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Crestwood clamps down to reach boys basketball district finals

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District 2 Class 2A Wrestling Tournament: Tunkhannock’s Dave Evans doesn’t miss a beat

<p>HAZLETON &#8212; Hazleton Area&#8217;s Dante Matarella entered the District 2 Class 3A Tournament with just 12 career victories.</p><p>The sophomore didn&#8217;t win a match in the district tournament as a freshman.</p><p>But that wasn&#8217;t going to stop the 160-pounder from showing he can compete with the best wrestlers in the district.</p><p>Matarella, the No. 8 seed in the bracket, pulled off the upset of the tournament on Friday at Hazleton Area High School taking down the top seed in West Scranton&#8217;s Tyler Connor and winning by major decision.</p><p>&#8220;I feel good,&#8221; Matarella said. &#8220;I just did what I had to do. I had to take my good shots, and just have good fundamentals.&#8221;</p><p>Matarella, who won twice on the first day of the tournament, defeated Connor, who has 25 victories this season alone.</p><p>The win for the Cougar avenged a loss to the senior in district duals when Matarella was winning before getting caught with a cement job and pinned late in the match. Now, he&#8217;s just one win away from advancing to the Northeast Regional Tournament for the first time.</p><p>&#8220;Last match, he caught me with 15 seconds left and I wasn&#8217;t going to let that happen,&#8221; Matarella said. &#8220;It feels good.&#8221;</p><p>Matarella&#8217;s two wins is big for the Cougars, who are looking to sweep district championships this season after winning the duals title earlier this month.</p><p>They are currently in first place with 11 semifinalists. In addition to Matarella, Johnny Corra (113), Beck Hutchison (120), Jorven Rodriguez (126), Christian Kislan (132), Charles Everdale (145), Bryce Molinaro (152), Jake Marnell (170), Jayson Brielmeier (182), Seth Hunsinger (195) and Shane Noonan (220) all reached the semis for the Cougars.</p><p>&#8220;I feel like we&#8217;re doing good. We only had one kid lose today,&#8221; Matarella added about his team&#8217;s success. &#8220;I feel like we should take this championship as a team.&#8221;</p><p>Everdale, the team&#8217;s junior 145-pounder, won twice with his first win being the 100th of his career.</p><p>&#8220;I know he goes out and does what he has to do, he busts himself,&#8221; Matarella said about Everdale, one of his workout partners. &#8220;He never takes one day off and it motivates me to feel like that&#8217;s what I have to do.&#8221;</p><p>While Matarella entered without having a win in the postseason, Berwick&#8217;s Nick Yule and Wyoming Valley West&#8217;s David Krokowski started the tourney combining for five district championships.</p><p>The two are on a collision course to possibly meet in the 126-pound finals Saturday afternoon.</p><p>Yule, a junior has a pair of District 2 Class 2A championships under his belt. Krokowski is a three-time champion in Class 3A.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a little bit tougher for sure,&#8221; Yule said about being in 3A as opposed to 2A the previous two years. &#8220;There&#8217;s more schools involved and tougher opponents to push me.&#8221;</p><p>Yule, a junior, won twice on Friday at Hazleton Area High School to reach Saturday&#8217;s semis which start at 10 a.m.</p><p>In the pigtails, Yule defeated Sawyer Christman by fall before knocking off Scranton&#8217;s Osman Bakradze in the quarters via decision. Now Yule faces Delaware Valley&#8217;s Preston Machado before possibly seeing Krokowski in the finals.</p><p>&#8220;Just come out and wrestle,&#8221; Yule said about his semifinal bout.</p><p>Krokowski, who is looking to become just the 29th wrestler in District 2 history to win four district titles, won twice by pin on the tournament&#8217;s first day. He beat John Creamer from Wallenpaupack in the prelims before knocking off Crestwood&#8217;s Tyler Shaud.</p><p>&#8220;I definitely know it&#8217;s gonna be tough,&#8221; Yule added. &#8220;I just want to make it to regionals, that&#8217;s on top (of my goals). Then place as high as I can.&#8221;</p><p>Krokowski, who is a returning state qualifier, was one of three past state qualifiers from the Wyoming Valley Conference to win their matches on Friday in Class 3A. Dallas&#8217; Steven Newell (182) needed just 31 seconds to win his match on the day, while Noonan picked up two falls in a little more than a minute in his postseason after qualifying for states.</p><p>Wyoming Valley West has six semifinalists for second in the WVC, while Dallas has five, Coughlin and Berwick two each, and Crestwood and Nanticoke Area each have one.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dave Rosengrant</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Times Leader sports at 570-829-7143 or on Twitter @TLsports</p></shirttailMeta></div>

District 2 Class 3A Wrestling Tournament: Hazleton Area’s Dante Matarella pulls off major upset