Boyertown captured four straight decisions by the slimmest of margins, two of them in stunning fashion, to begin Thursday night's Pioneer Athletic Conference showdown at Spring-Ford.
That gave the Bears just the boost they needed, and they continued to wrestle well the rest of the night in a surprisingly easy 43-11 win. That gives Boyertown (6-0, 12-0) sole possession of first place over the Rams (5-1, 15-1) and a virtual lock on a second straight PAC-10 title.
"We knew they were very tough," said Bears coach Pete Ventresca. "We knew we were very tough, too. If we wrestled like we can, hopefully things would take care of themselves."
Tommy Killoran started things off with a 1-0 win over Zach Dorsey at heavyweight, when he was allowed to escape with 1:20 remaining and stayed on his feet the rest of the way.
"It was a big win," said Ventresca. "Tommy came out and performed great against a tough opponent. I was proud of him. It set the tone for the night."
Jakob Campbell also led by just 1-0 late in the 106-pound match before a near fall at the end made it a 4-0 final. Then David Campbell was put on his back in the opening seconds of the third period by Jimmy Frank, but somehow managed to fight off a pin for well over a minute, and eventually pulled off a take down at the buzzer for a 4-3 nod.
"I just kept wrestling and things fell into place," said David Campbell. "As a team, we really work hard together and it teaches us how to get out of situations like that."
All of that drama made Garrett Mauger about ready to jump through the roof before his match, and he responded with another thrilling win.
"I think I was jumping 3 feet in the air," he said. "I think I lost my voice before I came out to wrestle."
Mauger fell behind Ryan Hayes 4-1, came back for a 6-4 lead, and went into overtime tied at 6-6. Hayes took an 8-6 lead in the first 30-second extra session with a near fall, but Mauger used a leg tilt during the second 30-second period for a near fall of his own - this one a 3-pointer - and a 9-8 win.
That gave the Bears a 12-0 lead and a major decision by Lucas Miller and a pin by J.T. Cooley boosted the margin to 22-0.
Matt Krieble got Spring-Ford on the board with a 5-2 win at 138 pounds, but the Rams could never get back into contention.
"They won some close ones," said Spring-Ford coach Tim Seislove. "They got the 1-0 win at heavyweight. Our kids at '06 and '13 are kind of underdogs. They went out and wrestled hard and lost some close matches.
"It's just experience, being in that situation. It's a big match. I'd like to get another shot at them."
Two-time state silver medalist Jordan Wood, who has been on the injured list for the Bears the entire season, was ready to go at 220 pounds if the match had come down to that. But Brody O'Connell finished instead, and ended the night with a pin.
"It was kind of a statement itself, that we were able to win without Jordan," Ventresca added.
