Butler's deep wrestling lineup too much for Seneca Valley

By JOHN ENRIETTO Eagle Sports Editor

January 21, 2010 Last Updated: January 21, 2010 01:39 PM High School

Butler's Mike Scialabba takes Seneca Valley's Joe Duggan to the mat in their 189-pound match Wednesday night. Scialabba was one of five Golden Tornado wrestlers to record pins in their 53-15 defeat of the Raiders.

BUTLER TWP — Seneca Valley put up a fight. Butler put up the numbers.

The Golden Tornado recorded five pins and won 11 of the 14 matches Wednesday night in posting a 53-15 wrestling victory in the Intermediate High School gym.

The Raiders (7-8) did not forfeit a match despite missing five starters due to injury.

"We lost, but I don't think we wrestled badly," Seneca Valley coach Tom Tomeo said. "We wanted to put up a fight tonight. Butler has a very strong and deep team. Our injuries weren't going to allow us to stay with them."

Butler (11-0) received pins from Eric Tuck at 140 pounds, Dakoda Collins at 152, Cole Baxter at 171, Mike Scialabba at 189 and Tim Fulks at heavyweight. Tuck's pin occurred 52 seconds into his match.

"Winning isn't enough. I have to say that again," Butler coach Scott Stoner said. "We wrestled better at Latrobe on Friday night.

"We had guys grabbing their headgear and backing off when they should have been busting a shot. That's not good."

The most competitive match of the night was at 125 pounds, where SV's Aaron Schettler scored his 14th win of the season with a 4-3 decision over Zach Reges (11-8). Schettler snapped a 2-2 tie with a takedown with 35 seconds left.

Reges scored an escape in the closing five seconds of the match.

"That was a match we should have won," Stoner said. "Zach got caught flat-footed with his head down at a critical point in the match. That has to be unacceptable."

Tomeo said Schettler is "having a great year because he wrestles all year. He's involved in an aggressive summer program and it's paying off for him."

The most surprising result may have been at 103 pounds, where Tornado freshman Blake Caudill (16-2) dominated Raider sophomore Jake Perri (14-5) in a 16-3 decision.

"Blake gave up one takedown against a pretty good kid," Stoner enthused. "Blake never quits wrestling when he's out there. He keeps moving. He's aggressive, always looking to score."

Tomeo wasn't too concerned with that lopsided loss.

"I hadn't seen that Butler kid and we needed to get a look at him," Tomeo said. "He (Caudill) got 11 scramble points — when the two were rolling around the mat — and that's good for him. But we saw what we wanted to see.

"The season's not about what happened tonight. It's about what happens at the section meet."

Both coaches sent inexperienced wrestlers to the mat against top WPIAL matmen.

With 145-pounder Mike Crawford (15-1) out with a knee problem, Butler sophomore Jesse Spohn made his varsity debut against Nate Cully (18-2) and was pinned in 2:47.

"I don't like to forfeit a match if I don't have to," Stoner said. "Jesse is one of the guys we'll be counting on down the road. This was a good experience for him."

Seneca Valley sent Nick Palaski, who just joined the team last week and has had all of three practices, up against unbeaten 171-pounder Cole Baxter. Baxter got the pin in 1:14.

"I asked Nick about it and he wanted to go out there," Tomeo said. "He knows Cole and wanted to give it a try. I leave those decisions up to the kids."

The Raiders received pins from Colton Schiever (17-1) at 119 pounds and from Cully.

SV senior heavyweight Dave Bonetti is out for the season with an elbow injury and senior 152-pounder Dan Papst is sidelined until February.

"Those are two leaders we're really missing right now," Tomeo said.

Seneca Valley hosts a six-team dual match tournament Saturday. Butler wrestles at Franklin Regional Friday.

The Tornado will compete in a quadrangular with North Hills and Fox Chapel at 6 p.m. next Wednesday at North Allegheny to determine the Section 3 champion. Butler faces North Hills while NA meets Fox Chapel. The two winners clash in the finals.

"We'll probably hold Crawford out of the Franklin Regional match, but he should be 100 percent by next week," Stoner said.

Butler 53, Seneca Valley 15103-Blake Caudill (B) dec. Jake Perri, 16-3;

112-Nick Sutton (B) by injury default over Tim O'Shea;

119-Colton Schiever (SV) pinned Brandon Bauer, 3:41;

125-Aaron Schettler (SV) dec. Zach Reges, 4-3;

130-Zach Collins (B) dec. Jason Hildum, 7-0;

135-Cody Hartman (B) dec. Nick Phillips, 5-2;

140-Eric Tuck (B) pinned Matt King, :52;

145-Nate Cully (SV) pinned Jesse Spohn, 2:47;

152-Dakoda Collins(B) pinned Andy Derzak, 2:56;

160-Matt Pribis (B) dec. Kyle Kuzieka, 9-0;

171-Cole Baxter (B) pinned Nick Palaski, 1:14;