4:45. 285: Caleb Rodriguez (BM) dec. Landon Morehart, 7-4 TB2. 107: Keegan Bassett (BM) by forfeit. 114: Eli Herring (BM) pinned Branden Eisenhour, 3:55. 121: Teli Bobotas (M) tech fall Jack Silfies, 16-1, 4:17. 127: Jax Forrest (BM) tech fall David Kennedy, 22-6, 2:16. 135: Austin Carfley (BM) tech fall Blaize Vogel, 19-4, 3:41. 139: Jackson Butler (BM) tech fall Karter Stone, 23-6, 5:13. 145: Sam Herring (BM) pinned Hunter Gee, 1:29. 152: Bo Bassett (BM) pinned Ryan Meredith, 1:43. 160: Devon Magro (BM) tech fall Hayden Harvey, 22-3, 3:29. 172: Melvin Miller (BM) tech fall Zane Butler, 22-4, 0:59.

FRANK DIMON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville's Branden Eisenhour wrestles at 114 pounds during a bout against Bishop McCort's Eli Herring on Friday in Altoona.

FRANK DIMON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville's Landon Morehart wrestles Caleb Rodriguez of Bishop McCort during Friday's match at 285 pounds in Altoona.

FRANK DIMON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville's Gage Wentzel wrestles CJ Pensiero of Bishop McCort on Friday in Altoona.