Bethlehem Catholic wrestlers pile up bonus points to down Easton

The Bethlehem Catholic wrestling team’s penchant for bonus points was evident from the first bout to the last in its latest win over Easton.

Freshmen Michael Nicosia and Gino Bozzi scored late to earn major decisions in the opening two bouts at 107 and 114 pounds, respectively.

With the Golden Hawks’ win already secured, senior 285-pounder Grant Mulhern punctuated the home victory with a 13-5 major courtesy of a couple cradles in the second and third period.

“I started off the season a little bit rough, I started 0-4, but, each practice with these guys, I’m just working to get better,” Mulhern said.

“We started off really well, we kept pushing it,” Nicosia said. “We just started off and didn’t stop.”

The Golden Hawks won 9 of 13 bouts and scored takedowns in 11 of them in a 40-17 win Wednesday night.

After a scoreless first period, Nicosia took Easton freshman Michael Rambone down with a low shot late in the second period. Leading 4-1 late in the third, Nicosia scored a takedown to three back points at the buzzer to earn a 10-1 win.

“I was kinda nervous going into it and (Rambone) was really strong… In the second period, when I got that takedown, I knew I was going to win it,” Nicosia said. “With that short time left in the third period, I felt the duck and I hit it. I got bonus points for our team.”

Bozzi responded after giving up the first takedown to senior Brayden Abrams with a pair of takedowns, the second of which came as the buzzer sounded in the third period to cap a 13-5 major.

“I had the first two as toss-ups, probably favoring us a little bit as a toss-up. I had us at like a 55% chance of winning each one. I was hoping to come out with one, we came out with two,” Bethlehem Catholic coach Mike Cole said. “Not only did we come out with two, both those kids scored majors right at the end. That is wrestling, that is what we need. That sets the selflessness and the thought of the team, because those kids could’ve easily sat on their lead, easily. Last 10 seconds, both of them scored majors, that’s pretty good for two freshmen.”

Sophomore Nico Emili scored a takedown, a reversal and eight back points in a 13-0 major over freshman Tanner Millburn to make it three majors in a row for the Golden Hawks (2-1).

“Those were toss-up matches,” Easton coach Corey Keener said of the opening two bouts. “Rambone’s match, it turns from a one-point match, two-point match to now you’re giving up a major. You know with the scoring and how you can put up seven points in four seconds, it blows the match wide open. You just gotta be more tactical and smart in positions. You give up a takedown at the end, you gotta know to bail and let go of things a little bit earlier.”

“Kind of the same thing with Abrams,” Keener continued. “You come back into the match, you cut him and you give up another takedown. Definitely, the tone of the match changes for sure. Then Nico comes out and wrestles an awesome match against Tanner.”

Freshman Jack Famularo gave the Red Rovers (6-3) their first win of the match when he scored two takedowns to earn an 8-4 decision at 127.

Easton senior Nick Salamone, who won the PIAA Class 3A title at 121 last winter, looked on his way to a tech fall when he took freshman Jack Cole down for the fifth time in their bout at 133, but Salamone kept pushing and secured the fall in 5:44.

That bout cut Becahi’s lead to 12-9 before junior Reef Dillard used a first period takedown and one reversal in the second and third period each to defeat junior Noah Fenner 7-2 at 139.

“Nick wrestled really well. He was aggressive, physical against an extremely talented freshman,” Keener said. “Nick did his job, I thought Fenner did a really good job as well. He was a little more offensive than we’re used to. He got to some leg attacks, you win a couple of those exchanges and that’s a different match as well.”

A trio of pins from senior Keanu Dillard (in 1:16 at 152) and juniors Mason Thomas (in 0:46 at 160) and Zach Papcsy in (4:49 at 172) sealed the Golden Hawks’ triumph.

“These guys came out with all the energy. Me and Mason, football guys, we wanted to beat them because football obviously, we wanted to get back at them,” Mulhern said, referencing Easton’s 35-9 win over the Golden Hawks on the gridiron. “We all knew this was the biggest match, we all knew we needed the bonus points.”

Easton junior Ethan Krazer, courtesy of a second-period rideout and takedown in the final seconds, earned a 4-0 win at 145 before fellow junior Justin Cosover pushed a frenetic pace in a 19-4 tech fall that featured six takedowns at 189 for the Rovers’ final win of the night.

Both teams will now prepare for the vaunted Beast of the East tournament at the University of Delaware this weekend.

“We’ll continue to get better as the season goes on,” said Keener, who is in his first year as head coach of Easton. “Their team is not in their final form and our team isn’t and, a bunch of the teams in the Lehigh Valley, it’s the same thing. Come the end of the year, everything is going to look a whole lot different for all of our teams.”

That seems true for Becahi as well.

“We’re absolutely not where I want to be, but I feel really good about the progress we’re making getting to where I want to be,” Cole said. “I understand it’s a process, we’ll get them there.”