West Deptford pins down top-10 showdown
West Deptford's Dan Eckley was mindful of the importance of Friday night's wrestling match at Collingswood.
West Deptford's Dan Eckley was mindful of the importance of Friday night's wrestling match at Collingswood.
West Deptford, ranked seventh in South Jersey by The Inquirer, was visiting ninth-ranked Collingswood for a Colonial Conference Liberty Division match with possible future implications.
Both teams are slated to compete in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 2 team tournament, and could meet in the Feb. 11 final.
"This was real important because we're getting ready for groups and they are in our group," the senior said after he defeated Alex Irwin at 145 pounds to help the Eagles to a 34-21 victory.
The win boosted second-seeded West Deptford to 14-3 overall, 4-1 in the division, and 7-2 in the conference. Fourth-seeded Collingswood fell to 16-8, 4-2, and 7-3 in its final home match of the season.
West Deptford started the match with a win at 112 pounds when Steve Alt, scored a 5-0 decision over Kyle Polumbo for his third win of the season against two losses.
The wins continued for the Eagles until the 135-pound bout, in which Jim Hatzell turned the tide with a major decision over Scott Dennis, and Collingswood trailed, 15-4.
That set up a highly anticipated bout at 140 between the Eagles' Drew Spector and Eric Hamrick, two wrestlers with 43 wins between them.
Spector and Hamrick battled to a scoreless tie after two periods. The only point of the bout registered when Hamrick managed an escape in the final minute for a 1-0 win to move his record to 24-4.
Spector slipped to 20-2.
"I knew that I could ride him out but that it would take all six minutes," Hamrick said. "I lost to him last year, 2-1, and beat him twice in middle school.
"I think the match got away from us in the swing bouts, between 140 and 160."
Collingswood coach Dechlin Moody had said before the match that if the Panthers could win between 140 and 160, they could be victorious.
However, they won only one bout in that cluster, Hamrick's, which pulled them to within 15-7.
Eckley reversed the tide for the Eagles when he scored a major decision over Irwin, 13-5.
James Shields and Sean Bonner continued the success at 152 and 160, with Bonner earning the first fall of the evening to boost West Deptford's lead to 28-7.
"The win was big because it gives us confidence going into the playoffs," said Bonner, who pinned Jim Plianthos with a half-nelson in 4 minutes, 52 seconds.
W. Deptford 34, Coll'wood 21
112: Steve Alt, West Deptford, dec. Kyle Polumbo, 5-0. 119: Tyler Kaminski, West Deptford win by forfeit. 125: Evan Zuzulock, West Deptford, dec. Brandon McGuire, 10-4. 130: Josh Gilliano, West Deptford, dec. Dan Penissi, 6-4. 135: Jim Hatzell, Collingswood, major dec. Scott Dennis, 10-1. 140: Eric Hamrick, Collingswood, dec. Drew Spector, 1-0. 145: Daniel Eckley, West Deptford, major dec. Alex Irwin, 13-5. 152: James Shields, West Deptford, dec. Mike Campbell, 9-3. 160: Sean Bonner, West Deptford, pin Jim Plianthos, 4:52. 171: Taylor Venanzi, Collingswood, dec. Rory Bonner, 12-8. 189: Ben Swan, Collingswood, dec. Frankie Willerton, 4-3. 215: Brian Snow, West Deptford, pin Kingsley Ayeni, 5:44. Hwt.: Tyler Strickland, Collingswood, dec. Jamil Pollard, 12-7. 103: Tony Giancolla, Collingswood, tech fall Dustin Zuzulock, 5:27.