Mifflin County tops tough Central Mountain on road

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: December 22, 2021

Photos by Tim Weight
By BRIAN CARSON

MILL HALL – Central Mountain, minus four key starters, was no match for Mifflin County as the much-anticipated wrestling match between state powers turned into a blowout as the Huskies came away with the 48-21 victory on Wednesday.

The 25th-ranked Huskies (2-0) took advantage by capturing nine bouts, scoring bonus points in seven of those, with five coming by fall.

The Wildcats (1-1) ranked fourth in the state were without Luke Simcox, Taylor Weaver, Gino Serafini, and Griffin Walizer, all state–ranked.

Mifflin County coach Kirby Martin wanted to face a full Central Mountain lineup, but still recognized the Wildcats as a quality team, even without the starters. The win is a huge early seasonprize for the Huskies.

“Anytime you get to beat Central Mountain, who is always very good and very well-coached. That’s something to be happy about,” Martin said. “Yes, I would have loved for them to be atfull–strength but to beat them in their gym, with their fans, that’s a very good night for us.”

Mifflin County set the tone for the match in the opening three weights. Starting at 172, freshman Avery Aurand fought off Rocco Serafini, who was up 14-1 in the third and going for a technical fall. Aurand scored a late takedown to thwart the Wildcats’ plans and set the Huskies up for a five-match win streak and a 33-4 lead.

Trey Shoemaker fought off a hard-charging Damien Galentine for the 6-3 win at 189. The Husky senior took a 3-0 lead into the third before the Wildcat reversed to even things up. Shoemaker escaped and scored the clinching takedown for the victory.

The bonus babies came into play when Mifflin County collectedfour pins and a forfeit in the subsequent five weights.

Anson Wagner started it off with a pin in 3:47 over Micah Walizer. The Husky senior used a tough leg ride and the half to dominate the action. Wagner, up from 160, is getting a comfort level at a higher weight.

Jaxson Pupo followed with a fall in 4:32 over Brayden Blackwell at 285. Styers Oden kept the momentum going at 106 with a 34-second pin over Leeah Eisenhower. Nic Allison received a forfeit at 113, while Hunter Johnson took out Clayton Foster in 1:19 of their 120-pound bout.

Central Mountain cut the deficit to 33-21 with a three-match run. Derek Keen scored a 15-0 tech fall over Kamden Everly at 126. Super frosh Dalton Perry bumped up to 132 and built a 17-4 lead before pinning Blake Aumiller in 3:16. Braylen Corter followed with a 5:03 pin of Lucas Sheetz at 138.

Mifflin County closed out the action with three straight victories to set the final score. Deakon Schaeffer won a hard–fought 3-2 decision over Zane Cooper at 145. Parker Kearns won by forfeit at 152, and Kyler Everly, up 9-0 in the third, decked Tristan Probst in 5:02 at 160.

Schaeffer started his match off with a first-period takedown. Cooper evened things up with an escape and penalty point. After four minutes, the Husky sophomore chose bottom and escaped to make it 3-2. Cooper took bottom, and Schaeffer closed out with a solid ride through the third.

The Huskies have a surge of confidence heading into the holidays and the Conestoga Valley tournament on December 29-30.

“Anytime you can beat a team as well-coached and consistently good as Central Mountain, it’s huge. I’m anticipating our confidence will continue to grow after tonight’s match, and I’m looking forward to Conestoga Valley,” Martin said.

Mifflin County (MCH) 48.0 Central Mountain (CMH) 21.0
172: Rocco Serafini (CMH) over Avery Aurand (MCH) (MD 14-3) 189: Trey Shoemaker (MCH) over Damien Galentine (CMH) (Dec 6-3) 215: Anson Wagner (MCH) over Micah Walizer (CMH) (Fall 3:47) 285: Jaxson Pupo (MCH) over Brayden Blackwell (CMH) (Fall 4:32) 106: Styers Oden (MCH) over Leeah Eisenhower (CMH) (Fall 0:34) 113: Nic Allison (MCH) over (CMH) (For.) 120: Hunter Johnson (MCH) over Clayton Foster (CMH) (Fall 1:19) 126: Derek Keen (CMH) over Kamden Everly (MCH) (TF 15-0 4:00) 132: Dalton Perry (CMH) over Blake Aumiller (MCH) (Fall 3:16) 138: Braylen Corter (CMH) over Lucas Sheetz (MCH) (Fall 5:03) 145: Deakon Schaeffer (MCH) over Zane Cooper (CMH) (Dec 3-2) 152: Parker Kearns (MCH) over (CMH) (For.) 160: Kyler Everly (MCH) over Tristan Probst (CMH) (Fall 5:02)