Easton 38, Upper Perkiomen 24

December 11, 2004

112 - Chris Sheetz (UP) WBF Ju-Ju Drummond, 1:32
119 - Brad Gentzle (E) DEC Austin Reed, 4-2
125 - Seth Ciasulli (E) WBTF Ryan Johnson, 15-0; 5:12
130 - Josh Oliver (E) WBF Dustin Kern, 5:16
135 - Alex Krom (E) WBTF Ryan Lapish, 26-9; 6:00
140 - Zack Kemmerer (UP) DEC Andrew Goldstein, 6-3
145 - Braylin Williams (E) WBFFT
152 - Kyle Hershey (E) DEC Sam Walters, 6-5
160 - Brent Fiorito (UP) DEC Sal Crivellaro, 3-1
171 - David Crowell (E) DEC Jimmy McVeigh, 11-8
189 - Zach Pizzaro (E) DEC Alex Maza, 6-2
215 - Derek Bennett (UP) WBF Kyle Snyder, 1:19
275 - Justin Brey (UP) WBF Kevin Derr, 2:38
103 - Jordan Oliver (E) Maj Dec Shane Smith, 12-3

Hershey makes quick impact in Easton victory
Senior's decision at 152 helps Rovers to 38-24 win over Upper Perk.

By Beth Hudson
Of The Morning Call

Kyle Hershey didn't wrestle a varsity match before this year.

The closest the Easton senior had been to the lineup was last season against Blair Academy, when Hershey warmed up with the Red Rovers but didn't wrestle. Still, the memory of that experience stayed with him through the offseason and summer conditioning.

''He's been No. 1 in his class since ninth grade,'' Easton coach Steve Powell said. ''He's obviously a good student, and he's put that to work in the weight room.''

If Hershey needed an extra incentive Saturday night against Upper Perkiomen, he found it when the Indians forfeited the 145-pound match to Easton's Braylin Williams and sent Sam Walters to face Hershey at 152.

After building a 4-3 advantage over Walters through two periods, Hershey used a third-period escape and held off Walters for a 6-5 victory. His win gave the Rovers a 28-9 lead, and they went on to win 38-24 in an early season contest between District 11 and District One powers.

And, by the way, after Hershey won his bout, the Easton fans roared their approval a sure sign that a Rover wrestler has arrived on the varsity.

''Easton's one of the top programs in the country,'' Hershey said. ''Just to be on a team with these guys, it's amazing. I just want to do anything I can for the team.''

Against Upper Perk, that meant winning one of the close matches. The Indians took the early lead with a first-period fall from 112-pound sophomore Chris Sheetz. A returning state medalist, Sheetz wrapped Ju-Ju Drummond in a headlock and ended the bout at 1:32.

But Easton senior Brad Gentzle (119) took down Austin Reed twice in a key decision, and the Rovers followed that with the heart of their lineup 2004 state silver medalists Josh Oliver and Seth Ciasulli and three-time state qualifier Alex Krom.

With that trio of seniors combining for two technical falls and a pin, Easton took a 19-6 advantage after the 135 bout. Upper Perk's Zack Kemmerer (140), another state medalist, scored two third-period takedowns in a 6-3 decision over Andrew Goldstein, but Easton compensated by gaining a forfeit in the next bout. The Rovers (2-0) are coming off a second-place finish in a Florida tournament.

''You're trying to figure out where your weaknesses are, what you can improve on, where your strengths are and what you can capitalize on,'' Powell said. ''We've gotten that out of both competitions.''

Easton sophomore David Crowell (171) and senior Zach Pizarro (189) won back-to-back decisions before Upper Perk's Derek Bennett (215) and Justin Brey (275) erased part of the deficit with pins.

We've got a lot of rookies in there, so a match like this is very important,'' Upper Perkiomen coach Tom Hontz said. '' the goal is January, February and March not December.''

beth.hudson@mcall.com

610-820-6501