YOUTH WRESTLING: ATHENS' GALASSO FINISHES ONE WIN SHY OF MEDAL AT PJW YOUTH STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS (2019-03-19)
Valley Sports ReportPITTSBURGH - Athens' Kendall Galasso ended up one win shy of a medal here Saturday at the Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling (PJW) Youth State Championships, while Matthias Welles finished his efforts with a 1-2 mark at the Petersen Events Center.
Galasso, wrestling in the 9- & 10-year-old girls, 60-pound weight class, was 2-2 on the day.
In her opening match, Galasso scored a quick takedown and registered a fall of Lillian Turpen in 31 seconds.
In the quarterfinals, Galasso recorded a 7-5 decision over Emma Johnston.
Galasso scored a takedown midway through the first period, but Johnston registered a reversal just 11 seconds later to tie the bout at 2-2. With 21 seconds remaining, Galasso escaped to take a 3-2 lead.
Galasso scored a takedown with 30 seconds remaining in the second period, and led 5-2 heading into the third period.
Johnston started the final stanza on top and scored two near-fall points to trim the deficit to 5-4, but moments later Galasso recorded a reversal to make it 7-4. Johnson escaped with 25 seconds left to make it 7-5, but Galasso fended off takedown attempts to preserve the win.
In the semifinals, Juliette Trout scored a quick takedown and turned it into a 45-second fall. Trout, who was 4-0 on the day with four falls, won the 60-pound title with a 31-second fall in the finals.
In the ‘blood round,' Ella Wolfe forged a 13-5 major decision to eliminate Galasso one win shy of the medal stand.
Wolfe led 2-0 after the first period, and used a five-point move to take a 7-0 lead into the third period.
After two near-fall points early in the final stanza gave Wolfe a 9-0 lead, Galasso scored a reversal and three near-fall points to trim the deficit to 9-5.
However, a technical violation on Galasso, and an escape by Wolfe pushed the lead to 11-5 with 24 seconds remaining. Wolfe sealed her win with a takedown with 9 seconds remaining for the final margin. Wolfe went on to blank Johnston, 6-0, in the third-place match.
At 135 pounds in the 11- & 12-year-old boys division, Welles finished his day at 1-2.
In the the round-of-32, Welles built a big lead before registering fall of Kody Ward at 2:19.
Welles scored a pair of five-point moves in the first period to build a 10-1 lead. He added another five-point move midway through the second period to build his cushion to 15-1, before finishing off the fall.
In the round-of-16, Welles lost by fall to Camden Lowery in 1:36. Lowery took a 2-0 lead with a takedown 30 seconds into the bout, but Welles countered with a reversal to even the score at 2-2.
With 1:10 remaining, Lowery recorded an escape, and then took Wells down 21 seconds later for a 5-2 lead. About 25 seconds later, Lowery finished off the fall.
Welles dropped an 8-4 decision to Vito Barravecchio in the first round of wrestlebacks.
Welles took the early lead with a takedown midway through the first period, but Barravecchio trimmed the deficit to 2-1 with an escape with 13 seconds remaining.
With 36 seconds remaining in the second period, Welles scored a pair of near-fall points to take a 4-1 lead. Moments later, Barravecchio countered with a reversal to cut the deficit to 4-3 heading into the third period.
With just 20 seconds remaining, Barravecchio scored a five-point move to pull out the decision.