After a nice win at 145 pounds by Williamsport’s Lauger Waldman, the Millionaires’ hopes of building off of that win and gaining some momentum looked to be slipping away at 152. Alexander Wright trailed Shikellamy’s Aydin Cox, 8-4, as the clock showed less than 30 seconds remaining in the third period of a swing match that Williamsport needed to win if they wanted a shot of winning the dual.

Wright saved his best for last.

He drew a locked hands call, then scored a reversal that quickly transitioned into a cradle for four nearfall points as found a way to win in dramatic fashion, 11-8. And while Williamsport ended up losing the dual 40-28, it was one of more than a few bright spots for the Millionaires on Thursday night.

“That’s why we wrestle to the end of the match. I hope everyone watched that and saw that. That’s why we don’t give up, and that’s why it matters to wrestle the full six minutes,” Williamsport coach Brian Nasdeo said. “And I just think he out-toughed him, to be honest with you. I think he out-fought him and out-toughed him.”

In bouts wrestled, Williamsport tied Shikellamy 28-28, forfeiting at both 107 and 285. And for a team that has wrestled a tough schedule to start the year while not being at 100%, Nasdeo was pleased with their effort. 

“We’ve been wrestling well the last few weeks, and I’m happy with the effort, for sure. It’s hard. We’ve got some injuries right now, and we’ve got guys out, some good guys out, guys that can really do well for us,” Nasdeo said. “So it’s hard when you’re giving up 12 points right now, and we’re bumping around to fill 172. We had two of those guys go down. So it’s just making it work. We’re doing what we can.”

After Shikellamy’s Austin Wolfe received a forfeit at 107, Williamsport’s Jordan Piselli was dominant in the top position and won via technical fall at the 5:12 mark. But at 121, Shikellamy’s Bobby Felmy won a scramble in a tied match in the third period that resulted in Millionaire Hunter Neuhard on his back. Neuhard was pinned at the 5:40 mark as Shikellamy took a 12-5 lead.

At 127, Williamsport’s Collin Nasdeo won via tech fall over Jacob Hendricks before Shikellamy’s Keatin Lattimore won by major decision over Steven Bott, 14-4. And when Brave Ryder Borich quickly pinned Giovanni Ricci, the Millionaires found themselves down 22-10.

But Waldman’s win at 145 and Wright’s win at 152 got them to within 22-16, setting up a crucial toss-up bout between Williamsport’s Austin Dunlap and Tristan Smith. Dunlap gave up the opening takedown in the first period, but hit a Peterson on bottom for a reversal and four nearfall points to take a 6-3 lead. Then at the 2:38 mark, Dunlap threw Smith feet-to-back and was able to get the fall as Williamsport tied the match at 22.

And when Jahki Burget got another pin in a toss-up match at 172, the Millionaires had a 28-22 lead.

“(Jahki’s) been really pushing to that point where we’re feeling like he’s ready to break out. Maybe that was it,” Nasdeo said.

Both 189 and 215 appeared to be toss-up matches on paper, but Shikellamy won both with falls and cemented their win when Brody Rebuck, one of the state’s top heavyweights who came in undefeated on the season, received a forfeit at 285. 

While it’s always better to come out with a victory, Thursday’s dual gave Naseo confidence that his team could be ready to break out down the stretch run.

“We just need to get guys back. I think if we keep competing at the level we were starting to, good things can happen for us,” Nasdeo said. “I don’t necessarily look at it as wins and losses, and I try to have my team not look at it that way. It’s attitude and effort, and I’m liking what I’m seeing.”

Shikellamy 40, Williamsport 28.

107: Austin Wolfe (S) by forfeit. 114: Jordan Piselli (W) tech fall Max Hallman, 17-1, (n/a). 121: Bobby Felmy (S) pinned Hunter Neuhard (n/a). 127: Collin Nasdeo (W) tech fall Jacob Hendricks, 16-1 (n/a). 133: Keatin Lattimore (S) maj. dec. Steven Bott, 14-4. 139: Ryder Borich (S) pinned Giovanni Ricci (n/a). 145: Lauger Waldman (W) dec. Gavin Keefer, 9-4. 152: Alexander Wright (W) dec. Aydin Cox, 11-8. 160: Austin Dunlap (W) pinned Tristan Smith (n/a). 172: Jahki BUrget (W) pinned Dominc Mojica (n/a). 189: Christian Boetsch (S) pinned Jackson Raker (n/a). 215: Jaxon Snyder (S) pinned Makai Williams (n/a). 285: Brody Rebuck (S) by forfeit.