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Rockets can�t beat Cranberry, but come away with a few solid individual wins By Ed Topoleski On an average day a fan would expect to hear a coach talk about his group of athletes and refer to them as a true T-E-A-M. Most coaches will go further in their explanations and pinpoint why his team is strong, what players are most important in attaining team goals and so on. Of course, Titusville wrestling coach Mo Burns doesn�t have that sort of luxury. Burns has what he has: enough wrestlers to fill 10 weight classes, give or take on any given night. With 14 weight classes, Burns� team loses valuable points every every time it goes against another school, simply because he doesn�t have a wrestler to compete at certain weights. As a result, the Rockets generally aren�t able to put up much of a team fight. The Rockets must shy away from team goals and focus on individual performances. Tuesday night was a prime example of Titusville�s position. Though Titusville put up a few big wins, and lost a few close matches, there was little hope for a team victory even before the match began. Titusville gave up forfeit points at five weights Tuesday night to Cranberry and lost, 42-33. �It�s just frustrating giving up 30 points to forfeits,� Burns said. �Going into the match you don�t really look at (the) team score. I always tell those kids �win your battles and worry about the war later.� �But they work hard, and I feel bad for them because they know that going in (to the match) they don�t really have much of a chance to win the dual meet score,� Burns said. �But they have been accepting it all year long.� However, a nine-point loss after giving away five forfeits isn�t all that bad. �The last couple dual meets, we kinda took it on the chin,� Burns said. �So, the last week or so, we just went back to the basics � the outcome was a little closer.� The Rockets managed six individual wins Tuesday from Dave Pondel, Ben Rapp, Ben Anderson, Steve Henderson, Joe Anderson and Joe Snyder. Pondel, Henderson and J. Anderson each won with Cranberry forfeits. Rapp (125) pinned Justin Flinchgbaugh in 1 minute, 24 seconds. Rapp had a 2-0 lead at the time of the pin for an early takedown. Snyder (145) also won with a pin, defeating Chad Bowler in 1:01. Like Rapp, Snyder had a 2-0 lead at the time of the pin. �Those two guys coming out and getting pins like that is good,� Burns said. �And that�s good for their confidence. Both of those guys needed wins like that.� Ben Anderson (130) won a decision over Mark Cangemi, 8-2. Anderson picked up two in the first period on a takedown before taking a 6-2 lead into the third on a takedown and reversal. In the third, Anderson scored one more time on a reversal to seal the decision. At 275, Travis Chappel also wrestled well in a 5-4 loss to Shaun Winger. Chappel scored first on a takedown, but gave up a point to Winger late in the first that Burns pointed out after as being pivitol. �Chappel could have won that match,� Burns said. �Being a freshman, giving up a point right at the end of the first period, I knew that point was gonna come back to haunt him. But he�s a freshman; he�s young and inexperienced, but this is the time of year where we need to start eliminating those kind of mistakes.� NOTE: At the junior high level Tuesday, Titusville defeated Cranberry, 16-4. � Keith Burns (105), Cody Fry (210) and Sam Saintz (130) collected wins for the Rockets. Varsity Cranberry 42, Titusville 33 103 � David Pondel (T) won by forfeit. 112 � Zach Coulter (C) won by forfeit. 119 � Dan Beary (C) dec. Tim Beers, 6-1. 125 � Ben Rapp (T) pinned Justin Flichbaugh, 1:24. 130 � Ben Anderson (T) dec. Mark Cangemi, 8-2. 135 � Steve Henderson (T) won by forfeit. 140 � Joe Anderson (T) won by forfeit. 145 � Joe Snyder (T) pinned Chad Bowler, 1:01. 152 � Charlie Huegel (C) won by forfeit. 160 � Jon Beary (C) won by forfeit. 171 � Colt Burk (C) won by forfeit. 189 � Caleb Rich (C) won by forfeit. 215 � Kyle Bard (C) pinned Dustin VanCise, 1:35. 275 � Shaun Winger (C) dec. Travis Chappel, 5-4. * The match began with the 152-pound bout. Junior High Titusville 16, Cranberry 4 105 � Keith Burns (T) maj. dec. lance Nelson, 12-1. 110 � Justin Loll (C) maj. dec. Trevor Foley, 12-4. 210 � Cody Fry (T) pinned Matt Tuscano, :34. 130 � Sam Saintz (T) pinned Tyler Hanna, :44. Add a comment |
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