By ERIC KNOPSNYDER
TYRONE — It’s not always the big names that deliver team championships in wrestling. In fact, there are almost always some unsung heroes who make a big difference.
That was the case for Forest Hills on Monday night, as Ian McClelland and Tyler Shaffer played key roles in helping the Rangers win their first District 6 Class AA championship since 2003.
Forest Hills (17-2) knocked off defending champion Westmont Hilltop 34-31 in the semifinal round, then beat top-seeded Huntingdon 35-30 to punch its ticket to Hershey for Friday’s PIAA dual-meet championships.
“It was just such a team effort,” Forest Hills coach Jim Bowser said. “Every guy contributed. Just gutsy performances, we wrestled with heart.”
Bob Oshaben started the championship by pinning Huntingdon’s Nick Shope at 285 pounds, and McClelland followed with the second of his two falls on the night. With the match tied at 2 in the third period, the freshman 103-pounder pinned Ethan Everetts to give the Rangers a 12-0 lead.
“We needed a spark, and little Ian was that spark,” Bowser said.
“He gave us a fire.”
Brock Gallaher (119 pounds), R.J. Brydon (140) and Zac Carden (145) scored major-decision victories to help Forest Hills build a 24-18 lead.
Huntingdon tied it on Nick Marter’s fall over Shaffer at 152, but Forest Hills used its strong upperweights to pull away again. Chris Gallaher scored a technical fall over Nathan Shope at 160 and Mitch Brewer pulled out a wild, 13-11 victory over Alex Miller at 171 pounds.
Miller was close to a fall at one point, but Brewer – who bled throughout the match – got a blood timeout that might have saved him.
“When he got thrown, I guess he got a nice shot to the nose,” Bowser said.
“I was worried about it spurting and worried about going through the five minutes of injury time. That’s a nine-point swing, if that blood time runs out.”
Zack Glessner sealed the victory with a 6-0 win over Jake Reid at 189 pounds.
Huntingdon (17-2) will wrestle District 5 champion Bedford tonight at Chestnut Ridge Middle School with the winner advancing to Hershey.
“We wrestled tough,” Huntingdon coach Jon Mykut said.
“That’s a good team over there, Forest Hills. We have nothing to be ashamed of.”
Shaffer provided the spark for Forest Hills in the semifinal win over Westmont, which had won three of the past four District 6 championships.
Trailing 28-22 with five bouts remaining, Shaffer delivered a 4-3 victory over Sam Patrick at 152 pounds.
Shaffer missed most of the season with an injury, but he returned just in time for Forest Hills.
“What a great time to have him,” Bowser said.
Gallaher pinned Jake Stefan at 160 to tie it before Westmont briefly retook the lead with Ryan Burnheimer’s 2-1 victory over Brewer at 171. Glessner sealed the Rangers’ victory with a first-period fall over Alex Parlock at 189 pounds.
