Northampton 41, Liberty 28 – District 11 3A wrestling quarterfinal – Rapid Recap
Northampton made sure this meeting with Liberty didn’t come down to the wire as the Konkrete Kids comfortably moved on to Saturday’s semifinal meeting with Nazareth.
Northampton (13-2) had slipped by the Hurricanes 34-32 in the EPC tournament Saturday and the close result had a large and raucous home crowd at Memorial Gym smelling an upset over the No. 3 seeded Konkrete Kids.
And for a moment an upset seemed possible for Liberty (14-6), the No. 6 seed, in a match that started at 152 pounds. Hurricane senior Gunner Anglovich upset Northampton senior Cade Moisey, ranked No. 2 in the region by lehighvalleylive, 9-4 in overtime at 170, a result sandwiched by falls from senior Anthony Emig (160) and sophomore Damen Moyer (182).
A major decision from Carlo Perugini at 195 left the Hurricanes up 19-6 and their fans roaring.
But then Northampton sophomore Ed Confer won 10-6 at 220 and senior Alex Darabaris pinned at 286 to reverse results from the EPC match, and that turned the tide.
“Once we got those great wins from Eddie and Alex I was really pumped up,” said Northampton sophomore Julian Chlebove, who dropped to 120 pounds from 126 to top Liberty senior Luke Werner , ranked No. 1 by lehighvalleylive at 120, 13-5. “That’s how we won the match.”
The win puts the Konkrete Kids in the Saturday semifinal (10:45 a.m.) at Freedom against the Blue Eagles (14-1), who crushed Easton 64-3 in their quarterfinal at Liberty Thursday. Nazareth topped Northampton 35-24 on Jan. 19.
Liberty, which had defeated Parkland 41-16 in its preliminary round match Thursday, will meet Easton Saturday in a 9 a.m. consolation match. The Hurricanes defeated the Rovers 35-19 on Jan. 18.
Turning point: Darabaris’ dramatic fall at 285, where he worked hard in the third period before finally pinning Jaret Figueroa in 5:53. Darabaris was winning at the time, but the fall unleased a tidal wave of emotion and momentum that the Kids rode all the way to victory. Pins make such a difference.
Top performer: With all due respect to Chlebove’s dominating win over Werner, Anglovich’s guts and determination have to be the pick. He reversed Moisey at the buzzer to force overtime and then hit a five-point throw for the triumph. Moisey is not nearly at full strength, but even a depleted Moisey is a terrific wrestler and formidable foe. Anglovich’s power and physicality make him a real fan favorite.
What it means: Northampton keeps its chances for a trip to Hershey and the state duals in fine fettle heading into Saturday. Liberty needs to regroup and respond in the consolations Saturday, and could well see the Konkrete Kids again.
Brad Wilson may be reached at bwilson@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @bradwsports. Find Lehigh Valley high school sports on Facebook.
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