SCH freshman R.J. Moore (facing right in photo) tries for a takedown against Jack Glomb, a Penn Charter sophomore. (Photo by Tom Utescher)

by Tom Utescher

Last Friday’s dual meet between Springside Chestnut Hill Academy and host Penn Charter began later than usual at 6:00 PM, but it was over relatively quickly. With forfeits in six of the 14 weight classes and pins in five others, the two teams progressed rapidly from the starting weight of 106 lbs. and the PC Quakers came away with a 50-28 victory.

The forfeits were evenly distributed at three per team, and Charter posted four pins, a technical fall and one regular decision as it raised its record to 8-3 in dual meet competition. SCH went home with an 8-5 record, collecting one pin and one major decision in addition to the forfeits.

Springside Chestnut Hill was missing senior light middleweight Luke Purcell, out for a spell with an injury, but the Blue Devils quickly went ahead 18-6 in last Friday’s meet as Penn Charter forfeited to freshmen Jack Sanderson (106 lbs.) and Aden Goldberg (113), and senior Simon Kioko (126).

Charter collected its first six points through a forfeit as the visitors decided not to challenge junior Jess Anderson in the 120 lb. class, then the Quakers earned another six at 132 thanks to a 50-second pin by sophomore Max Lentz.

Springside Chestnut Hill’s lone pin came at 138 lbs. courtesy of junior Marco Goldberg, Aden’s older brother. He led 2-1 at the end of the first period, but PC sophomore Isaiah Woods-Kolsky went ahead 3-2 early in the second, reversing from the bottom position at the start. Goldberg scored a reverse of his own and then got the pin with 44 seconds remaining in round two.

This gave the Blue Devils a 24-12 lead in the team tally, but they would only score four more points the rest of the evening.

The Quakers had T.J. Henry ring up a pin in 36 seconds at 145, and then fellow senior Sam Shemtov was the beneficiary of a forfeit by the visitors in the 152 lb. category.

A strange eight-limbed creature took shape on the Penn Charter mat as SCH junior Marco Goldberg (background) wrestled PC sophomore Isaiah Woods-Kolsky at 138 lbs. (Photo by Tom Utescher)

In contrast, the 160 lb. bout was closely contested. Charter junior John Guiffrida and SCH sophomore Tyler Guzik were each on the verge of a takedown during the opening period, but neither grappler could complete his maneuver and the round ended at 0-0.

Starting on the bottom for the second frame, Guzik scored a reverse, but later Guiffrida escaped to trail by one point, 2-1, heading into the third period. The PC 11th-grader escaped from the bottom early on, and eventually he was able to complete a takedown with 16 seconds remaining for a 4-2 decision. Up 27-24 in the meet, the Quakers had now gone ahead for good.

There was a lot of activity early in the 170 lb. match, and after a number of changes in position and in the lead on the scoreboard, 10th-grader Jack Glomb of the host team pinned visiting freshman R.J. Moore late in the opening period.

The points kept coming for Penn Charter, as sophomore Daniel Bach accepted an SCH forfeit at 182 and senior Wayne Derkotch notched a pin in the 195 lb. contest. Ahead 45-24 in the team scoring at this stage, the Quakers had clinched the overall victory.

SCH tacked its final points on the board in the 220 lb. class thanks to sophomore Pat Ferns. PC freshman Buddy Lynch was able to make the match go the distance, but Ferns piled up points largely through takedowns and emerged with a 12-1 major decision.

In the final bout, at 285 lbs., it was Quakers junior Matt McGlichey who made the home side of the scoreboard click over rapidly. Ahead of visiting freshman Mac Levin 13-0 after two periods, McGlinchey started on top in the third. He turned Levin quickly and with 29 seconds gone he was credited with a three-point near fall, gaining a 16-0 advantage for a technical fall that ended the match and the meet.