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Dragons 2nd at D-10 Team Dual Championships

Photo submitted to the Times Observer Warren wrestlers and coaches show off their silver medals following the District 10 Class 3A Team Dual Championships at the Hagerty Family Events Center, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019. The Dragons won their semifinal match against Meadville, 36-30, to advance to the finals of the District 10 Class 3A Team Dual Championships. The Ramblers took home the D-10 team title and moved on to the PIAA state tournament with a 55-15 win over the Dragons.

ERIE, Pa. – Warren’s wrestling team advanced to the finals of the District 10 Class 3A Team Dual Championships for the first time in over a decade Wednesday at the Hagerty Family Events Center.

Warren topped Meadville in the semifinals, but unfortunately for the Dragons, they ran into a buzzsaw in Erie Cathedral Prep. The Ramblers defeated the Dragons, 55-15, to claim their fourth straight D-10 team title.

It was the first time the Dragons had qualified for the team duals since 2013. They lost to Corry in 2001 and qualified for the state tournament in 2005.

“Very pleased with the win over Meadville and the performance against Prep,” Warren coach Dean Johnson said. “It was a total team effort tonight and the guys really brought it.”

Warren got wins from Kyle Swick, Avery Smith and Ryan Madigan but it wasn’t enough to keep pace with with a CP team featuring four returning state medal winners, including defending champion Carter Starocci.

Photo submitted to the Times Observer Warren’s Ryan Madigan tries to put Erie Cathedral Prep’s Troy Lata to the mat during their 126-pound match in the District 10 Class 3A Team Dual Championship finals at the Hagerty Family Events Center, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019. Madigan got the first-period pin, but the Ramblers came away with the team title in a 55-15 win over the Dragons.

Those four, Paniro Johnson (152), Starocci (182), Dorian Crosby (220) and Kawaun DeBoe (285) all earned bonus points (major decision, pin, tech fall and pin) to build the Ramblers lead.

Warren hung with Prep through the early going. The Ramblers picked up decisions at 132 and 138 before Swick got the Dragons on the board with a 5-4 win over Caleb Caravan. It was the first loss of the night for Prep as the Ramblers had shut out McDowell in the semifinals, 73-0.

The Ramblers came back with a vengeance, rattling off nine straight wins-all with bonus points-to put the match away. Prep got major decisions at 152 and 160, pins at 170, 182 and 195, a tech fall at 220, another pin at 285, a forfeit at 106 and a pin at 113.

The Dragons closed strong. Smith picked up a hard-fought pin at 120 and Madigan made quick work of his opponent with a first-period pin at 126.

“It’s always nice to compete with top level talent,” Johnson said. “It was a nice guage of where we are and where we need to be.”

In the semifinals, Warren built an early lead against Meadville and avenged an earlier loss to the Bulldogs with a 36-30 win.

Madigan got things started with a first-period pin at 126. Alex Anderson followed with a 10-3 decision at 132 and Donovan Fiscus decked Tyler Powell early in the third to give the Dragons a 15-0 advantage.

Meadville took the next two weight classes with a pin at 145 and a decision at 152, but the Dragons picked up a forfeit at 160 and Jamo Douvlos earned a 7-2 decision at 170 to get the points right back.

The teams traded victories through the next several weight classes. The Bulldogs got the pin at 182, but the Dragons picked up a second forfeit win at 195. Meadville got a decision at 220, but Warren countered with a Billy Anderson pin at 285 to go up 36-18.

With three matches remaining, the Bulldogs would have to “pin out” just to tie.

Though he came away with a 6-2 loss at 106, Connor Papalia ensured the Dragons would move to the finals by keeping his shoulders off the mat. Meadville closed out the match with a pin at 113 and a decision win at 120.

Warren still has some important dual meets on the schedule before the Dragon wrestlers can turn their attention to the individual postseason tournaments.

The Dragons were scheduled to host Cambridge Springs today, but that match has been postponed with no makeup date announced.

“We are looking forward to cooperation from Mother Nature with the remainder of the season,” Johnson said.

– – –

Results

Semifinals: Warren 36, Meadville 30

126: Ryan Madigan (W) pin Dakota Bisk, 1:24

132: Alex Anderson (W) dec. Tanner Ehrgott, 10-3

138: Donovan Fiscus (W) pin Tyler Powell, 4:35

145: Trent Tidball (M) pin Kyle Swick, 3:15

152: Nick Rinella (M) dec. John Fankhouser, 10-4

160: Zack Zinger (W) via forfeit

170: Jamo Douvlos (W) dec. Griffin Buzzell, 7-2

182: Maxwell Brown (M) pin Brandon Daugharthy, 0:27

195: MaBrukhe Tagba (W) via forfeit

220: Thomas Pollard (M) dec. Joey Arnold, 11-5

285: Billy Anderson (W) pin Benedikt Heins, 1:17

106: William Terwilliger (M) dec. Connor Papalia, 6-2

113: Vincen Rinella (M) pin Christian Papalia, 3:44

120: Avery Brunson (M) dec. Avery Smith, 14-11

– – –

Finals: Erie Cathedral Prep 55, Warren 15

132: Alex Chelton (P) dec. Alex Anderson, 9-3

138: Caden Farr (P) dec. Donovan Fiscus, 7-3

145: Kyle Swick (W) dec. Caleb Caravan, 5-4

152: Paniro Johnson (P) maj. dec. John Fankhouser, 16-7

160: Kelyn Blossey (P) maj. dec. Zack Zinger, 13-5

170: Luke Sittinger (P) pin Jamo Douvlos, 1:28

182: Carter Starocci (P) pin MaBrukhe Tagba, 1:54

195: Kareem Carson (P) pin Joey Arnold, 5:50

220: Dorian Crosby (P) tech fall Jacob Hayes, 17-2

285: Kawaun DuBoe (P) pin Billy Anderson, 1:27

106: Jacob Van Dee (P) via forfeit

113: Kaemen Smith (P) pin Christian Papalia, 0:49

120: Avery Smith (W) pin Philip Stark, 5:04

126: Ryan Madigan (W) pin Troy Lata, 1:36

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