Tornado pinned by early deficit

By JOHN ENRIETTO Eagle Sports Editor

February 04, 2006 Last Updated: February 04, 2006 01:19 PM High School

Chartiers Valley's Ron Fabic controls Butler's Marcus Hough during their heavyweight bout Friday. Fabic took a 4-1 decision as the Colts beat the Golden Tornado 33-25.

BUTLER TWP — Butler's wrestling team is banged up. Friday night, it got banged around.

Chartiers Valley won six consecutive matches, including three by pins, to build a 30-6 lead en route to a 33-25 dual match victory over the Golden Tornado.

The loss snapped a four-match winning streak for Butler (11-4).

"They wrestled us tough and I knew they would," Butler coach Scott Stoner said. "They face a lot of good competition and have some hard-nosed kids. That's why we scheduled them, for the competition."

After the Tornado took a 6-0 lead, courtesy of Jon Sanko and Josh Pascazi winning close decisions at 140 and 145 pounds, the visiting Colts (7-4) went to work.

In the marquee match-up, Chartiers Valley's Corey O'Keefe improved to 22-5 at 152 pounds by pinning Josh Coburn (19-4) at 3:02.

The match was scoreless after the first period before Coburn was pinned for the first time all season.

"We count on Corey to get pins," Colts coach Brian Hutton said. "That's all he ever does. The kid is a stud."

Stoner bumped Aaron Pascazi up to 171 pounds as 13-match winner Dave Coburn missed Friday's action with a knee injury suffered at Seneca Valley last weekend.

That left inexperienced Duane Steifel to face the Colts' Matt Wilfs (23-5) at 160, where Wilfs won by pinfall. Ryan Boynes, an 18-match winner, then decisioned Pascazi at 171.

"As soon as he (Stoner) bumped his 160-pound kid up, it set everything up for us," Hutton said.

The Tornado forfeited at 189, Butler's Marino Quercio was pinned at 215 and Marcus Hough dropped a decision at heavyweight, accounting for Chartiers Valley's 30-6 lead.

Besides Coburn's knee injury, Hough wasn't feeling well Friday, Ian McLaughlin has a bad hand, Quercio has bone spurs in a foot and Stewart Rapone has a knee problem.

"This is the time of year you hope to be peaking, but we've hit a lull," Stoner said. "It's February and we've got some kids banged up."

Rob Runyan did secure his team-leading 11th pin at 103 pounds for Butler, but Brian Nicelli lost in overtime at 112 after taking a 4-0 lead in the first period with a pair of takedowns.

"I was hoping we could get a pin from Ian, win a major decision, get another pin and pull it out," Stoner said. "But that loss clinched it for them."

McLaughlin (18-4) scored a 10-9 decision at 125 pounds over the Colts' Chris Lytle (17-9) after being bumped up from 119.

Chartiers Valley did not have a wrestler at 119.

Rapone won by major decision at 130 for Butler and Alex Evanoff won by pin at 135, but the points were too little, too late.

Notes:

Butler's seven seniors — Rapone, Sam Lentz, Brandon Neff, Josh and Dave Coburn, Aaron Pascazi and Marcus Hough — were honored before the match. … Butler travels to Highlands Tuesday night and has nine dual matches scheduled next week.

Chartiers Valley 33, Butler 25

(match started at 140)

103 pounds —

Rob Runyan (B) pinned Zach Gatter, 3:06

112 —

Patrick Chaussard (CV) dec. Brian Nicelli, 7-5 in OT

119 —

Double forfeit

125 —

Ian McLaughlin (B) dec. Chris Lytle, 10-9

130 —

Stewart Rapone (B) dec. Adam Zombeck, 15-5