However, despite the demoralizing span of bouts, Tyler Corey and Liam Purcell showed no sign of nerves, even as the volume within Towanda’s auxiliary gym reached its pinnacle. Corey secured a first-pin to bring the Eagles within one and with the pressure of the outcome on Purcell’s shoulders, the senior weathered a rollercoaster of a final match, pinning Honesdale’s Brody Walsh in the third period to grant BEA a 40-35 win.

That moment served as the highlight for not just the match or the Eagles’ day, but for the area’s performance at the event as a whole – a performance filled with positives.

Bald Eagle Area went on to finish as the tournament’s runner-up, going 5-1 in a tourney that featured plenty of talent. And Jersey Shore built on its 2024 performance, falling just short of three wins after finishing its previous stint 1-5.

“That was a great match; that’s what you wrestle for and coach for,” said Bald Eagle Area head coach Ron Guenot on the team’s win over Honesdale. “That’s a good Honesdale team we beat there. So proud of the kids for rising to the occasion there and knocking off a quality opponent.”

CHRIS MANNING/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Tyler Corey wrestles Montgomery's Gabe Oberheim at 121 during a dual match at Dandy Duals on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, at Towanda.

That deficit wasn’t the only adversity Bald Eagle Area (5-2) had to overcome through the afternoon. In two of the team’s first three matches of its 2025-26 campaign, it faced state-ranked opponents – No. 22 Penns Valley and No. 12 Montgomery – and fell short by a combined score of 93-46.

The matches following its second-round loss to the Red Raiders served to get the Eagles in a groove, as they bounced back with comfortable wins over Jersey Shore (45-19) and North Penn-Liberty (48-29), team’s that possessed state-ranked talent.

Their fifth-rounded win over the Hornets provided proof they could still hang with the state’s elite despite the loss of four-time state medalist Caleb Close. And their final win, a 41-31 defeat of Class AAA Wilkes-Barre, served as the cherry on top, earning the team its second straight top-two finish at Dandy Duals.

“I just think they really kind of grew up today and realized that sometimes you’re going to face adversity, but you just have to try to go beyond that adversity. That’s what makes a good wrestler, a good team,” said Guenot.

“When you’re faced with adversity, it’s not all about wins and losses. It’s just how you rebound from a loss, and I think the kids did that today. They saw that if they believe in themselves, good things will happen.”

CHRIS MANNING/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Dawson Lomison wrestles Montgomery's AJ Kroft at 145 during a dual match at Dandy Duals on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, at Towanda.

On the day, Tanner Guenot, Caden Judice and Dawson Lomison – all ranked top ten in the state at their weights – went 6-0, with Guenot recording 36 team points, Lomison recording 34 and Judice recording 33. Guenot and Lomison combined for eight first-period falls, and Judice defeated No. 15 Louden Spotts (Jersey Shore) by 4-1 decision.

Senior Gage Gardner and sophomore Tyler Corey endured losses to thwart fourth perfect days but excelled outside of that, recording nine combined bonus-point victories and six combined pins – five coming in the first period. And Kyle Watson went 5-1 with two first-period pins.

In Jersey Shore’s case, the team displayed strides despite losing progressing depth from last season, facing a near-identical Dandy Duals slate to the one it faced in 2024.

It cut last year’s deficit against the Eagles (54-7) by 17, logged an additional win over North Penn-Liberty – a team it lost to 45-24 in 2024 – and showed more consistency in general, particularly from 152 to 189 pounds.

“I’m pleased with the guys’ performance,” said Jersey Shore head coach Tony Owens.

CHRIS MANNING/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Tanner Guenot wrestles Montgomery's Jayden Rupert at 133 during a dual match at Dandy Duals on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, at Towanda.

“We have some little things we’ve got to work on and holes in our lineup. With the forfeits, it’s difficult to compete against teams like this. But in the head-to-head matchups, I was pleased with our guys. All in all, I think our guys wrestled as well as they could have given the circumstances.”

Fighting through an ankle injury against arguably the toughest weight class of the event (152), sophomore Louden Spotts continued to show massive improvements, holding his own against No. 4 Caden Judice, falling to the two-time state medalist by 4-1 decision. He capped his day early with a 2-2 record, but holding his own there speaks volumes.

At 160, junior Tobias Morgret had an outstanding day, finishing 5-1 with five bonus-point victories and his lone loss coming against No. 21 Trace Furman (Montgomery). Senior Jonathan Dincher also finished 5-1 – his lone loss coming by 10-7 decision – with a team-high four pins.

“Those guys wrestled really well,” said Owens on the trio. “Tobias Morgret wrestled a really good tournament this weekend and obviously, Jon had four pins out of six matches, which is really good for him.”

“If we get our guys in the right weight classes, we’re going to be pretty good. We’ve got guys in positions; we’re getting more guys out for the team. It’s looking a little better for us for the future,” he added.

CHRIS MANNING/For the Express Jersey Shore's Jonathan Dincher wrestles Montgomery's Josh Kwebel during a dual match at Dandy Duals on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, at Towanda.

Following the tournament, both teams return to action on Tuesday.

Bald Eagle Area will host Philipsburg-Osceola (0-2) in a girls-boys doubleheader, with the girls competing at 6:30 p.m. and boys at 7. And Jersey Shore (2-4) hosts Muncy (0-0) at 7 p.m.

“We just need to keep improving. That’s the name of the game, getting better every day and every outing,” said Guenot. “We have Philipsburg on Tuesday. That’s a big match, so hopefully, we can keep the momentum going.”

“If we can get through the next three duals and get our two-pound weight allowance, I think we’ll be okay for the second-half of the season,” said Owens.

CHRIS MANNING/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Brody Gardner wrestles Montgomery's Raiden Felix at 189 during a dual match at Dandy Duals on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, at Towanda.

CHRIS MANNING/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Michael Wesley wrestles Montgomery's Ian Marquette at 114 during a dual match at Dandy Duals on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, at Towanda.

CHRIS MANNING/For the Express Jersey Shore's Aiden Patts wrestles Montgomery's Gage Furman at 215 during a dual match at Dandy Duals on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, at Towanda.