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K-Kids come together
Mike Wechsler picks up key win as No. 3 Konkrete Kids KO No. 2 Red Rovers.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
By MIKE WEILAMANN
The Express-Times
PALMER TWP. | It was one of those nights where everything went right for Northampton
Area High School's wrestling team.
The Konkrete Kids got the coin flip to start, a big upset win by Mike Wechsler at 145 pounds and a truckload of
bonus points.
All of that added up to a 34-25 Lehigh Valley Conference victory over Easton before a crowd of about 1,000 at the
25th Street Gym.
"In the beginning of the year no one really thought much of us," said Konkrete Kids coach Terry Daubert,
whose team has won 10 straight since a 37-15 loss at Nazareth on Jan. 4. "This win was important for our team
and we have to start thinking we're pretty darn good."
Easton (16-3 overall, 5-1 LVC), ranked second in The Express-Times region, was forced to play its hand early after
losing the flip.
Coach Steve Powell opted to send 125-pounder Ju-Ju Drummond out at 130 to start the match and he worked Louis Schwarz
for a technical fall.
But the Red Rovers gave up four pins and a major, along with Colin Dailey's surprising 4-1 loss to Wechsler.
"Losing the flip certainly made us commit what matchups we wanted," Powell said. "I thought we were
favored at 145 and we knew we couldn't give up the falls."
No. 3 Northampton (13-3, 5-1) led 31-25 heading into the final bout when senior Chris Wieller capped the night
with a stunning 1-0 win over Easton star Russ Souders at 125.
A second period escape when Souders (26-3), the top-ranked 119-pounder in the region, was trying to turn Wieller
(18-5) to his back with the legs in was the difference.
What I wanted to do was end on a good note," said Wieller, ranked second in the region at 125.
Junior Jake Stout had a key 7-3 win over Mike Biase at 135 and Jake Wandler did a nice job of avoiding bonus points
in a 10-4 loss to Braylin Williams at 140.
That's when Wechsler (13-9) gave the K-Kids a huge lift.
Wechsler, a sophomore in his first varsity season, had Dailey (22-9), ranked third in the region, in trouble twice
after converting takedowns. The K-Kid hit a barrel roll for his second takedown in the second period and nearly
had back points.
"I knew I had to wrestle hard to win and I think I wrestled really well and our team came out on top,"
Wechsler said. "(Coach Daubert) told me just to stay on offense the entire match. I knew (Dailey) did legs
on top and when I went on bottom the in third period I knew I had to stay off my back."
Marcus Wilson cut Northampton's deficit to 13-10 with a major of Joe Piro at 160 -- taking the Red Rover down with
10 seconds left for the bonus.
Mike Wolfer's 32-second pin at 171 was one of three in the upper weights and gave the K-Kids their first lead which
they never relinquished. Region champ Justin Wieller added a huge 3-1 decision over Cory Rutt at 189, followed
by pins from Aaron Chamberlain (215) and Justin Oplinger (275).
"We thought we could get some bonus points up top," Daubert said. "We knew we could win both 189
and 215 and the pin at 215 obviously was a bonus."
Both coaches know their teams could very well meet up again in just over a week at the District 11 Class AAA duals
-- like they've done twice in the three previous seasons.
"I would think there's little doubt we wouldn't," Powell said.
Mike Weilamann can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at mweilamann@express-times.com
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Northampton hangs on to edge Easton
Kids' Chris Wieller seals 34-25 win with big decision at 125.
By Beth Hudson
Of The Morning Call
While the final bouts unfolded under a glaring spotlight, Northampton senior Chris Wieller paced in a dark recess
of Easton's 25th Street Gym.
Now and then, a teammate would offer him a word of advice or encouragement. And, occasionally, Wieller would steal
a glance at the mat to see why people were cheering.
Mostly, though, he walked back and forth behind his team's bench, concentrating on what he would do if the contest
came down to him in the final bout of the night, 125 pounds.
''I just wanted to end it on a good note,'' Wieller said.
Well, consider it done.
Though Northampton's situation wasn't nearly as precarious as it could've been, Wieller still approached the match
as a must-win. He scored the only point, a second-period escape, and went on to beat Easton's Russ Souders to put
the finishing touch on the Konkrete Kids' 34-25 victory over the Red Rovers on Wednesday night.
''It's great,'' Wieller said. ''He's a ranked wrestler. Just knowing I could beat him makes me know I'm really
competitive. ... I wrestled him twice before. He beat me by a point each time, so I knew it was going to be a close
match.''
Most had the same feeling about this year's Easton-Northampton dual, but Northampton coach Terry Daubert liked
his chances when he found out the teams were starting at 130.
''We were fine with that,'' he said. ''I think the worst place we could start at is down on the bottom, where they
could get on a run.''
The teams traded victories through the first four matches, with Northampton's Mike Wechsler (145) picking up one
of several key victories, a 4-1 decision over Colin Dailey. Dailey grabbed one of Wechsler's legs and seemed poised
to strike in the first period, but Wechsler ended up on top for the takedown.
And, after Jules Knighton extended Easton's lead to 13-6 with a technical fall at 152, Northampton went on what
ended up being the decisive run.
First, there was Marcus Wilson at 160.
Holding a 4-2 lead over Joe Piro early in the third period, the K-Kid then went on a 7-1 run. His final takedown
late in the match turned a decision into a major.
Mike Wolfer (171) needed only 32 seconds to pin Keenan Walls, and Justin Wieller (189) scored the only takedown
of the match in a decision over Cory Rutt.
Then Aaron Chamberlain (215) and Justin Oplinger (275) used back-to-back falls to give Northampton its biggest
lead of the night, 31-13, with four bouts remaining.
''The pin at 215 was obviously a bonus,'' Daubert said, adding that there was pressure on his upperweights to win
big. ''That they came through and got those bonus points was important. ... Our guys wrestled really well.''
At that point, Easton needed more than victories, it needed bonus points. Easton coach Steve Powell opted to send
Souders, one of Pennsylvania's top 119-pounders, up a weight to face Wieller.
The Rovers won three of the final four bouts, but it wasn't enough.
Jordan Oliver had Easton's only pin, cradling Josh Yurasits for a first-period fall at 103, and Kegan Handlovic
(112) and Brandon Veres (119) earned decisions.
''It was a darn good high school match,'' Powell said. ''I don't think there was any injury time, any blood time.''
He's almost certain the teams will meet again — most likely, a week from Saturday at the District 11 duals. Before
that happens, however, Easton will face Nazareth next Wednesday at the 25th Street Gym.
beth.hudson@mcall.com
610-820-6501
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