JERSEY SHORE – Coming off a strong stint at the LHAC Championships, the Bellefonte wrestling team entered Tuesday’s road contest against Jersey Shore riding plenty of momentum. It hadn’t competed in a dual in almost a month, but that didn’t faze it as it proceeded to carry that momentum forward in a big way.

Behind ten victories, including four pins and two tech falls, the Red Raiders left little room for question as they dominated their way to a 56-13 win, their eighth dual victory in a row. The Bulldogs fought hard and mixed in a few wins, but each time, Bellefonte responded with an onslaught of success to help cement its chances.

“We had Powerade and the Laurel Highlands tournament, so we were kind of concerned going right back into a dual meet with one practice,” said Bellefonte head coach Mike Maney. “So, sluggish in spots but overall, the guys did a nice job of being aggressive and scoring points.”

Of the team’s ten wins, the most meaningful came at 133 pounds.

After kicking off his high school wrestling career with nine straight losses, sophomore Dylan Hockenberry took home his first varsity win in emphatic fashion, defeating Shore’s Colton Gardner by second-period pin. He trailed 3-0 late in the first period but was able to take Gardner down from a standing position at the start of the second before immediately translating the takedown into a fall.

That served to propel an already fast start from the Red Raiders forward, upping the team’s lead to 23-5 before back-to-back wins by forfeit made it 35-5.

In the match’s first bout at 107, freshman Colin Harter set the tone immediately with a sub-minute pin, landing his very first single-legged shot for a takedown and securing the fall soon after. And two bouts later, Blake Glace racked up four takedowns and six near-fall points within a first-period tech fall.

“He’s had success in junior high and has big goals for himself,” said Maney when asked about having Harter as a tone setter. “It’s really helped to get us start on the right foot at the first weight class.”

And in terms of close outs, the Red Raiders saved their best for last. After trading wins with Jersey Shore throughout the midweights, Bellefonte’s upperweights produced three straight bonus-point victories to cap things off, with Jackson Long (189) and Mason Englert (285) posting pins and Luke Hockenberry winning at 215 by tech fall.

“Our upperweights have been pretty solid all year round,” said Maney. “It’s nice to start with some bonus points and also end with them. It’s nice knowing what you’ve got at the upper weights and that they can finish strong.”

For Jersey Shore, there were diamonds in the rough.

Sophomore Louden Spotts and freshman Gabe Fisher continued to prove their early reliability, posting convincing tech falls at 121 and 152 respectively. Spotts turned a lateral throw into a six-point move right out of the gate on his way to a first-period tech fall, and Fisher racked up 11 points through the first before sealing his win deep in the second.

At 172, Jonathan Dincher edged out Bellefonte’s Carson Crawford in the closest match of the night. He trailed 3-2 heading into the third period, but out of top, managed to flip Crawford for four crucial near-fall points before riding out his opponent for the 6-3 decision.

And while he endured a loss, Tobias Morgret fell just short of giving up zero bonus points against Ezra Swisher, who’s ranked No. 4 in the state in Class AAA. It wasn’t the prettiest performances, but the Bulldogs gave head coach Tony Owens some silver linings to be excited about.

“I think we battled in the matches that we should have battled in. Spotts looked good, Fisher looked good and Jonathan Dincher looked good,” said Owens on his team’s performance. “We knew coming in that it was going to be a tough match, but I think they wrestled well, gave themselves opportunities and wrestled hard for six minutes.”

With the win, Bellefonte improved to 8-1 in dual competition and will look to keep its eight-match win streak alive against a tough Penns Valley squad next Tuesday. And with the loss, Jersey Shore fell to 5-11 and will look to bounce back against Shamokin Thursday, with that match set for 7 p.m. at Jersey Shore.

BOYS WRESTLING

Bellefonte 56, Jersey Shore 13

107: Colin Harter (B) pinned Travis Merrill (JS), :53. 114: Peyton Ott (B) won by forfeit. 121: Gabriel Fisher (JS) tech fall Rylan Lucas (B), 20-3 (3:42). 127: Blake Glace (B) tech fall Draylen Phillips (JS), 18-3 (1:59). 133: Dylan Hockenberry (B) pinned Colton Gardner (JS), 2:45. 139: Wyatt Long (B) won by forfeit. 145: Tanner Clarkson (B) won by forfeit. 152: Louden Spotts (JS) tech fall Gavin Dufour (B), 18-0 (2:00). 160: Ezra Swisher (B) maj dec Tobias Morgret (JS), 8-0. 172: Jonathan Dincher (JS) dec. Carson Crawford (B), 6-3. 189: Jackson Long (B) pinned Riley Kanski (JS), 2:50. 215: Luke Hockenberry (B) tech fall Aiden Patts (JS), 18-1 (3:00). 285: Mason Englert (B) pinned Garrett Barner (JS), 3:48.