With just two bouts remaining in Saturday night’s Lackawanna League showdown against Delaware Valley, Wallenpaupack Area held a tenuous six point lead.

A huge throng of local grappling fans had shouted themselves hoarse through the first 12 bouts. The Buckhorns fed off that energy, carving out a 28-22 advantage.

Despite Herculean efforts from the likes of Eric Garcia, Jacob Herringer, Willie Benitez, Matt Abbruzzi and Taylor Newcomer, there was still serious work to be done.

Center Stage
Coach Steve Krushnowski was sending a freshman out against a senior in the evening’s penultimate bout. All Paupack’s hopes for a mammoth Division One upset rested with Pat Ingulli...a talented but inexperienced rookie.

Ingulli strode to the mat for his 119-pound battle with Jason DaSilva. Pat’s mission was simple: win and Paupack sews up its first victory over DV in 35 years. Lose and the Warriors would have their best wrestler on the mat for the final bout.

On paper, it looked like a bit of a mismatch.

DaSilva just missed out on a medal at the 2007-’08 district tournament and has been a fixture in the DV line-up for three seasons. At this time last winter, Ingulli was still a member of the junior high team. He did take third place at Eastern Sectionals; however, that’s a long way from the Lackawanna League wars...especially at the end of a match that may decide a Division One champion.

DaSilva went on the attack right away, scoring a takedown for a 2-0 lead. Ingulli rebounded quickly, wriggling free for an escape. Moments later, Pat brought the crowd to its feet with a beautifully-executed combination move.

The result of Ingulli’s flurry was a nasty headlock from which DaSilva could not escape. Pat squeezed hard and appeared to have the pin, but referee Marty Boyer disagreed and DaSilva was saved by the horn.

Nevertheless, Ingulli held a stunning 6-2 lead after one period. From there, the two wrestlers traded points back & forth. At the end of two, Ingulli’s lead ballooned to six points. DaSilva tried desperately to save the day with a big move, but Pat was ready. He fended off a half dozen shots and kept his eye on the clock.

Finally, after an agonizingly long third period, the buzzer sounded and the gym erupted. Ingulli had posted a 13-6 decision and given the Bucks an insurmountable 31-22 lead.

Coach Krushnowski opted to forfeit the final bout to Ficken, sealing the deal on an historic 31-28 Paupack victory.

“What can I possibly say about Pat Ingulli?” a beaming Coach Krushnowski asked TWI Sports moments after the win. “My gosh...he’s only a freshman. Pat went out there with the weight of the world on his shoulders and won the match. He beat a senior in the biggest bout of the night. What an amazing performance!”

With this victory, Paupack upped its overall record to 12-1 for the season. The Bucks are undefeated in the Lackawanna League and tied atop the Division One standings with archrival Honesdale, West Scranton and Abington Heights.

“I am tremendously proud of these kids,” Coach Krushnowski said. “DV was the unanimous pick to win our division this year...and we went out there and beat them. I couldn’t be any happier. This is a great day for the Wallenpaupack wrestling program.”

Next up for Paupack is a Wednesday evening battle with the Comets. Wrestling will get underway at 6:45 p.m. on the shores of The Big Lake.

Back & Forth
Delaware Valley took a quick lead in Saturday’s match, thanks to a major decision by Anthony Luciano at 130 pounds.

Paupack wasted no time bouncing back. Jacob Herringer gave the fans their first thrill of the night with a second period pin at 135. The Buckhorn senior fought off a sluggish start to clamp DV’s Marc Wagner at the 3:33 mark, giving the home team a 6-4 lead.

“Jake’s having a great senior year,” said Coach Krushnowski. “We needed six from him and that’s exactly what he gave us. Jake came through in a big spot.”

DV surged back into the lead when Marcus Sullivan won by fall at 140. However, the Bucks rebounded with back-to-back wins from veterans Eric Garcia and Willie Benitez.

Garcia treated local fans to a courageous performance they’re not likely to forget anytime soon. Eric had been fighting a nasty stomach virus and was a match-time decision. Nevertheless, Paupack’s senior tri-captain went out and won a brutal 6-5 decision over Pete Barrale at 145.

The moment the bout was over, Garcia collapsed on the mat. He vomited into a garbage can, then was helped from the mat to the accompaniment of a rousing ovation.

“Eric Garcia is a tough, tough kid,” said Coach Krushnowski. “We had to bump him up a weight class and he still came up with a huge win.”

Benitez continued his early-season success with yet another stellar performance. Willie has already posted 16 individual wins thus far with 11 pins. He was named Outstanding Wrestler at the Mustang Duals after going undefeated at 152.

On Saturday, Benitez drew DV’s Steve Jensen and the two veteran grapplers went toe-to-toe through three grueling periods. In the end, Willie used an escape and one takedown to hammer out a 3-0 decision.

With these wins, Paupack took a razor-thin 12-10 lead.

Down to the Wire
The Warriors proved their mettle by answering Paupack’s rally with two big victories of their own.

Dave DellaVecchia defeated Catlyn Miller at 160. Adam Manzoni followed that up with a decision over Anthony Mancuso at 171. This set the stage for a wild Paupack rally as the Bucks reeled off four straight wins to take a 12-point lead.

Matt Abbruzzi got things going with a thrilling overtime win at 189. Another senior who’s enjoying a superb season, Abbruzzi battled DV’s Scott Minto to a 1-1 stalemate at the end of regulation. Matt then scored a takedown with 14 seconds left in the first extra session.

“What an incredible win!” Coach Krushnowski exclaimed. “Matt Abbruzzi is all of about 180 pounds wrestling at 189. He’s all heart out there.”

Taylor Newcomer put Paupack back on top with a 6-4 decision at 215. A battle-tested junior who was voted Rookie of the Year as a sophomore, Newcomer slugged his way to a 6-4 decision over Jon Haber.

Jason Gardepe made it three in a row with a pin at 285. Paupack’s heavyweight put Kyle Krakower on his back late in the second, then sealed the deal with just three seconds left in the period.

Xavier Rake anchored the Bucks’ rally with another impressive performance at 103. Paupack’s top technical wrestler cruised to a 9-0 major over Chris Moraski. Rake’s 14th win of the young season pushed the home team lead to double digits at 28-16.

After Eric Redmond suffered a fall at 112, the fate of this wildly-exciting Division One battle fell at Ingulli’s feet...and the frosh didn’t disappoint.

“Hands down, this is the biggest win in the history of our program,” Coach Krushnowski said. “I know there are alot of tough matches still to come, but the kids are really starting to believe in themselves.”