WILLIAMSPORT, PA – The Jersey Shore Bulldogs advanced two wrestlers to the finals of The Top Hat Wrestling Tournament at Williamsport Area High School on Saturday. Overall, the Bulldogs finished tied with Hughesville for eighth place in the team standings.
Noah Ulmer (106) and Zach Herman (145) were the only two to make it to the finals for the Bulldogs. Ulmer faced off against Owen Wherley (South Western); while, Herman faced Seth Lansberry (Line Mountain).
Ulmer lost by decision in the championship final, by a score of 7-2 to Wherley. Herman got pinned by Lansberry in a time of 3:23. It was Lansberry’s second time winning the 145 title at the tournament. Lansberry was leading 6-3 at the time of the fall.
Colton Killion (126) lost in the semifinals; but, was able to come back and face Colton Zimmerman (Line Mountain), where he fell by decision 6-4. Killion then took on Tanner White (Schuylkill Valley), where he was pinned in a time of 2:36 and finished sixth during the two days of action.
Hayden Swartwood (132) won both of his consolation matches; but, lost to Ryan Ramich (Schuylkill Valley) by a 6-1 decision. Swartwood then faced Penfield, NY’s Eric Harley for the fifth place title, and won by decision in a 8-0 showdown.
Three Bulldog wrestlers split their matches in the consolation rounds. Of the three, Dominic Loffredo was the only Bulldog to get a seventh place finish. Loffredo defeated Gunner Holtz (South Western) in the 182 weight class.
Josh Lorson (138) and Nate Lose (195) split their consolation matches earlier in the day, before facing their demise and finishing eighth place in the tournament.
Other Bulldog wrestlers faced more difficult times in the second day of the tournament. Kurtis Welch (152), Jake Huling (220) and Colton Winchester (285) received a pin each from their opponents in the second round of consolations; while, Kaiden Brungard (160) lost by decision of 10-1 to Ryan Gessner of Mifflinburg.
Head Coach Shawn Weaver of the Bulldogs was pleasantly surprised of how well the Bulldogs performed. The Bulldogs will face stiff competition in the King of the Mountain Tournament at Central Mountain High School next Friday and Saturday in Mill Hall.
