web1_AP20005769532741.jpg

Winston-led Michigan State tops Michigan

Vikings, like Texans, work OT to advance in NFL playoffs

<p>Hazleton Area walked out of the Lake-Lehman gymnasium on Saturday as the team champion of the Wyoming Valley Conference Tournament.</p><p>It was expected that the Cougars were going to win the event, but it wasn&#8217;t easy. They got challenged all throughout the tournament by Tunkhannock and Wilkes-Barre Area, two programs that could be considered in transition.</p><p>The Tigers were a close second finishing just five points behind the winners and held the lead entering the finals. The Wolfpack, who held a brief lead on Saturday during the semifinals, were a distant third, 52 points behind the Cougars.</p><p>It can be argued that those two squads might not have been expected to finish so close to the champion.</p><p>The Tigers, who broke Lake-Lehman&#8217;s record for points by a Class 2A team with 208.5, return many talented wrestlers, but they have an entire new coaching staff. Bob Hegedty resigned after last season, which saw the team crown five district champions and finish second in the district tournament and duals tournament. Gary Siegel took over this season, and it&#8217;s been a positive transition.</p><p>&#8220;(Taking second) shows that we&#8217;ve really grown because last year we took fourth. And us taking second helps us understand that we can be a really good team even though we have a new coaching staff,&#8221; said Tigers 220-pounder Nick Marabell, who won his first WVC title over the weekend. &#8220;(Siegel) is a lot different than coach Hegedty was. He&#8217;s more strict about stuff. But since he&#8217;s a D-I wrestler we can learn more about wrestling.&#8221;</p><p>The Wolfpack are the product of a three-team merger in their first year. With many new programs, there are growing pains when it comes to getting familiar with everything from new coaches to new venues and routines. But it&#8217;s been smooth sailing so far for the Wolfpack as they tied the Cougars and Tigers for most medalists with 10.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s been great. I enjoy it, meeting new kids and we all get along,&#8221; said Matthew Chase, the Wolfpack&#8217;s first-ever WVC champion. &#8220;You&#8217;re making new friends, helping each other out. We&#8217;re showing them our way of wrestling. They show us their way of wrestling. I don&#8217;t see any downsides. It&#8217;s all positives.&#8221;</p><p>Hazleton Area will not meet Tunkhannock this season, but it will travel to Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday night in a dual of two of the three 2-0 teams in Division 1 at Coughlin High School as the dual meet portion of the season gets into full swing. The Cougars follow Wednesday&#8217;s match with a meet on Thursday against 2-1 Pittston Area at home.</p><p>&#8220;You can never rest after this tournament,&#8221; Cougars coach Keith Maurer said. &#8220;Wilkes-Barre will put a wrestler out there at just about every weight I think. They were hanging around for a while. And Pittston the day after that. We definitely have our work cut out for us.&#8221;</p><p>The other 2-0 team in Division 1 is Wyoming Valley West. The Spartans don&#8217;t meet the Wolfpack or Cougars until later this month. The Spartans finished in fourth place and made some noise. J.J. White made history becoming just the second wrestler to win the tournament four times. Two of his teammates, Ian Ratchford and Cadden Kucek reached the finals with Kucek claiming gold. Ratchford was in a thrilling final versus Hazleton Area&#8217;s Johnny Corra in a bout that consisted of 27 points. All in all, Valley West picked up seven medals.</p><p>&#8220;They&#8217;re all putting in the hard work,&#8221; White said about his teammates. &#8220;They all have the same view as me in wrestling. &#8230; It shows what the coaches have been doing for the team too.&#8221;</p><p>The Division 1 schedule had to start in December since there are now eight teams in the division and in Class 3A. But the Division 2 slate gets underway on Wednesday with just four teams in Class 2A now. Tunkhannock heads to Hanover Area on Wednesday, while Wyoming Area hosts Lake-Lehman on Thursday.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_wvc4_faa-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Tunkhannock's David Evans rolls up Wilkes-Barre Area's Nino Cinti as he waits for the referee to call the pin during the 132 pound fianal Saturday in the Wyoming Valley Conference Wrestling Tournament  held at Lake Lehman High School in Lehman Township  ----------------Fred Adams|for Times Leader 1-4-20</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/web1_wvc4_faa-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Tunkhannock's David Evans rolls up Wilkes-Barre Area's Nino Cinti as he waits for the referee to call the pin during the 132 pound fianal Saturday in the Wyoming Valley Conference Wrestling Tournament  held at Lake Lehman High School in Lehman Township  ----------------Fred Adams|for Times Leader 1-4-20</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dave Rosengrant</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

High School Wrestling: Tunkhannock, WBA have strong showings