(Photos: Justin Maldonaldo for PSD)
BY JOSH ABRAMS
Fairless Hills, PA - Anyone who follows the sport of wrestling closely in the Philadelphia Catholic League might or might not be able to safely predict the championship match.
Except when Conwell Egan Catholic (CEC) and La Salle College High School clash this time of year for a fourth season in a row, how can one not assume it will be the Eagles and Explorers battling it out for bragging rights in the end?
In the past three title matches, Egan used scorching-hot starts to get out to huge leads and hold off La Salle. The difference between this bout and the previous three, however, is that the Explorers received crucial victories in the middle and heavyweight classes to complete a comeback for the ages.
With family, friends and more packing the second-floor gymnasium on the grounds of CEC, La Salle roared back from a 24-7 deficit going into the 152-lb match and secured victories in five of the next six weight classes. The senior trio of George Higgins (189), Lucas Hayes (215) and Dylan Clair (285) swept the last three matches and elevated the Explorers to a 30-27 victory, securing La Salle's first PCL wrestling title since 2015.
There is no doubt that this victory is one of monumental, program-defining proportions. La Salle head coach Ben Courtney will be the first to tell you how satisfying it is.
"This is a culmination of the four years that our seniors have put into the program," stated Courtney. "Nine of our 13 starters are seniors, and a lot of the mental preparation that went into this - the load (and) the burden was on our seniors. We said 'you wanna go out there, you wanna get this win after losing three straight... go out and do it'."
And did they ever.
Like previous contests, Egan's lightweight classes dominated La Salle to start the match. Freshman Hunter Webster made easy work of his opponent in the 107-lb class. After Tommy Boyce took home a victory in the 114-lb category, Jeffrey Spofford won the 121-lb match by technical decision, getting Egan out to a quick 15-0 lead going into the 127-lb bout.
La Salle got on the board in that match when senior Dominic Parenti notched his 100th career victory via major decision, but after Egan freshman MJ Gorrel dominated his opponent, 12-4, in the 133 the Eagles went up 19-4 with just seven weight classes remaining.
In the 139-lb match, La Salle's Noah Ruibal overpowered his opponent to help the Explorers cut the Eagles' lead down to 12 points, 19-7. Egan's Colin Walther then took the 145 with ease, winning via technical decision by a wide margin.
With CEC up 24-7 heading into the final six matches, things were looking grim for La Salle. But sophomore Cole Trzeciak provided the spark of the evening for the Explorers, pinning his man 90 seconds into the 152 match.
After senior Luke Johnson handled his challenger in the 160-lb clash, Egan's Brian Shimp battled through a rough knee injury to emerge victorious in the 172. The Eagles' lead was trimmed to 11, 27-16, but it was clear the momentum had shifted.
A tight and hard-fought battle in the 189-lb saw Higgins come away as the victor via a 4-2 decision. Hayes followed shortly thereafter with a pin in the 215, and Clair was able to hold strong in the 280 to complete the comeback for the Explorers.
Hayes' pin really elevated La Salle in the end, as it brought the Explorers to within two points going into Dylan Claire's match.
"It's incredible," Hayes said on getting over the hump this year. "Three straight years we lost this match. We come (to Conwell Egan), in a hostile environment and just get it done. This is the last chance we're going to get to do this, and we did it."
When asked about the "big-3" who closed out the title match, Courtney couldn't help but give utmost praise for the way they battled through resiliency.
"Those two guys (Hayes and Clair) and our win at 89 (Higgins); those three seniors right there are brothers and would do anything for each other," expressed Ben. "They're true leaders in the room. Lucas is going to the Naval Academy next year - not for wrestling or anything - it just speaks to his character."
What some might not realize is that Clair usually wrestles in the 189-lb weightclass, but for this match he stepped up (literally and figuratively) in the biggest way possible.
"Dylan is actually, usually, our 189-pounder," explained Courtney. "We had him weigh in a little bit heavy so we could put him to heavyweight. And when we asked him 'hey, would you do this for the team? We could use a win up in heavyweight.' He didn't hesitate at all and he said 'I'll do whatever the team needs, coach.'"