CJ Horvath heard the cheers.
He heard the cluster of Freedom fans on the south side of Liberty’s wonderful old Memorial Gym, District 11′s “Cathedral of Wrestling,” making enough noise to fill a real cathedral.
“For sure I heard them,” the Patriot senior said.
At the time the gold-and-black army was cheering on Horvath as he edged Quakertown’s Mason Ziegler 6-5 in the 121-pound final of the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic.
A bit later, the Freedom faithful had more to roar about as Horvath won the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler award as voted by the coaches, a vote lehighvalleylive was told was virtually unanimous.
“We’re like a family at Freedom,” said Horvath, who won his second BHWC title (he won in 2019 as well). “We go through everything together, all the highs and lows. They’re back there supporting me, and they want to be as loud as they can.”
Several lehighvalleylive fan bases in Memorial Gym Thursday afternoon had reasons to be loud as the region won seven individual championships overall in addition to Horvath’s.
Nazareth and Northampton won two each as Blue Eagles Dominic Wheatley (172) and Sean Kinney (285) and Konkrete Kids Trey Wagner (127) and Dagen Condomitti (160) climbed to the top of the podium.
Easton, Phillipsburg, and Parkland wrestlers joined them there, as Stateliner Gavin Hawk (133), Red Rover Oliver Fairchild (139) and Trojan Adrian Gacek (189) stepped into the winner’s circle.
Many of the finals, including Horvath’s, were thrillers, and the team title race was as well. Rapidly improving Easton led almost from the time the first results of the 28th annual two-day event were posted on Wednesday to the very last bout.
But when Kinney topped Phillipsburg’s John Wargo 13-0 in the 285 final, that pushed the Blue Eagles past their rivals by a tiny margin, 167.5-165. Phillipsburg was third at 151, and the K-Kids (148) and Saucon Valley (140) rounded out the top five.
Given that Nazareth entered just 10 wrestlers and was missing three of its top standouts, including 2022 PIAA 3A champion Sonny Sasso, it was a well-earned title.
“This was quite an accomplishment,” said Blue Eagle head coach Dave Crowell, who has won a lot of trophies in his time and knows when they’re truly special.
Surely an OW trophy at a tourney as deep as the BHWC is special too, and Horvath’s glowing smile that lit up the dying twilight in the gym showed he thought so.
Horvath earned the award for winning perhaps the toughest weight class at the tourney. Ziegler, for example, had beaten 2022 PIAA 3A champ Zach Jacaruso of Delaware Valley in the ultimate tiebreaker in the semifinals, while Horvath had to survive Northampton’s three-time state medalist Carson Wagner in his (4-3).
“There were a lot of very quality kids in the bracket,” Horvath said. “We all know each other so well, and District 11 is so tough. Anybody can have a good day, and anybody can have a bad day. Every match, we’re all giving it all, and they’re all good. It was a very tough weight class.”
None more so than Ziegler, a junior who, if you look up “fundamentally solid” in the dictionary, you see his picture. But Horvath had a plan.
“I had to get him moving, and stay on the attack,” Horvath said. “I had to throw everything I had at him, coming from all angles, and finish quickly.”
Freedom's CJ Horvath celebrates his 6-5 win over Quakertown's Mason Ziegler in the 121-pound weight class during the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic finals Thursday at Liberty.Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media
Midway through the third period, the wrestlers had each scored a takedown and two escapes, and were on their feet tied at 4.
“In knew I had to stay on the attack,” Horvath said. “When it was 4-4 I knew if I was able to score, most likely I’d win the match.”
And that’s what happened. Horvath finished a strong shot with 42 seconds left. Ziegler escaped, but Horvath defended adroitly and tenaciously to hold off the 2022 state medalist (113, 7th).
That state medal is one trophy Horvath does not have.
“This was a great confidence booster for me, hanging with the best kids in the state,” Horvath said. “I know all the other kids will be working so hard, and I have to keep doing so, too. I have to keep doing what I am doing and leaving everything I have out there.”
Phillipsburg's Gavin Hawk (left) wrestles Nazareth's Charlie Bunting in the 133-pound weight class during the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic finals Thursday at Liberty. Hawk won by fall.Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media
A surprise cemented
Horvath’s final was gripping, but some others offered thrills as well.
Hawk pulled off perhaps the biggest surprise of the finals. It’s no surprise the Stateliner sophomore, who seems to be getting better every hour, won a tournament, to be sure.
But to do so, he had to overcome one of Nazareth’s most tested and trusted of veterans, Charlie Bunting, a two-time PIAA 3A medalist, including third place in 2022.
And when the Blue Eagle scored the first takedown and led 3-0 midway through the second period, it seemed in the bag for him; Nazareth wrestlers rarely lose from such positions.
But Phillipsburg wrestlers do win from such positions.
“I just had to stay calm and relax,” Hawk said. “I had to wrestle with confidence and go out and wrestle.”
So, when Hawk spotted an opening, he pounced – and pinned in 2:51. What one veteran sportswriter calls the “Phillipsburg Roar” erupted from the north stand.
“I used a cement mixer,” Hawk said. “I was thinking about using it, and then the opportunity was there. It’s a risky position; of course, you don’t want to take too many risks, but you have to accept certain risks.”
There was no risk this time because Hawk’s execution of the move was near-perfect and Bunting was well wrapped up.
“That might be my best win ever; at the least it matched my best win in high school,” Hawk said. “I have to go (forward) now staying focused and with a clear mind.”
Nazareth's Dominic Wheatley (top) scrambles with Freedom's Jared Karabinus in the 172-pound weight class during the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic finals Thursday at Liberty. Wheatley won 7-0.Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media
A Blue Eagle day
Nazareth had, typically, gone 4-for-4 in the semifinals, and batted a solid .500 in the finals (for more on the 139 final, see below), having better luck at 285 and 172.
Kinney inspires the kind of awe among fans of the sport that’s hard to describe; when it was clear the team title came down to his final, everybody in the gym knew Nazareth was the team champion. His technique, combined with remarkable speed for a bigger guy and bonecrushing strength, makes him close to unbeatable.
In some ways, Wargo only getting majored and fighting off his back several times almost seemed like a victory for Phillipsburg – that’s how powerful Kinney is.
At 172, where the Blue Eagle senior Dominic Wheatley’s advantage over Freedom senior Jared Karabinus was considerably less than at 285, Wheatley still pitched a shutout and won 7-0, carefully avoiding Karabinus’ big moves while still staying on offense himself to deliver a vital win.
“All we were talking about as the team championship,” said Wheatley, now a two-time BHWC champion. “Coach always tells us we’re wrestling for the team. I knew the team score was close, and I was wrestling for the team, not for myself.”
Still, Wheatley had something to prove to himself.
“I think I wrestled pretty well, but I didn’t really wrestle well at the Beast of the East,” he said. “I needed to improve on that. Since the Beast, I learned to deal with my nerves before the match better, and I have been working on wrestling more aggressively.”
Wheatley said he stuck to his new strengths better after wobbling a bit in a 13-8 quarterfinal win over Delaware Valley’s CJ Walton. He cruised past Northwestern Lehigh’s Dalton Clymer 12-1 in a semifinal.
Easton's Oliver Fairchild (top) wrestles Nazareth's Jack Campbell in the 139-pound weight class during the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic finals Thursday at Liberty. Fairchild won 11-3.Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media
Easton is golden
Fairchild took some of the sting out of the tight loss in the team title race for Red Rover fans with a dominating 11-3 win over Nazareth freshman Jack Campbell in the 139 final.
Fairchild ruled Campbell on his feet and wrestled with security and total control.
The Campbell-bound Fairchild won his first BHWC crown after finishing second in 2021 in a way designed to make him a fan favorite. He had majored Phillipsburg’s Luke Geleta 13-4 in his semifinal Thursday morning.
“I like to put on a show for our fans, but I have to go out and wrestle my match,” he said.
Any Rover wrestler who wins titles by beating Nazareth and Phillipsburg will be beloved.
“This is big, because this is probably the biggest tournament, we’re in all season, and I improved from last year,” he said.
And Fairchild did something Easton preaches like a mantra.
“Exceed your seed,” he said, and he did; he was seeded second. “There’s always room for improvement, but I am happy with the way I wrestled.”
Northampton's Trey Wagner (left) wrestles Hempfield's Seamus Mack in the 127-pound weight class during the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic finals Thursday at Liberty. Wagner won 9-2.Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media
Four-year champ?
There are not many BHWC four-time champions. It’s a tough tourney, and it’s hard to win one, let alone four.
Northampton’s Trey Wagner just might.
The Konkrete Kid freshman pinned in his first three BHWC bouts, won a semifinal 4-0 over Kennett’s Blake Boyer and then dominated Hempfield’s Seamus Mack 9-2 in the final.
Wagner took a bit to get going in the final. After a scoreless first period, Wagner led 6-0 after two – escape, takedown, penalty point, back points – and cruised from there.
Though he didn’t necessarily think so.
“I am usually a lot better on top,” said Wagner, who was reversed in the third period.
Northampton coach Joe Provini wasn’t quite so tough on his standout freshman.
“That was the best six minutes Trey has wrestled this year,” Provini said.
Wagner agreed, on the whole.
“That probably is the best match I have wrestled on varsity,” he said. “In every one before that, I made some mistakes.”
Wagner may make the occasional mistake, but his always-going-forward style can easily cover them.
“Usually my style is always attacking,” he said. “A good mindset is key for me, and knowing when to shoot, and when to fake, and all of that.”
Wagner’s teammate, Condomitti, completely dominated his 160 final before pinning Behkhurz Sadriddinov of Council Rock South in 2:58.
Parkland's Adrian Gacek (right) wrestles Saucon Valley's Jacob Jones in the 189-pound weight class during the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic finals Thursday at Liberty. Gacek won 9-2.Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media
More final moments
One of the more remarkable finals came at 189, where Parkland senior Adrian Gacek just smothered 2022 PIAA 2A runner-up Jake Jones of Saucon Valley, 9-2. Jones is rarely dominated like that, and Gacek showed off impressive strength as well as near-perfect fundamentals.
District 1 triumphed over District 11 into two middleweight bouts.
Quakertown sophomore sensation Collin Gaj handled 2021 BHWC champion Marco Albanese 13-5 at 145.
At 152, Liberty senior Ryan Santiago wrestled a gritty bout in classic Hurricane style but fell short to Council Rock South sophomore Gavin Cole 5-3.
Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic
(at Liberty High School)
Team scores and legend: Nazareth (Naz) 167.5, Easton (Ea) 165, Phillipsburg (Pb) 151, Northampton (Nh) 148, Saucon Valley (SV) 140, Quakertown (Q) 132, Council Rock South (CRS) 120, Wilson-West Lawn (WWL) 115.5, Parkland (Pa) 111, Delaware Valley (DV) 99.5, Kennett (K) 97, Northern Lebanon (NL) 84.5, Hempfield (D-3) (He) 77, Freedom (F) 72.5, Liberty (L) 72, West Scranton (WS) 67.5, Wyoming Valley West (WVW) 67, Spring-Ford (S-F) 66, Whitehall (Wh) 65, Boyertown (B) and Honesdale (Ho) 64.5, Northwestern Lehigh (NW) 61, Emmaus (Em) 58, Stroudsburg (Sb) 45.5, Southern Lehigh (SL) 43, Blue Mountain (BM) 40, North Penn (NP) 38, Wilson 34, Warwick (Wa) 32, Hazleton (Ha) 30, Garnet Valley (GV) 28, Shenendohowa (N.Y.) (Sh) 17
Championship finals
107: Aaron Seidel, NL, d. Dorian Hoffman, WVW, 3-0
114: McKaden Speece, WWL, d. Cole Smith, S-F, 4-3
121: CJ Horvath, F, d. Mason Ziegler, Q, 6-5
127: Trey Wagner, Nh, d. Seamus Mack, He, 9-2
133: Gavin Hawk, Pb, p. Charlie Bunting, Naz, 2:51
139: Oliver Fairchild, Ea, md. Jack Campbell, Naz, 11-3
145: Collin Gaj, Q, md. Marco Albanese, Em, 13-5
152: Gavin Cole, CRS, d. Ryan Santiago, L, 5-3
160: Dagen Condomitti, Nh, p. Behkhurz Sadriddinov, CRS, 2:58
172: Dominic Wheatley, Naz, d. Jared Karabinus, F, 7-0
189: Adrian Gacek, Pa, d. Jake Jones, SV, 9-2
215: Calvin Lachman, Q, d. Ryan McMillan, WWL, 3-1
285: Sean Kinney, Naz, md. John Wargo, Pb, 13-0
Third place
107: Connor Lenahan, CRS, d. Santino Micci, Wilson, 4-2
114: Luke Heimbach, B, Isaac Williams, Q, 1-0
121: Zachary Jacaruso, DV, d. Carson Wagner, Nh, 4-3
127: Gavin Sheridan, B, d. Ben Fanelli, Ea, 4-1 TB-1
133: Michael Turi, WS, md.Aidan Micheli , Nh, 11-3
139: Ben Brillhart, CRS, d. Jackson Albert, SV, 7-3
145: Jake Doone, Naz, d. MJ Turi, WS, 5-2
152: James Geiger, Ea, d. Juan Moya, Pa, 3-2
160: Liam Scrivanich, SV, md. Zachary Borzio, Q, 16-7
172: Dalton Clymer, NW, d. Blaise Eidle, WWL, 5-2
189: Caleb Rivera, Pb, d. Lucas Miller, NWL, 7-6
215: Tyler Pfizenmayer, SV, p. John Pardo, K, 1:50
285: Aiden Black, DV, fft. Bailey Shindle, K
Fifth place
107: Nicholas Salamone, Ea, d. Wilmont Kai, Wh, 5-0
114: Sam Wolford, NL, d. Dawson McWilliams, Pb, 2-0 SV
121: Aiden Grogg, SV, d. Marco Tocci, Wa, 4-4 UTB
127: Cole Hubert, SV, d. Blake Boyer, K, 6-4 SV
133: Dom Moyer, DV, d. Kam Abboud, L, 3-2
139: Luke Geleta, Pb, p. David Ensminger , Sh, 0:59
145: Braden Edwards, He, d. TJ Martin, Ho, 10-3
152: Hudson Saylor, Wh, d. Tyler Maiers, K, 9-4
160: Luke Fugazzotto, NWL, d. Anthony Attilio, S-F, 11-6
172: Connor Hille, Pb, fft. Jared Rohn, SV
189: Melquan Warren, Wh, d. Aaron Kirby, Sb, 10-5
215: Michael Fluck, SL, p. Paul Renner, Ho, 2:31
285: Caleb Mussmon, He, d. Michael Gavrilesku, Pa, 5-1
Seventh place
107: Jasiah Pagan, L, p. Eli Russ, Pa, 4-3
114: Blake Dergham, Pa, p. Brendan Bowman, Ea, 4:19
121: Christopher Kelly, Ea, d. James Garcia, WWL, 1-0
127: Jason Williams, WS, d. Phoenix DelVecchio, Pa, 5-2
133: Kane Lengel, K, md. Ethan Bliss, GV, 9-0
139: Austin Noe, Nh, md. Beck Bebb, B, 10-2
145: Michael Pepe, K, d. Bryn Hess, Wa, 4-1
152: Cade Campbell, Naz, d. Devlin Chevere, Nh, 3-0
160: Nolan Krazer, Ea, p. Liam Packer, Pb, 5:37
172: CJ Walton, DV, d. Jayden Hazzard, Ea, 7-5
189: Marco Malerba, Naz, p. JJ Plaza, He, 0:56
215: Clayton Erb, NL, p. Tyler Cocciolillo, Ea, 4:05
285: Logan Kurzweg, WWL, d. Devon Pinkett, NP, 9-7
Semifinals
107: Seidel, NL, tf. Micci, Wilson, 3:36 (16-1); Hoffman, WVW, d. Lenahan, CRS, 6-3
114: Speece, WWL, d. McWilliams, Pb, 4-2; Smith, S-F, d. Heimbach, B, 6-0
121: Ziegler, Q, d. Jacaruso, DV, 2-2 UTB; Horvath, F, d. C. Wagner, Nh, 4-3
127: T. Wagner, Nh, d. Blake Boyer, K, 4-0; Mack, He, p. Sheridan, B, 1:27
133: Bunting, Naz, d. Micheli, Nh, 9-2; Hawk, Pb, d. M. Turi, WS, 5-2
139: J. Campbell, Naz, d. Ensminger, Sh, 6-1; Fairchild, Ea, md. Geleta, Pb, 13-4
145: Gaj, Q, p. Edwards, He, 3:42; Albanese, Em, d. MJ Turi, WS, 6-5
152: Santiago, L, md. Moya, Pa, 15-1; Cole, CRS, d. Geiger, Ea, 8-5
160: Condomitti, Nh, d. Scrivanich, SV, 3-2; Sadriddinov, CRS, tf. Fugazzotto, NW, 5:04 (20-5)
172: Karabinus, F, p. Rohn, SV, 3:18; Wheatley, Naz, md. Clymer, NWL, 12-1
189: Jones, SV, p. Miller, NWL, 3:39; Gacek, Pa, d. Warren, Wh, 8-2
215: Lachman, Q, d. Pardo, K, 7-5 SV; McMillan, WWL, p. Pfizenmayer, SV, 2:15
285: Kinney, Naz, p. Black, DV, 0:41; Wargo, Pb, p. Shindle, K, 4:23
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Brad Wilson may be reached at bwilson@lehighvalleylive.com.
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