Franklin Regional wrestling rallies to defeat Norwin, clinch section title
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Wednesday, January 17, 2024 | 10:49 PM
Franklin Regional senior Tyler Kapusta pins Norwin’s Matthew Smethwick at 139 pounds Wednesday.
Franklin Regional’s Luke Ankney gets a two-point reversal to defeat Norwin’s Jack White at 152 pounds. Referee Chris Edenfield singals the winning points, and Franklin Regional wresters celebrate the win Wednesday.
Norwin’s Gage Mamie (left) battles Franklin Regional’s Dom Colaizzi in the 145-pound bout Wednesday.
Norwin freshman Landon Sidun gets a takedown against Franklin Regional’s Chase Smith at 127 pounds Wednesday.
The Franklin Regional wrestling team used a late surge to stay unbeaten and win the Section 3-3A title Wednesday by defeating Norwin in a first-place showdown.
The Panthers (4-0, 15-0) got a pin from senior heavyweight Juliano Marion and three decision wins by their lightweights to rally for a 29-19 victory. Marion’s pin gave the Panthers the lead for good at 21-19.
It was a classic battle between two top-six teams, with No. 3 Franklin Regional winning eight of the 13 matches against No. 6 Norwin (3-1, 10-5).
It was the second time this season that Franklin Regional defeated Norwin. The first meeting was Dec. 9 at the Hampton Duals, with the Panthers winning 34-19.
Franklin Regional coach Matt Lebe spent the day trying to figure out a way to beat Norwin. He did it by bumping up Tyler Kapusta to 139 pounds and Marion to heavyweight.
“We kind of figured they were going to bump up,” Norwin coach Kyle Martin said. “It came down to 50/50 matches, and they won two of them. If we get them, we win.”
The first swing match was at 152 pounds, when Franklin Regional’s Luke Ankney scored a reversal in overtime to defeat Jack White.
The other match was at 172, where the Panthers’ Henry Patts got a takedown with 1 minute, 22 seconds left and held on to defeat A.J. Hewitt, 9-7.
Lebe said Ankney’s win at 152 was huge.
“They have a good wrestler there in Jack White who has been in and out of their lineup, and Luke winning in overtime gave us a lot of momentum,” Lebe said. “There were a lot of big matches. It was a good match. To win eight of them and score 29 points tells how close it was.”
The moves of Kapusta and Marion were big for the Panthers as both seniors recorded pins.
The match went back-and-forth through the first nine bouts. Norwin led 19-15 after Nate Campbell received a forfeit at 189.
The Knights’ other wins were a major decision by Landon Sidun at 127 and decisions by Gage Mamie (145), Nick Puskar (160) and Aiden Pham (215).
“We’re close,” Martin said. “I’m proud of how we wrestled. Maybe we’ll meet them in the playoffs. Our guys fought off their backs. They’re really good.”
The Panthers’ other decision wins were by Nico Sarnic (133), Titus Colangelo (107), Mike Ruane (114) and Sal Nassif (121).
“In toss-up matches that they could win or we could win and we just know our guys will compete hard.” Lebe said. “The kids gave us their best effort. There were numerous toss-up matches.
“It’s important because these guys have worked hard all year to accomplish their goals. The hard work paid off. They expected to be in this position to win the section.”
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.
Tags: Franklin Regional, Norwin
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