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| Photo by Nate Heckenberger/Downingtown West's Dan Pommerer netted his 100th career victory as the Whippets advanced to the second day of the District 1 Duals with wins over W.C. Rustin and Norristown. |
By NATE HECKENBERGER
WESTTOWN -- In the first round of action in the District 1 Duals, Downingtown West’s Dan Pommerer got things started with a milestone win. In the second round, the senior finished things off.
In between, Pommerer saw some of his younger teammates step up, all while helping his team get back to a spot the Whippets of old made commonplace.
Pommerer won his 100th career match in the opening bout of the night, and No. 9 Downingtown West discarded No. 24 West Chester Rustin, 49-18, in the first round and then No. 8 Norristown, 43-33, in the second.
The Whippets advanced to the second day of the duals for the first time since 2008 and will face No. 1 Owen J. Roberts February 1 in the quarterfinals.
"I remember watching those teams and I could probably name everyone in the lineup," Pommerer said. "They were all great individuals and I really looked up to them. It’s great to get where they were. It means a lot to follow in their footsteps and hopefully we can keep improving and carry on the West legacy."
The Whippets (22-6) started slow against the Golden Knights (6-5), but after a 9-9 tie through four bouts, West outscored Rustin 40-9 the rest of the way.
"With a team with a lot of underclassmen in the lineup, experience in this kind of setting with a lot of good kids is nice to have," Rustin coach Brad Harkins said. "To learn from experience they get and from watching others, as well, is nice."
Norristown, the District 1 runner-up in 2012, has a much different look this winter. The Eagles came in at 10-0 and start with almost 18 automatic points against most teams in the district with state medalists Zach Fuentes (120), Brett Harner (182) and state qualifier Mike Springer (145).
The trio held up to their reputations, earning three first-period pins. Springer worked his in eight seconds, one tick quicker than Harner. Despite the strong firepower, West still felt it had a good chance to move on.
"I liked our matchups, especially with Pete (Rhoads) and Gabe (Hale) dropping," West coach Corey Sigle said.
Norristown had leads of as much as 12 and 11, as late as the 10th bout, but the Whippets got major production from its lightweights.
The Eagles forfeited at 106, bumping Armon Weems to 113. West’s Joe Rennie got in on Weems numerous times to no avail in the first two periods, and changed the momentum of the meet with a third-period pin.
"That was a good move on (the Eagles’) part, because they had to forfeit somewhere," Sigle said. "They did it at 106 and tried to win at 113 and 120. Props to Joey for stepping up and getting the win, and not only the win, but bonus points were key."
Rennie’s win gave West its first lead of the contest, 28-27, but Fuentes quickly took it back. Mike Murta (126) and Tristan Reynolds (132) stole the lead again with pins, and this time the Whippets would not relinquish it.
"They’re program kids," Sigle said. "They’re always around, all year round, and they work hard and love wrestling. You need kids like that to be a successful team and a successful program."
Pommerer closed out the night with an 11-4 decision to give him 101 victories.
"It means a lot to me," Pommerer said of the 100-win mark. "It’s something I dreamed of since I was a little kid. To hit the milestone is a big deal. I owe a lot to my coaches and my team and I have to give a big shoutout to coach (Brad) Breese. He’s been there anytime I’ve needed him to work on stuff."
The Whippets were without an injured Jeff Jackman (152), but expect him to be back next week.
Downingtown West 43, Norristown 33
145- Springer (NT) pinned Garber, :08 (0-6)
152- Rashon Lusane (NT) pinned Lucci, 3:09 (0-12)
160- Rhoads (DW) maj. dec. May, 14-4 (4-12)
170- Hale (DW) pinned Smith, 1:47 (10-12)
182- Harner (NT) pinned Chambers, :09 (10-18)
195- Duplicki (DW) pinned Samuel, 5:43 (16-18)
220- Rasheed Lusane (NT) pinned McClelland, 2:22 (16-24)
285- Hill (NT) dec. Austin, 2-1 (16-27)
106- Smith (DW) won by forfeit (22-27)
113- Rennie (DW) pinned Weems, 5:40 (28-27)
120- Fuentes (NT) pinned Angelini, 1:22 (28-33)
126- Murta (DW) pinned Castro, 3:52 (34-33)
132- Reynolds (DW) pinned Colclough, 1:47 (40-33)
138- D. Pommerer (DW) dec. Soldano, 11-4 (43-33)
Downingtown West 49, West Chester Rustin 18
138- D. Pommerer (DW) dec. Lourido, 5-2 (3-0)
145- Ricci (WCR) pinned Garber, :33 (3-6)
152- C. Hatzipavlides (WCR) dec. Lucci, 5-0 (3-9)
160- Rhoads (DW) pinned Monagul, :56 (9-9)
170- Chambers (DW) dec. Weaver, 1-0 (12-9)
182- Hale (DW) pinned Barcusky, 2:46 (18-9)
195- Spriggs (WCR) dec. Duplicki, 3-1 SV (18-12)
220- McClelland (DW) pinned Sheikh, 1:11 (24-12)
285- Austin (DW) dec. Moscharis, 6-0 (27-12)
106- Smith (DW) pinned Cooper, :11 (33-12)
113- Pascale (WCR) pinned Rennie, :17 (33-18)
120- Angelini (DW) maj. dec. Cugini, 12-2 (37-18)
126- Reynolds (DW) pinned Bartholomew, 3:45 (43-18)
132- Murta (DW) pinned Walters, 4:00 (49-18)
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