Norristown wrestling coach Mark Harner searched long and hard for some combination, any combination, that would deliver his team to victory over Manheim Township.

Likewise, Blue Streaks coach Tim Rice was considering his options, though not as desperately as Harner.

In the end, both seemed to get the matchups they wanted, but only Harner got the ultimate result.

Getting a key victory at 160 pounds, and winning the only true tossup match of the night at 113, the Eagles (9-1) advanced to Thursday's PIAA Class AAA Team Tournament round of 16, topping Township 39-35.

The hosts won eight individual bouts and, supporting their deserved reputation as pinners, scored falls in four of those victories.

Township (13-8), in turn, pinned at three weights, took two forfeits and posted a tech fall, but came up short when it counted.

"It wasn't a bad matchup for us," said Rice. "We knew what it was going to be like coming in. The two big swing matches we just didn't win."

With the festivities starting at 138, Ryan Lopez (14-14) teched out Nick Soldano (3-13) and Harner chose to forfeit to Adam Smith at 145, bumping Mike Springer (35-7) to 152.

Springer's fall put the Eagles on the board and Harner, his prospects further hampered by the absence of his son Brett — a two-time state medalist and 34-3 this year, but ill over the weekend — rolled the dice.

"We were trying to come up with a way we could lose '60 and still win the dual meet," said Harner, who bumped Joe Rowland to 160.

Rowland (7-21), who wrestled as low as 138 during the season and had been at 145 recently, gave his coach a bonus, scoring the only takedown of the bout and outlasting Alex Zug (8-20), 3-2.

"To not get that one, I knew that was going to come back to hurt us," said Rice.

Then Township caught a ride on Norristown's headlock express as Shane Springer (36-5) and Tyler Letrinko (19-4) scored falls at 170 and 182, and Jesse Prente (31-7) used a headlock with five seconds left in the second period, to down John Shorter (25-10), 9-2 at 195.

"We concluded that the Opp kid was going to be the hardest kid to deck," said Harner, explaining his decision to have Springer stay put at 170. "He'd been hanging tough with everybody."

Shane Springer's fall was his state-best 129th career pin.

Larry Gordon (29-7) pinned Greg Risser (12-14) at 220, and after the teams traded forfeits at 285 and 106 Township trailed by 19 — 36-17 — with four bouts to go.

With the Streaks likely to pin out from 120, the result at 113 — Township's Matt Grossmann versus the Eagles' Zach Fuentes — would tell the tale.

Fuentes (30-7), who placed fourth at states at 103 last year, trailed 4-1 after a period as Grossmann (28-6) scored takedowns on a dump and bear hug.

Grossmann still led 4-2 after two periods and with choice to start the third, took bottom.

He never got out.

Fuentes turned him twice with a cross-wrist armbar, scoring six near fall points to complete an 8-4 meet-clinching win.

"It's a move we have not been able to get him to run this year," said Harner.

"He picked a good night," rued Rice, "for them."

Then, as expected, Township swept the last three matches as Cortlandt Schuyler (120), Scott Lopez (126) and Alex Smith (132) pinned out.

dbyrne@lnpnews.com