When the No. 1 seed meets the 16th seed in a wrestling tournament, there's usually not much doubt as to which side will come out on top. But if Boyertown had any worries heading into Thursday night's opening round of the District 1-AAA Duals, they were dispelled quickly after the Bears began the match with a major decision and then won by pins in seven of the next eight bouts.
Boyertown went on to a 68-6 win over Unionville at Methacton High in its first step toward defending the district championship.
J.T. Cooley began the night for the Bears (13-0) with a 10-2 decision and the winners also took two bouts by technical falls against the Indians (8-7).
Boyertown advances to a quarterfinal match next Friday at Upper Dublin against Upper Perkiomen, a 36-30 winner over West Chester Rustin, with the semifinals to follow the same night and the final Saturday.
"The kids came out and really performed well," said Bears coach Pete Ventresca. "I was pleased with the first performance. A lot of guys really wrestled well."
"It was a good way to start," said Cooley, who opened the night at 132 pounds. "The team did really well. We looked tough. It was fun."
Then Gregg Harvey (25-6) clinched the match when he won by a fall in 1:07 to give the Bears a 43-0 advantage with six bouts remaining. Brody O'Connell (17-9) followed that with a 59-second pin.
"I was just trying to focus and take good shots and not mess up," said Wilde, a sophomore 106-pounder.
Last year, Boyertown captured the district championship with a 31-21 win over Spring-Ford, and the Bears certainly looked ready to compete for another after their easy win over their Ches-Mont League opponents.
"That's our goal," said Ventresca.
For Cooley (16-5), this was the third time he has led off a match this season. All three have been in pressure-packed situations - the first match of the year against Dallas, the first big Pioneer Athletic Conference match against Owen J. Roberts and the first district match - and he has come out on top in all three.
"It's still nerve-wracking," he said. "I'm getting used to it. I'm getting better."
Cooley had never wrestled Thursday's opponent, Mitch Camp.
"I prefer wrestling kids I've never wrestled before," he added. "Just go out and try new stuff and let it fly."
Boyertown defeated Upper Perk 48-14 three weeks ago in a PAC-10 match. But Ventresca isn't about to take the rematch for granted.
"It's one step at a time," he said. "You don't look past anybody. We have a match against Methacton next week and then we'll get ready for Upper Perkiomen."
