Quick start sparks Franklin Regional wrestling to win over Ringgold
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Wednesday, January 3, 2024 | 10:50 PM
Franklin Regional’s Cohen Buccicone puts Ringgold’s Andrew Barkey on his back during their 139-pound match Wednesday.
Ringgold’s Tanner Shawl (back) tries to pull over Franklin Regional’s Ethan Cartwright during their 152-pound match Wednesday.
Ringgold’s Jake Conroy (left) and Franklin Regional’s Juliano Marion battle at 215 pounds Wednesday. Conroy won, 6-4.
Franklin Regional senior Dom Colaizzi grabs the leg of Ringgold’s Braydon Campbell during their 133-pound match Wednesday.
Franklin Regional’s Ethan Cartwright locks in a cradle against Ringgold’s Tanner Shawl in the 152-pound match Wednesday.
Franklin Regional senior Ty Kapusta locks in a cradle and pins Ringgold’s Brennan Ambrose at 127 pounds Wednesday.
Franklin Regional senior Dom Colaizzi fights off Ringgold’s Braydon Campbell (front) in the 133-pound match Wednesday.
Franklin Regional’s Cohen Buccicone (top) battles Ringgold’s Andrew Barkey at 139 pounds Wednesday. Buccicone won 16-3.
A quick start was the perfect recipe for the No. 4 Franklin Regional wrestling team in its Section 3-3A first-place showdown against Ringgold on Wednesday.
The unbeaten Panthers (12-0, 2-0) got a pin from senior Ty Kapusta at 127 pounds to start the match, which was followed by a win by senior Dom Colaizzi at 133 and a major decision by Cohen Buccicone at 139 as Franklin Regional forged a 33-21 victory.
“That’s a much-improved team,” Franklin Regional coach Matt Lebe said. “They made it a battle, but anytime you can start off a match with a win from Ty, that’s a good thing.
“I thought we fought through some adversity, but Ringgold didn’t make it easy.”
The Rams (14-2, 1-1) couldn’t recover from the slow start, but coach Luke Smith said he was pleased with their effort.
“Franklin Regional has it going, and we want to get to its level,” Smith said. “Last year, we won one match against them. This year, with four freshmen and a couple second-year wrestlers in the lineup, we won five. We competed against them. There were a couple matches that didn’t go our way.”
One match was the second bout, when Colaizzi held on for a 5-3 victory against Braydon Campbell. Smith said he thought Campbell should have been rewarded a defensive pin.
Lebe said he felt Colaizzi was able to grind out a close win when he wasn’t his best.
“Sometimes you just have to keep fighting,” Lebe said. “Dom did that for us. He probably would have liked a prettier win. All our matches in the section will be like this, close battles. I just hope we continue to get better.”
After trailing 13-0 early, Ringgold closed to within 22-18 on pins from James Duncan at 160 and heavyweight James Holmes.
But the Panthers’ lightweights — Titus Colangelo at 107 and Mike Ruane at 114 — sealed the win with a technical fall and pin, respectively.
“We’re getting there,” Smith said. “We have to continue to build off this performance.”
Both teams will have busy weekends.
The Panthers will compete in the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association meet at Greensburg Salem beginning Friday. The Rams, meanwhile, will be competing in the Tri-County Athletic Directors Association meet at Canon-McMillan the same day.
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, Ringgold
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