BEDFORD — The third time was a charm for the Bedford wrestling team.
The Bisons won their third consecutive District 5 Class AA championship on Monday night, beating rival Chestnut Ridge
46-13 for the title. Bedford, the top seed, beat North Star 45-24 in the semifinal round while the Lions upset second-seeded Northern Bedford 35-30.
“For every group, it’s a different experience,” Bedford coach Brian Creps said of winning a third straight championship.
“This is no exception. For the seniors, it’s just as sweet to win it a third time as it was the first time.”
Bedford will face District 6 runner-up Huntingdon at 7 tonight at the Chestnut Ridge Middle School, with the winner advancing to the PIAA tournament in Hershey on Friday.
Chestnut Ridge took its only lead of the championship at 112 pounds, where Kenny Corle beat Caleb Grimes 6-2, but Creps said that actually was a momentum booster for the Bisons.
“Caleb Grimes went out and gave us a good effort, giving up a decision against a kid that had pinned him the first time.”
Cory Thomas pinned Shane Pfaunmiller at 119 and Steven Geisler beat Dillan Yothers 10-6 at 125 pounds, avenging an earlier loss to Yothers.
Zach Maust (130 pounds) and Trey Easter (135) delivered major decisions for the Bisons to make it 17-6.
Chestnut Ridge’s Josh Shane stopped the run with an 8-0 win over Sam Keister, but Bedford rattled off three more victories to pull away.
Doug Weyandt (145) scored a decision, followed by Tanner Ripple’s pin at 152.
Then, Brian Gibbons earned a major decision at 160.
Tyler Dibert gave Chestnut Ridge its final points of the night with a fall at 171.
Mat Browell (189) and Nate Roadman (103) each had decisions for the Bisons while Jacob Krupa (215) earned a major decision and Kaleb Crawley (285) came up with a pin.
“A lot of things went our way in that match. It was a good team effort,” Creps said.
