Redbank Valley
vs
Johnsonburg
12/10/01
@ New Bethlehem, PA

District IX

Opening at 103, Dave Condino bulled through Frank Magagnotti's front headlock into a nice double for the first takedown. He then launched into a strong bar and wrist, which would end up being the theme for the night - J'burg likes that a lot! Late in the third, Magagnotti made what looked like a tactical error when he tried to reach back and grab Condino's head - half the people in gym, his coaches included,were yelling, "don't reach back!" Then he sucked Condino's head under, applied a strong headlock, and notched the fall at 1:28. That's a bad habit, but he certainly got away with it this time! I don't think the coaches were TOO upset with him.

J'burg elected to leave Mike Hollingshead on the bench and forfeited to Keith Pavlekovsky, two time state medalist, probably in the interest of Mr. Momentum...

Immediately bringing on Keith Miller, last year's District AND Regional Champ, to face Joe Garrison. Garrison attempted a fireman's carry which went nowhere, but he switched off into a deep single and elevated into a high single - off the mat, but the action went OB. Sigh. On the restart, Miller went offense with a double, but a whizzer took THAT OB. Miller made the next attack stand up for a takedown and ran a hard bar and wrist for 3 nearfall points - and very close to a pin. Resetting, Miller ran the same combination, but got only 2 due to the buzzer. Garrison chose Neutral in the second, but Miller scored again on a strong double and immediately ran a tight half nelson and made an attempt at a head lever, but no points were scored. Miller selected top in the 3rd as he was having little trouble maintaining control. JG attempted a switch off the whistle, but Miller pulled him back down and ran the bar. An attempt at a standup went OB and a nice Granby roll was countered. Miller went back to the bar and tried a tilt to the other side, but JG was having none of that, finally making it to his feet, cutting lose and firing off a deep double of his own for the reversal. Miller tried a switch, then a standup, but Garrison had a strong tight waist and was able to lift and drop Miller to the mat on every attempt. At the buzzer, 9-2, Johnsonburg - the reversal saved the major decision at least.

Seth Hammond came out at 125 with a nice single leg attack that Mike Votano defended with a sprawl and double-underhook. One scramble went OB, the next was stopped due to an illegal head scissors by Votano. 1-0 at the period. MV elected down and Hammond, a transplant from Brookville, fired off their standard cross-face cradle. Votano was able to slip an arm and score a reversal, but that situation could have been a lot worse. Votano dug in the double-legs on top, but Hammond got tons of elevation, shook him down and got out for his own reversal. 3-2 RV at the end. Hammond took down in the third, knowing those legs were coming at him again. They were. Double legs, power half, then a guillotine, which slipped - it happens. Hammond locked up the headlock at 5:33 and RV was up 18-3.

Greg Nolf scored an early takedown on Eric Iorfido and made it stand up for a 2-0 win. Nolf ran a tripod, looking for his bread-and-butter Peterson roll, but couldn't convert. Iorfido attempted the power legs, but only stalemated. In the third, Iorfido made several attempts at a switch, but Nolf countered each time with a strong tight waist. GN ran a pump handle for a while, tried to turn with a turk ride, but no points went on the board. RV goes to 21-3. The hole is getting deep.

Scott Smith livened things up with an attempted throw early in the 135 match, but it went OB. Joe Fabres shot a single, which Smith countered with a sprawl and a quarter-nelson - went OB. Smith tried a shrug - OB, a headlock also went OB. It was starting to look like somebody was playing the edge. Second period, at 0-0, Smith runs a cross-wrist tilt to N2! And again for another N2! and a third time. 6-0, quick! Fabres come almost loose, but Smith's front headlock takes them OB. On the start, Fabres tries a sit-and-switch, but no go. Buzzzz. Smith, doing nicely on top, chooses Up in the 3rd. Controlling the attempted sit and switch several times, he eventually yields an escape. After some collar and elbow dancing, Smith hits a headlock at the end that stands up for a takedown and three back points and an 11-1 final. 25-3. Major decision. Deeper.

In a low scoring battle at 140, Redbank's Tanner Huffman took the match into overtime and probably won on a bad choice by Mike Carter. Carter scored early on a deep single, despite a series of nice counters by Huffman. A quick sit and switch got the reversal and a 2-2 match was in place. Attacking with a cross-body and spiral rides, Huffman scored no further points. Selecting down in the 2nd, Huffman was subjected to a series of high-half and wrist attacks from both sides, but yielded nothing. With Carter down in the 3rd, Huffman came at him with his cross-body ride - attacking with a cradle and an attempt at the splits - nothing. A very nice switch by Carter was countered by an equally nice reswitch - and we're in overtime. No score in overtime and it's the tiebreaker. Under the new rule this year, Carter automatically gets choice of position due to scoring first with that early takedown. And here's the rub: he takes down. Go figure. Each of theses guys rode strong for an entire period. Top would seem to be the place to be. Everybody on the Johnsonburg bench was indicating, "take top." Match ends, 2-2, win by rideout. Saw that coming. 28-3

145 was a truly odd match. Francis Jovenitti could not seem to be able to figure out what to do with Brady McCauley. He had no trouble taking him down, scoring a total of 5 takedowns and a reversal for a 12-7 victory that put SOME points on the J'burg side. But once he got Brady on the mat, he couldn't generate any kind of solid attack and never really came close to scoring nearfall points. And at the same time, he didn't seem to consciously be playing the cut-em-loose and take-em-down game either. With five escapes and a reversal late in the third period, McCauley keeps it close. 28-6.

Doug Nolf and Bill Myers put no points on the board in the first. Nolf scored a reversal out of scramble in the second and fell into a headlock that stood for the fall in 3:03. Deeper. 34-6 after 152. That locked the match. Four pins would yield only 24 points and RV would still win 34-30. Which is good, because here comes the big guns of the Rams.

Francis Iorfido, returning state champ for the Rams, made short work of Dustin Huffman with a cradle in 0:45. Six points and J'burg breaks into double digits. 34-12 - but it's 160 and only three to go.

At 171, Ron Geist faces Francis's relative, Steve Iorfido - OW of the Penns Valley tourney. But Mr. Mo is riding hard on the Bulldogs. Geist gets caught in a headlock, which looks like trouble, but he rolls through, action goes OB. After a stall call, Geist gets taken down and gives up three NF points, going into the 2nd 5-0. Geist runs a high tripod, Iorfido attacks with a spiral ride and a cross-wrist, nobody gets anywhere. BOTH of these boys have been spending some time in the weight room. Horses! Iorfido elects down in the 3rd, pops out and hits a quick takedown for an 8-0 lead, but that would be it. Another tripod on bottom, a high half on top - eventually a stall warning on top - Iorfido was controlling more than attacking. A major decision advances J'burg to 34-16.

Dan Carnovale was able to stave off the front headlock of Andrew Kespehler for a period to take a 0-0 score into the 2nd at 189. Electing down, Carnovale notched an escape and a TD before getting dinged with a stall call. Kespehler made a weak shot at a double and gave up another TD for a 5-1 period. Off the bottom, AK came to his feet (1) and scored a headlock near the line for a TD and a 4-pt NF as Carnovale indicated an injury while flat on his back. On the restart, Carnovale escaped and pulled it to within 8-6, but a final shot went nowhere and RV tacked on three more for 37-16.

Taking us to a VERY entertaining 275 match. Everybody knows the 275 bout tends to be boring - endless dancing, no shooting. Not tonight. After an initial stall call against Nathan Colson, Charles Boozer felt him leaning in and hit an honest-to-gosh judo arm throw which stood for the fall at 1:29 and a final of 43-16. With this and the "payback" match against Bailor of Curwensville last week, Boozer is on a ROLL! As are the Bulldogs.

Now what will they do with St. Mary's?

RV       top       Johnsonburg