WRESTLING: Conwell-Egan Defeats La Salle in PCL Championship to Complete Three-Peat

Conwell-Egan Eagles, 2024 PCL Wrestling Champions

Conwell-Egan Eagles, 2024 PCL Wrestling Champions (Photo/Josh Abrams)

Photos: Ryan Nix & Zack Beavers

By: Josh Abrams

Wyndmoor, PA -- Another season of wrestling in the Philadelphia Catholic League is in the books, and the two schools who fought for the coveted title might be a bit familiar with one another...

In front of a packed crowd supporting both the Conwell-Egan Eagles and La Salle College High School Explorers, it was the former who held on and emerged victorious, 37-19. These two teams met in last year's championship match, and the win marks a coveted three-peat for a program who doesn't take any championship lightly.

"(Winning the PCL) is a big thing for us," said senior Jake McGuigan. "It just shows that, for multiple years in a row, we come out here and compete, and we dominate as much as we can. We stuck to only gameplan we know, which is 'pin and don't get pinned'. I think we did a pretty good job of doing that tonight."

Sam Johnson (La Salle) facing Jeffrey Spofford (Egan) in 121-lb weight class match (Video/Josh Abrams)

CEC's Lukas Grodzki pins La Salle's Aidan Buchanan to secure win in 127-lb match (Video/Josh Abrams)

Much like last year's clash in the finals, the story of this match was the rapid-fast start to which Egan got off.

Tommy Boyce opened with a dominating 12-0 victory in the 107-lb weight class, and within 20 seconds of the 114-lb contest, Kevin Bagnell pinned his opponent. At 121, Jeffrey Spofford was able to hold off his man and come away with a hard fought 6-4 win, and Lukas Grodzki capped off the lightweights with a pinned victory at 127. Through four weight classes, the scoreboard showed a 19-0 lead in favor of Egan.

The success for the Eagles would continue throughout the middle portions of the contest. At 133, Colin Walther kept the momentum going with a 4-2 victory, and Charlie Robson followed with a first period pin at 139. Steven Harris left no doubt in his 7-0 route at the 145 weight class, while Brian Shimp pulled away in his match, winning the 152 by a score of 6-2.

Following up on Shimp's match was Jordan Bentley, whose 4-2 victory in the 160 helped extend Egan's lead up to 37-0. The senior stressed afterwards just how much this contest meant to him and his teammates.

McGuigan battles La Salle's Jack Zadroga in 172 lb weight class match (Video/Josh Abrams

Egan senior Jake McGuigan reflects on team's win in PCL finals (Video/Josh Abrams

"This means a lot to me. It's a big victory for us... having a good match, capping it off, it means a lot to us" Bentley said. "Another good day on the mat, especially when you win."

Egan's Aiden Habas, La Salle's Cormac Morrissey take the mat in second to last bout of the night (Video/Josh Abrams)

Brian Shimp (Egan) & Luke Johnson (LSCHS) dueling in 127-lb match (Video/Josh Abrams)

La Salle fought back in the heavyweight classes, preventing Egan any chances at a shutout. Jack Zadroga picked up the Explorers' first victory of the night in the 172-lb weight class, and following a forfeit from Egan at 189, Cormac Morrissey secured an 8-2 win in the 215-lb group.

La Salle's Nick Colucci battling with Egan's Jordan Bentley in the 160-lb match (Video/Josh Abrams)

Bentley emphasizes how crucial of a win Tuesday night was for him and his team (Video/Josh Abrams)

Rounding out the heavyweights and overall classes was Andrew Brennan, who picked up a win via pin just a minute into the 285.

For guys like McGuigan and Bentley, who are both seniors, they are celebrating what would presumably be their fourth consecutive PCL title for the sport of wrestling; the last three titles won over La Salle.

It's worth noting the Eagles also recorded an undefeated mark in conference play during the 2020-21 season, but due to the pandemic, no official championship was awarded.

Bentley acknowledged the rivalry that's brewing between the two schools, if it hasn't commenced already.

"Definitely," he said when asked if playing La Salle brings with it some extra motivation. "Seeing them back-to-back-to-back in the PCL championship, and then really winning big here, it's good for the rivalry. It's always fun to wrestle a big, powerhouse team like La Salle."

Said McGuigan of what he's constantly reminded by his teammates and, particularly, his head coach Chuckie Connor: "Keep your head screwed on tight. Don't get too crazy, and definitely don't do anything stupid; don't cost us two points, just be smart and be respectful."