HAZLE TWP. – A year ago at this time, Lake-Lehman was celebrating a District 2 Class 2A championship. But the celebration didn’t last too long. Shortly after, the team lost a family member when the mother of Zach Stuart, Missy, passed away from an illness.
This season, the team struggled due to injuries and graduation, but they always kept the fallen family member close to heart. And on Saturday at Hazleton Area High School, Stuart and his good friend Nick Zaboski both won their second straight district gold and paid tribute to Missy Stuart.
Stuart, who has a tattoo on his chest with his mother’s name, immediately covered the mark and then pointed to the heavens in the heartfelt victory in the 138-pound final over Tunkhannock’s Ethan Munley before breaking into tears.
“The past year I have had ups and downs and it does suck that I don’t have my mom here by my side like that, but it is nice to know that she’s always with me,” Stuart said. “I do love her dearly and I wish that she could be here. Everything I do here is just for her because I know I’m strong enough and I know that she would want me to keep pushing through.”
Zaboski, who was also close to Zach’s mom, went on the mat just two matches following Stuart’s victory and felt the emotion before he wrestled and defeated Tunkhannock’s Luke Carpenter by fall.
“I know me and Stuart both did it for the woman above. And I know she’s looking down on us and she’s proud of us. This entire postseason for me and Zach is dedicated to her,” Zaboski said. “He won his district title this year before I did and when he (pointed to his chest and the sky) it almost made me cry. If I didn’t have a match, I probably would have cried. That means everything to me getting two wins for the lady above.”
Stuart and Zaboski were two of five repeat district champions for the Wyoming Valley Conference in the Class 2A Tournament. Tunkhannock’s Dave Evans (126) and Gavin D’Amato (145) both picked up their third titles, while Wyoming Area’s Connor Wrobleski (170) grabbed his second gold.
Wrobleski’s teammate Jaden Pepe (106), and Tunkhannock’s Frankie Scranta (195) and Nick Marabell (220) claimed their first district titles.
Pepe, a freshman, was the last match of the tournament when he faced Tunkhannock’s Owen Woods in a matchup of two wrestlers ranked in the state. Pepe defeated Woods, 3-2 for his third win in the series this season. The 106-pounder won a tough weight class winning both of his matches by decision on Saturday. And wrestling last in the tournament was pressure-packed as opposed to going first like usual for the 106-pound weight class.
Woods rode out Pepe in the third period and neither wrestler could score.”
“I don’t like being the last match,” Pepe said. “I’ve been the last match a couple times at the Cadet Duals and we won, but I don’t like being the last match because it puts a little bit of pressure on you.
“It feels great (to win). I’m just looking forward to regionals now and hoping to get out of regionals and get to states.”
In the team race, Lackawanna Trail kept Tunkhannock’s championship drought in tact by scoring 263.5 points to the Tigers’ 221. Tunkhannock entered as one of the favorites to claim the title, but ends with not winning a district team title since 1985.
“It’s kinda (upsetting), but we had a state run and got revenge on them (winning district duals),” Evans said. “It kinda hurt us because I didn’t wrestle the first day and couple other kids didn’t. And we didn’t have as many kids in the finals as we would have liked to, but this is individual. It would have been nice to get the team title, but we just focus on each other now.”
Evans picked up the Outstanding Wrestler Award as he picked up his third title and won both of his matches by fall on Saturday. Those two bouts were the only two that he wrestled in the event, which could have led to the Tigers finishing in second because they didn’t get as many points. Scranta only had to wrestle one match in the entire tournament due to a low field of participants.
“Senior year, just trying to get everything I can done and looking forward to regional and states. This is just the start of the journey,” Evans said. “They (teammates) all go out there and get the job done. They put the work in and wrestle hard. They’re good kids. I’m happy for them.”
District 2 Class 2A Championships
Outstanding Wrestler: Dave Evans, Tunkhannock
Team Scores: 1. Lackawanna Trail (LT) 263.5; 2. Tunkhannock (Tun) 221; 3. Western Wayne (WW) 140; 4. Wyoming Area (WA) 118; 5. Lake-Lehman (LL) 115; 6. Hanover Area (Han) 113.5; 7. Montrose (Mon) 91; 8. Blue Ridge (BR) 73.5; 9. Scranton Prep (SP) 64; 10. Elk Lake (EL) 40; 11. Mountain View (MV) 31
Finals
106: Jaden Pepe (WA) dec Owen Woods (Tun) 3-2
113: Deegan Ross (LT) pinned Cael Davis (Han) 5:24
120: Ethan Lee (LT) dec Joey Rowley (Han) 1-0
126: Dave Evans (Tun) pinned Robert Schneider (LT) 2:34
132: Michael Bluhm (LT) dec Antonio A’Apollonio (SP) 2-1
138: Zach Stuart (LL) dec Ethan Munley (Tun) 8-2
145: Gavin D’Amato (Tun) maj dec Josh Bonomo (LL) 11-3
152: Matthew Leslie (WW) dec Joe Monahan (Scr) 12-6
160: Nick Zaboski (LL) pinned Luke Carpenter (Tun) 1:22
170: Connor Wrobleski (WA) maj dec Jordan Williams (BR) 14-0
182: Alex Hollister (WW) pinned Jonah Houser (LT) 2:30
195: Frankie Scranta (Tun) pinned Mark Dunckle (LT) :56
220: Nick Marabell (Tun) pinned Tom Flood (WW) 1:54
285: Jack McAllister (WW) pinned Brett Sickler (Tun) 1:54
Third Place
106: Max Bluhm (LT) dec Nick Harder (Mon) 7-2
113: Garret Pocceschi (WA) pinned James Bixby (Mon) 2:04
120: Nate Koch (WW) pinned Brandon Soules (Mon) 2:52
126: Dylan Geertgens (Mon) dec Jake Gizenski (LL) 2-0
132: Kyle Emsley (WA) pinned Nate Ayala (Han) 3:54
138: Dalton Klinges (LT) dec Aidan Fields (Han) 12-6
145: Seth Ross (LT) dec Nathan Ofalt (MV) 4-2
152: Kody Cresswell (LT) dec Alex Pierce (Tun) 2-1
160: Tyler Rozanski (LT) pinned Noah Atkins (EL) 2:15
170: Mason Zajac (LT) dec Jeremiah Schwartz (MV) 5-2
182: Jeff Meader (Tun) pinned John Tyler (EL) 4:49
220: Eli Aldrich (BR) tech fall Tynell Bracero (LT) 20-5, 5:00
285: Tavon Hines (Han) pinned Ethan Speece (WA) 2:08
Fifth Place
106: Brayden Genello (SP) pinned Memphis Collins (BR) 1:31
113: Mason Konigus (LL) ff Gavin Crawford (BR)
120: Brandon Ritinski (LL) pinned Kameron Sheffer (BR) 1:28
126: Zach Murphy (Han) pinned Caleb Barletta (WW) 2:26
132: Andrew Rosevear (Mon) dec Matt Rosentel (Tun) 6-3
138: Zach Consla (BR) ff Hunter Karpovich (Han)
145: Brendad Kanna (Mon) dec Codi Bomboy (EL) 5-3
152: Vince Giambra (WA) pinned Jd Heckman (BR) 2:38
160: George Lee (WW) ff Hunter Thompson (Han)
170: Luca Dennis (SP) pinned Joe Vegas (LL) 2:07
182: Zach Consla (BR) ff Hunter Karpovich (Han)
220: Jake Mercadante (Han) pinned Seamus Fish (Mon) :22
285: Kyle Austin (LT) ff Logan Hoge (BR
Semifinals
106: Woods (Tun) pinned Harder (Mon) 1:16; Pepe (WA) dec Bluhm (LT) 8-1
113: Davis (Han) dec Konigus (LL) 5-4; Ross (LT) fft Crawford (BR)
120: Rowley (Han) maj dec Koch (WW) 13-1; Lee (LT) pinned Soules (Mon) 1:35
126: Evans (Tun) pinned Geertgens (Mon) 2:58; Schneider (LT) tech fall Murphy (Han) 18-2
132: Bluhm (LT) maj dec Rosentel (Tun) 10-1; D’Appolonio (SP) maj dec Emsley (WA) 16-6
138: Stuart (LL) pinned Fields (Han) 2:50; Munley (Tun) pinned Klinges (LT) :32
145: D’Amato (Tun) pinned Ofalt (MV) 1:15; Bonomo (LL) dec Ross (LT) 8-4
152: Leslie (WW) pinned Pierce (Tun) :15; Monahan (SP) tech fall Cresswell (LT) 17-2,
160: Zaboski (LL) pinned Atkins EL) 3:15; Carpenter (Tun) dec Rozanski (LT) 2-1
170: Wrobleski (WA) pinned Zajac (LT) 1:19; Williams (BR) pinned Kingsley (MV) 2:20
182: Houser (LT) dec Meader (Tun) 5-2; Hollister (WW) default Karpovich (Han) 1:55
195: Dunckle (LT) pinned Demann (Mon) 2:22
220: Marabell (Tun) pinned Bracero (LT) 3:08; Flood (WW) pinned Aldrich (BR) 1:56
285: McAllister (WW) dec Austin (LT) 4-0; Sickler (Tun) MF Hodge (BR)
