Nazareth inspiring, thrilling and almost-shocking 33-24 conquest of Bethlehem Catholic in Saturday evening’s District 11 3A wrestling championship may have started with a bit of a good luck when the Blue Eagles won the coin flip to control the matchups.
“The coin flip is so crucial,” Blue Eagle senior Travis Stefanik said.
But what followed had absolutely nothing to do with luck – not by a long shot.
Nazareth posted one of the most memorable wins in recent area sports – not merely wrestling – thanks to an inspiring display of aggression, savvy, conditioning and desire in front of a raucous, well-packed gym at Freedom Saturday night.
The Blue Eagles, who won their first D-11 3A crown since 2014, won all the crucial tossups, were the aggressor in the most of the bouts, looked in better shape, and rode a wave of emotion and momentum, backed by a crowd unanimously in their favor except for those in brown and gold, to an historic win.
Nazareth became the first District 11 team since Easton in 2011 to defeat the Golden Hawks and snapped Becahi’s six-year run of D-11 crowns (four in 2A, two in 3A).
Nazareth had lost to Bethlehem Catholic 40-20 in last week’s Eastern Pennsylvania Conference championship, meaning the Blue Eagles (16-1) achieved a 29-point swing in a week.
“I think we all just went back to the drawing board,” said Nazareth sophomore 113-pounder Sean Pierson, who was one of four Blue Eagles who reversed decisions from the EPC loss, as he topped Becahi frosh Kenny Herrmann 1-0; Herrmann won 3-2 last week. “Last time we lost a lot of close matches. We knew if we chipped away at them we could get closer and closer to them. And then we did what Coach (Dave) Crowell told us to do and we all did our jobs.”
The win advanced Nazareth (16-1) to Thursday’s opening round of the PIAA 3A state tournament at the Giant Center in Hershey where they will meet the winner of a Monday play-in between Owen J. Roberts, District 1’s third-place team, and District 12 runner-up Archbishop Wood at 6 p.m.
Bethlehem Catholic (13-4) rallied to top Northampton in the “true second” match 46-14 to claim the second D-11 berth in states. The Golden Hawks will meet Cumberland Valley, District 3’s fourth seed, at Nazareth Middle School Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Any foe unlucky enough to run into Nazareth in Hershey will find a team soaring with confidence, peaking at the right time and wrestling with the kind of hard-charging aggression combined with impeccable technique.
And without any question a group of athletes bound together by a feeling of accomplishment and pride that will be impossible to match. The post-match “team” chant, almost a song, from the Blue Eagles was heartfelt and telling.
“This is just the best feeling,” said Nazareth junior Ian Pulli, whose dramatic pin at 132 was one of several body blows delivered to Becahi’s chances, especially considering Pulli was majored in last week’s loss. “When I heard the referee slap the mat, it was just a rush.”
No question there – that was a 10-point swing from Pulli alone.
But, as Nazareth coach Dave Crowell said, there were so many compelling stories to tell on the Blue Eagles’ side.
You could start with Crowell himself. Every move he and his staff made was positively Midas-esque, and the wrestlers bask in the knowledge they have Crowell said.
“Coach Crowell is the best in the country,” Stefanik said.
Crowell made all the right moves from the start Saturday. The match started at 220 and when Becahi did not send Jody Crouse out, Crowell did not send Travis Stefanik out. Nazareth’s Tucker Klump delivered a huge 8-5 decision over Andrew Balukas at 220, the first reversal of an EPC result. Klump, like so many Nazareth athletes, continues to make enormous strides forward as a wrestlers.
And Crowell had Stefanik in his back pocket to close with in the match he wanted.
“We wanted Travis on Crouse, no question,” he said.
Stefanik’s 8-0 decision over Crouse closed out the win, a decision that left Becahi head coach Jeff Karam admiring the Blue Eagles.
“Nazareth deserved to win that match,” he said. “They were the better team, and I tip my cap to them. You can’t blame refs, you can’t blame the coin flip. They were better.”
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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