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When it comes to postseason duals wrestling, bonus points are the name of the game. But it was Montoursville's lone win not by bonus points that stood out among all the rest. That win belonged to senior Gabe Vanderwall, who eked out a 1-0 decision against Dominick Lentini despite giving up plenty of weight at heavyweight to give Montoursville three of its 53 points as they cruised to a 53-18 victory over Mount Carmel on Wednesday.
The win advances the Warriors to Saturday's quarterfinals Milton.
"He had a close match with him earlier in the season. That was a 1-0 match going the other direction. So he's come a long way from where he started the season, as far as his progression and being able to wrestle a heavyweight style while weighing 215 pounds,” Montoursville coach Matt Yonkin said. “I'm really proud of how he's battled, learned to hand fight, stay out of danger, and capitalize on opportunities when they come. We've put a lot of pressure on him to come to his feet and get out, and he did that tonight. Super proud of him.”
Vanderwall and Lentini wrestled to a scoreless first period as Vanderwall was able to control ties effectively as Lentini tried to take ground and use his size to his advantage. Vanderwall started the second period on bottom and was able to peel away for an escape early in the period, setting up a dramatic third period.
"I just thought if I lay down there, it's just gonna drain me out with having that much weight on me constantly. So my goal was just to keep my head up and keep pushing up. Because if I didn't push up, then he was just gonna ride me out," Vanderwall said.
On paper, it looked to be a tall task for the Warrior to ride out a much bigger Lentini. And when Lentini got to his feet immediately off of the whistle to start the period, it seemed like he would get a quick escape. But Vanderwall was able to get a back trip for a first of a few mat returns.
And after Lentini was given a restart and let off with just a stalling warning after reaching for the hardwood to get a restart, Vanderwall dropped in on a single leg and was able to belly out Lentini for the remainder of the match.
“I talked with our old heavyweight (2025 state qualifier Landon Morehart) and he gave me some simple tips, like using their weight against them. If they're leaning back, do that backwards strip,” Vanderwall said. “If they're leaning forward, just push forward. Because if you try to push that weight one way, they can just take you with them.”
Outside of the heavyweight match, it was a drama-free night inside Montoursville against the Red Tornadoes. The only other match that went the distance was a 12-6 decision win for Coltyn Wagner over Brayden Mirarck at 121 in the first contested bout of the evening. The Warriors’ Brody Bower, Kaden Kleinman, Haze Mullen and Gage Wentzel all won by fall. Branden Eisenhour, Ethan Amato and Hayden Harvey won by forfeit as Montoursville racked up plenty of bonus points in contested bouts.
"We talked a lot in the room about transitioning from position to position and being able to capitalize, and we did. We did a nice job moving into hitting combinations tonight," Yonkin said.
Montoursville now advances to Saturday's tournament at Milton, where the eight round of 16 winners will compete in a modified double-elimination tournament to determine the three state qualifiers set to advance out of District 4. Yonkin believes the Warriors' grueling schedule has prepared them for this upcoming weekend.
“We prepare for this throughout the year. We go to the Clearfield duals and that's a long, grueling day of dual meet after dual meet, and being able to get stronger as the day goes and stay resilient in those situations. I think our schedule has prepared us for this, and it's something we take a lot of pride in,” Yonkin said. “I don't think anybody (in District 4) has wrestled the schedule we've wrestled this year. When you start looking at some of the competition we've faced, when we reach outside our league and pick up schools like Mifflinburg Montgomery, and also go into State College, then to Clearfield, General McLane, and Bishop McDevitt, I'll put that schedule up against anybody. I think we're as battle-tested as anyone, and I'm ready to put it to the test.”
The team's first match on Saturday will be against Williamson.
In the first pigtail round, Mount Carmel beat Muncy, 42-33, prior to losing to Mount Carmel.
Montoursville 53, Mount Carmel 18
114: Ethan Amato (Mtv) by forfeit. 121: Coltyn Wagner (Mtv) dec. Brayden Mirarck, 12-6. 127: Brody Bower (Mtv) pinned Thomas Berezovske, 3:45. 133: Teli Bobotas (Mtv) tech. fall Gavin Kotzo, 19-4, 1:25. 139: Kaden Kleinman (Mtv) pinned Bradley Clark, 2:38. 145: Haze Mullen (Mtv) pinned Christopher Folk, 2:55. 152: Lukas Carpenter (MCA) pinned Maxton Williamson, 4:44. 160: Alexander LaMas (MCA) pinned Brady Evans, 1:13. 172: Gage Wentzel (Mtv) pinned Evan Jones, 1:38. 189: Hayden Harvey (Mtv) by forfeit. 215: Keegan Brown (MCA) pinned Mason Murray, 1:15. 285: Gabriel Vanderwall (Mtv) dec. Dominick Lentini, 1-0. 107: Branden Eisenhour (Mtv) by forfeit.