WRESTLING: Barons back on top

This was what Manheim wrestling fans envisioned when Troy Sunderland was hired as coach in the summer of 2009.

The Barons, gathered at center mat, lofting the section championship trophy high above in triumph.

That the coronation took place at Garden Spot, rather than the Barons' intimate confines, did not matter in the least. In fact, the locale might have made it a little sweeter.

Manheim Central dethroned the defending champion Spartans 31-30, Thursday night in New Holland, claiming the L-L Section Two title for the first time since 2006.

"It's been a tough couple years," said Sunderland. "But the kids are improving and they're confident. It's great to see."

It was the seventh straight victory of the season for the Barons (6-0 L-L, 10-6 overall) who won just six of the 14 individual bouts — two by forfeit — but did what they had to do, when they had to do it.

"Manheim deserves to win the section championship," said Spartans' coach Hoyt Craver. "Their kids won those matches they had to win."

The Barons got falls from Many DelCarpio at 220 and Mitchell Gingrich at 170, picked up forfeits at 106 and 113, and scored a major decision at 138.

Although they had multiple opportunities to pick up falls, the Spartans (5-1, 11-5) managed just one, from Ben Swear at 195.

"We didn't … finish our falls," said Carver. "That was the story of the match."

In the game of choice and match, everything fell the Spartans' way in the 170-182-195 area.

But the strategy fell apart, or rather, was blown apart, by Gingrich (4-1), who front-headlocked Matt Christie to his back in the second period, taking a 7-2 lead.

Twenty-five seconds later, having worked off his back, Christie (14-14) turned into Gingrich without hand control.

Oops.

"I was like, 'He made a mistake, it's my time to exploit it.' I'll take all I can get," said the Baron junior, just breaking into the lineup after missing a year with an injury.

With the wind at the Barons' back, Kyle Gains (6-14) kept it going at 182, hitting a sit-and-turn for an escape with milliseconds left and a 6-5 victory over Nick Kelley (8-17).

In a dual meet decided by one point, finding a crucial moment was like finding sand at a beach.

The first such moment came early on as Spot's Tim Beegle (24-6) was up 14-2 after two periods and threatening to tech out Coy Butcher.

But Butcher (17-14) hit a low ankle takedown at the start of the third, and controlled the rest of the way, leaving Beegle to settle for a 14-5 major.

At 285, Josh Bloom — who pinned Aaron Lefever for the L-L title on Saturday — wrist-rolled Lefever to his back late in the first period.

He didn't get the fall, but ultimately got the win, 5-4.

Then, with the Spartans down seven with two bouts to go, needing two wins plus a bonus in one, Vic Martin turned the Barons' David Fantom. Twice. No fall.

"All those little things," said Sunderland, "a bonus point here or there, it becomes huge."

Wrestling to erase the taste of a disappointing league tournament, Votano (22-8) majored Will Finkey (12-4), 16-2, but it was a while until a Baron hand was again raised in victory.

Rob King (26-5) scored a tech fall at 145, Tanner Leid (19-6) won at 152 and Dakoda Leid (9-2) scrambled to win at 160 for a 15-4 Spartan lead.

Gingrich and Ganse got the Barons back in the match and DelCarpio arm-barred Mike Bressi to a fall.

After Martin's win, the Spartans needed a major decision from Nick Cook in the final bout of the night, but Ben Metzler (25-9) never provided an opening for Cook (24-4), who won 2-1.

That left Gingrich with the last word.

"We've been coming together," he said, "and (tonight) we made it happen."

dbyrne@lnpnews.com