HERSHEY - The heartbreak of losing for the first time may have ended Boyertown's dream, but not it's season.
After Boyertown suffered a 34-30 loss to Belle Vernon in the Class AAA quarterfinals of the PIAA Team Wrestling Tournament Friday afternoon, the Bears bounced back to keep their medal hopes alive.
The Bears overcame an early 10-point deficit to defeat Scranton 44-21 in the second round of consolations to remain in medal contention in the three-day tournament that ends today in the Giant Center.
"We put it in the rear-view mirror" Boyertown coach Pete Ventresca said about the loss. "Any match, whether you win or lose, you've got to get on to the next one. If you're thinking about the last one you going to lose the next one."
The Bears (20-1) may long ponder the loss to Belle Vernon, their second loss in the state quarterfinals in the last two years. Both teams won seven bouts but Belle Vernon scored four more bonus points, including nine on three falls.
The biggest fall was in the final bout. With Boyertown leading 30-28, Zach Hartman scored a defensive fall at 120 pounds to advance Belle Vernon to the semifinals.
Hartman led Garrett Mauger 2-0 late in the second period when he scored a fall from the bottom position to end the match.
"It's just unfortunate the way it ended," Ventresca said. "You can't give up pins against a team like Belle Vernon. The bonus points kill you."
The Bears started the match with two straight decisions by Lucas Miller and J.T. Cooley to take a 6-0 lead. But Belle Vernon swept the next six bouts, two by fall and one by forfeit, to open a 28-6 lead.
But the Bears rallied. Gregg Harvey scored a fall at 195 and Jordan Wood received a forfeit at 220 to trim Belle Vernon's lead to 10 points.
Tommy Killoran gave the Bears hope of reaching the semifinals for the first time when he scored a takedown in overtime for a 3-1 decision that pulled Boyertown within seven points.
"I was happy it kept us in it," Killoran said. "We all fought and tried our best."
The Bears trimmed the Leopards lead to one point when Jakob Campbell received a forfeit at 106.
Belle Vernon bumped up Josh Dunlap to take on Campbell's twin brother, David. David Campbell answered the challenge with a 7-3 decision to put Boyertown ahead by two points going into the final bout.
But Boyertown's dreams of winning a state title were dashed by Hartman, a talented freshman who earlier this season defeated two-time state champion Devin Brown of Franklin Regional.
"The Belle Vernon match was just an absolute heartbreaker," Ventresca said. "The second time we've been in that position in two years and it's not any easier. It really left a bad taste in our mouths."
After scoring four falls in the win over Scranton, Boyertown is back in the same position it was a year ago. At 9 a.m. today in the third round of consolations, the Bears will face Parkland, the team that eliminated them from the state tournament last year.
If the Bears can get past Parkland, they would face last year's 3-AA champion Bethlehem Catholic, which lost to last year's 3-AAA champion Franklin Regional 30-26 in the semifinals.
In the other semifinal match, Cumberland Valley defeated Belle Vernon 35-33.
