Becahi's Randy Cruz comes up just short again

FROM THE MORNING CALL

HERSHEY

— The 10-2 final score was no indicator, to say the least. The first state championship for Pen Argyl's Mike Racciato was much more gut-wrenching than that.

Nevertheless, the record will forever show that the Green Knights sophomore beat Reynolds' Adam Matthews by major decision to capture the PIAA Class 2A wrestling crown at 135 pounds Saturday at the Giant Center, which highlighted a solid showing by Lehigh Valley wrestlers in the marathon event that began Thursday morning.

"It happened like three times where I almost got turned with a Peterson," Racciato said. "I'm just happy I didn't get turned."

Racciato led by just three points (5-2) until the closing seconds, when a five-point move that countered Matthews' desperation shot turned it into a major.

"It was the best feeling in my life when I won," Racciato added. "This was my goal my whole life. … I always wanted to be a state champion and I'm happy I already won it now. Now I just want to win it next year and the year after."

Also winning a gold medal Saturday was Tamaqua senior Garth Lakitsky in a completely uneventful 215-pound match against Milton's Ryan Solomon, who spent the entire six minutes just trying to keep the stronger Lakitsky at bay.

Solomon succeeded with that part, but drew a second stall warning that broke a 1-1 deadlock in the third period, and Lakitsky made it stand up for a 2-1 decision and a fitting end to an undefeated season and a career that included two previous trips to Hershey without making the finals.

"I'm not going to back up on anybody," said Lakitsky, who was just as happy to win like that as with a pin, which he used to win all but four matches this season. "If they want to stall and try to get some cheap points, I'm not going to let that happen. A state championship is a state championship.

"This was my goal all year -- to be a district, regional and state champ. I'm real excited."

The championship match was the exact kind of bout Lakitsky would have lost a year ago, when he wasn't as confident with his offense and instead relied on masterfully countering his opponents' moves.

In the offseason, he made the decision to become the complete and seemingly unbeatable package he is today.

"This year, I have a little bit of a shot, which is 100 percent better," he said, "and I have a lot more strength, which helps out a lot too.

"Strength is a huge thing. Technique is also. But I think if you have enough strength, you can overpower some techniques."

Earlier, in a fascinating final at 119, Bethlehem Catholic junior Randy Cruz was forced to experience his second consecutive near miss in the state finals when he ended up on the short end of an epic duel with Derry Area's James Gulibon — 6-5.

Cruz had reversed Gulibon immediately after being tilted for what turned out to be two decisive back points and was trying to work a tilt of his own at the edge of the mat for the final 11 seconds. Gulibon, who already had been warned for stalling, might have stalled again there.

But Gulibon is ranked No. 1 in the country by the Amateur Wrestling News and was a two-time 3A state champion before Derry switched classes this year. So there was no way that bout was going to overtime with another stall.

Cruz accepted that and moved on.

"It wasn't like it was definite that I should have gotten that call," Cruz said. "It could have went either way. He's a tough kid and I respect him.

"I tried to bring him back toward me for the tilt. He was fighting the other way, but he was too close to out-of-bounds for me to roll him that way, so we were kind of stuck there for a little."

Bethlehem Catholic fell short of the team title as well, finishing third with 76 points. Burrell (85) won it. Reynolds (83.5) was second. Pen Argyl (41) was seventh and Saucon Valley (38) eighth.

However, coach Jeff Karam was named Pennsylvania 2A Coach of the Year by the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association for his work in not only guding the Golden Hawks to the state dual-meet title but qualifying a tournament-leading nine individuals.

"I look at is as more my whole staff," Karam said. "I have a great staff — Brian Keller, Tommy Rohn and Randy Cruz Sr. We just all get along, we're all great friends and they all have a distinctive role. And that's where that award came from."

Randy Cruz's match came not long after his younger brother Darian won a third-place medal, along with Wilson's Mike Fleck and Saucon Valley's Ian Gimbar.

Darian Cruz was a 3-2 winner over Hanover's Ian Brown at 103 pounds. Fleck won by the same score over Benton's Colt Cotten at 119, holding off Cotten by stalling on the bottom for the entire third period, after establishing a three-point cushion.

Finally, at 189, Gimbar came back after giving up the first takedown to Brookville's Jacob Shields and won a 5-3 decision.

Losing in the third-place matches were Central Catholic's Damien Hopper (135), Bethlehem Catholic's Elliot Riddick (160) and Saucon Valley's Ray O'Donnell (171).

Other medalists from The Morning Call region were Saucon Valley's Bryan Israel (sixth at 103), Becahi's Zeke Moisey (fifth at 112), Jaydon Rice (sixth at 125) and Ryan Todora (sixth at 140), Pen Argyl's Luciano Burriesci (eighth at 140) and Dylan Evans (fifth at 189), Northern Lehigh's Zane Heller (eighth at 125) and Colin Hedash (sixth at 171) and Brandywine Heights' Peter Renda (fifth at 135).

http://www.mcall.com/sports/varsity/mc-2a-wrestle-0312-20110312,0,7381329.story