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On Tuesday evening, the AAA Boys Wrestling Team Tournament kicked off with the #5-seeded Palmyra Cougars traveling to Northern York High School.
In the first round, Palmyra drew a tough matchup with the #12-seeded Donegal Indians, a deep lineup that powered Donegal to the Lancaster-Lebanon League team championship this past Saturday. But Palmyra responded with a statement performance, then followed it up with a thrilling one-point upset in the quarterfinals to punch its ticket to Saturday’s Semifinals.
Round of 16: Palmyra 41, Donegal 22
Palmyra used a big run through the lower and middle weights to pull away from Donegal, stacking five falls and a technical fall on the way to the 19-point win.
After Donegal opened with bonus points at 189 and added a forfeit at 285, Palmyra flipped the dual in a hurry with back-to-back pins from Elijah Foltz (107, 1:38) and Russell Cisney (114, :16).
From there, the Cougars kept the pressure on with more bonus wins from Nicolas Gordon (127, fall 3:59), Tyler Detwiler (139, TF 20-2, 3:55), Nicholas Weidman (145, fall 4:53), and Aaron Andrew (160, fall 3:31), while also getting key decision victories from Owen Clark (133, 9-4) and Kenneth Coles (215, UTB 8-6).
Donegal’s wins came from Carter Storm (189, TF 15-0), Owen Winters (285, forfeit), Zane Gardner (121, 11-5), Leelan Baughman (152, MD 18-5), and Brady Allessie (172, TF 18-0). The Indians were also docked one team point for a headgear-throwing penalty, helping keep the final at 41-22.
Quarterfinals: Palmyra 30, Northern York 29
The win over Donegal sent Palmyra into the quarterfinals against #4-seeded Northern York, a familiar opponent. Just last Thursday, the Cougars had faced the Polar Bears in a dramatic Keystone Division championship dual — a matchup Northern York won.
This time, Palmyra was determined to turn the page, and they did it in the most dramatic way possible.
Palmyra survived a late push and edged Northern York by a point, 30-29, leaning on a huge bonus-point stretch in the middle of the dual.
Northern York opened with a forfeit win at 215, but Palmyra answered immediately with two more falls, as Elijah Foltz(107) and Russell Cisney (114) delivered pins to swing momentum right back to the Cougars.
Northern York responded with major decisions at 121 and 127, but Palmyra steadied things with close wins at 133 and 160, and got a massive boost from Tyler Detwiler, who posted a technical fall at 139 (17-1, 2:00).
Northern York made its final push with falls at 172 and 189, but Palmyra had already built enough cushion — leading 30-23 entering the final bout — to hold on for the one-point victory.
“We came to their house and broke their hearts”
After the match, Palmyra head coach Jon Regets summed up the moment — and the emotion behind it — with a message his team won’t forget:
“You know, we were heartbroken on Thursday. We wanted more than anything to hang a banner, the first wrestling banner, in our gymnasium. When Brian Weidler (AD) hired me, he told me he wanted a banner to hang in the gym. There’s still no banners in there so we were heartbroken as a team. But I told the guys… we’ll see them again when it matters more than a banner. And we did. We just didn’t know it was going to be tonight. So we came to their house and broke their hearts, so maybe it was supposed to happen this way. But now it’s 1-1 and you never know, there might be a rubber match in the future. If that’s the case, we know it will be fun!”
What’s next?
Palmyra will now move on to Saturday’s semifinals at Central York High School, where the Cougars will face top-seeded Gettysburg.
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If Palmyra wins, they’ll advance to the championship dual and face the winner of Central Dauphin (#2) vs. Wilson (#6).
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If Palmyra falls, the Cougars drop into the consolation bracket with a chance to still finish third — and could potentially see Northern York again, this time on neutral ground.
No matter the path, Palmyra is now one win away from qualifying for the PIAA State Championship Team Tournament.
Whatever happens, there is sure to be some excitement.
Best of luck, Cougars!
The AA Tournament begins Wednesday with Northern Lebanon and Annville-Cleona squaring off in the 1st round. Be sure to check back for those results!
1st Round: Palmyra Area 41, Donegal 22
107 — Elijah Foltz (Palm) pinned Christian Warner (Don), 1:38
114 — Russell Cisney (Palm) pinned Caleb Warner (Don), 0:16
121 — Zane Gardner (Don) dec. Grayson Cisney (Palm), 11-5
127 — Nicolas Gordon (Palm) pinned Modesto Alvarez (Don), 3:59
133 — Owen Clark (Palm) dec. James White (Don), 9-4
139 — Tyler Detwiler (Palm) TF Owen Nelson (Don), 20-2 (3:55)
145 — Nicholas Weidman (Palm) pinned Quinn Weymers (Don), 4:53
152 — Leelan Baughman (Don) MD Evan Andrew (Palm), 18-5
160 — Aaron Andrew (Palm) pinned Mark Silvestri (Don), 3:31
172 — Brady Allessie (Don) TF Alex Csongradi (Palm), 18-0 (2:35)
189 — Carter Storm (Don) TF Kyler Sparks (Palm), 15-0 (4:18)
215 — Kenneth Coles (Palm) over Zachary Bain (Don), UTB 8-6
285 — Owen Winters (Don) won by forfeit
Penalty — Donegal: headgear throw (-1 team point)
Quarterfinal Round: Palmyra Area 30, Northern York 29
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107 — Elijah Foltz (Palm) pinned Carter Rapsey (NY), Fall (time not listed)
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114 — Russell Cisney (Palm) pinned Braylon Barrick (NY), Fall (time not listed)
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121 — Tristin Cruz (NY) MD Grayson Cisney (Palm), 13-2
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127 — Braden Wivell (NY) MD Nicolas Gordon (Palm), 16-3
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133 — Owen Clark (Palm) dec. Jeremiah Bailey (NY), 7-6
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139 — Tyler Detwiler (Palm) TF Braxton Gingerich (NY), 17-1 (2:00)
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145 — Jackson Lininger (NY) dec. Nicholas Weidman (Palm), 7-4
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152 — Evan Andrew (Palm) MD Landen Geidel (NY), 18-10
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160 — Aaron Andrew (Palm) dec. Brayden Slugg (NY), 8-4
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172 — Jake Adams (NY) pinned Alex Csongradi (Palm), Fall (time not listed)
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189 — Logan Rose (NY) pinned Kyler Sparks (Palm), Fall 2:00
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215 — Jadon Niner (NY) won by forfeit
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285 — Kenneth Coles (Palm) dec. Jorge Castillo (NY), 8-3
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