Fleming's pin lifts Indians to thrilling win

by Jake Hallman, Special to the Pottstown Mercury

Posted on January 7, 2010

RED HILL — Dalton Fleming didn't rush a thing.

No, the Upper Perkiomen 152-pound sophomore patiently waited his turn as Methacton regained momentum of Wednesday night's Pioneer Athletic Conference match, then amassed a 17-point lead with five bouts left.

And when the Indians slowly started to chip away at that lead, Fleming calmly watched from his chair. What he witnessed was a three-match swing that turned the Warriors' comfortable lead into a one-point nailbiter.

When Methacton came on with a decision at 145 to create a four-point spread, Fleming, though knowing he needed a pin, went about in his typical, laid-back style.

After scoring an early takedown, Fleming worked for a cradle and got the slap in 1:20, handing the Tribe (1-0, 3-0) its first PAC-10 victory in a 34-32 thriller.

"I knew I could get a pin against him, I just didn't know how it would come," Fleming said. "I just had to get the job done; I knew I could get it."

While Fleming was the man of the hour for the Indians, he was quick to mention that he got a good bit of help down the stretch. After the Warriors (1-1) amassed a 29-12 lead nine bouts into the match, Upper Perk turned the tide thanks to a major decision at 130 by junior Dan Rodenberger.

The improbable comeback was in full gear at 135 as Indian freshman Ray Young, who trailed 6-2 after the first period, patiently set up a second-period pin. Building on the momentum, junior Chris Rementer followed suit at 140 with a second-period pin of his own to put the Indians within one, 28-29.

Methacton gained ground, but not any bonus points, as Pat Carr ran up a hard-fought 10-4 decision against Indian sophomore Devyn Kerr to set up Fleming's finale.

It just wasn't me," Fleming said. "Young and Devyn and Rementer picked the team up and we did it as a team. I didn't think it would come down to me, but I was happy to be in that position. Like coach Hontz said, we can scrap with anyone, and that's what we did tonight."

Early on, Methacton liked the position it was in. After finding its way into a 12-3 hole thanks to a pin by the Tribe's Cody Ambrose in the opener at 160, and another six-pointer by Indian senior Nick Hale (189), the Warriors claimed the next six matches from 215-125.

It all started with Dan Cox's second-period drop at 215, followed with a forfeit to Brandan Clark at 285. Rob D'Annunzio gritted out a 9-1 major against freshman Kyle Fellman at 103, as opportunistic teammate Brett Duvernois used a takedown with 55 seconds left in regulation to hold off Indian freshman Dylan Steffenino at 112.

Methacton's Justin Andrews kept up the run with a 5-2 decision against Wolfgang McStravick and Eric Mitchell ran up a 10-0 major at 125 to build that 29-12 advantage.

I thought Brett was fantastic, he really scrapped in his match, hung around until the end and got a big win," said Methacton head coach A.J. Maida of the sophomore. "For the most part, we're seeing in matches what we're seeing in the practice room. But when you win eight individual bouts, you have to win the dual meet.

"I guess these are growing pains for our team, but there are no moral victories and we have to go back to work starting tonight."

As Maida knew all too well, bonus points were key for the Indians. Though the Tribe mustered just six wins compared to Methacton's eight, not one of the hosts wins garnered less than four points. Five of those six bouts were decided by fall, with one coming by way of major decision.

I thought with the match-ups that things wouldn't go this way, but that's the way it goes," Indian head coach Tom Hontz said. "Young's pin was huge, and Rementer did a great job - we told him to wear down his man and that's exactly what he did."

What was especially rewarding for Hontz and company is the fact the team isn't 100 percent. Season-ending injuries to senior David Cannon and freshman Avery Scripture, and with Martin McStravick still out of the lineup, Hontz has had to get creative.

And with a trio of promising freshmen 103-pounders, the group of Fellman, Steffenino and Wolfgang McStravick have been asked to wrestle wherever needed from 103-119.

"It's rewarding with a group like this, they're all working really hard, putting the work in and we're seeing improvement and development," Hontz said. "It's a nice little reward to get a win like this. But you have to tip your cap to Methacton, they came ready to wrestle, and I think this is the way our PAC-10 matches will go this year."

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