NEWARK, Del: Coming into this year’s prestigious Beast of the East wrestling classic, Garrett Peppelman needed to make a statement.
He needed to win.
The Central Dauphin junior was coming off a disappointing Super 32 performance in which he dropped a pair of matches, not because he was physically beaten, but because he had a lapse in focus. It was all between the ears, and Peppelman wanted to show the rest of the high school wrestling world that he belonged.
By 5 p.m. Sunday, everyone at the University of Delaware’s Bob Carpenter Center got the point. Peppelman capped off his 160-pound title with a hard-fought, albeit narrow, 3-2 decision over McDonogh’s Myles Martin to earn his first Beast of the East title.
“Winning the Beast is everything,” Peppelman said. “I’ve been training to win this since the beginning of the year.
“The Super 32 wasn’t so good. I knew I could compete against the best kids in the country. Winning here, I was able to redeem myself, and it feels great.”
After scrapping with Cumberland Valley’s TC Warner in the semifinals and coming out on top 4-2 thanks to a second-period reversal, Peppelman fell behind 1-0 after two periods in the finals.
The defending 152-pound PIAA Champion escaped to start the third and evened the match. Then he ducked, and Martin reached. Peppelman followed up with a picture-perfect takedown to take a 3-1 lead.
“I was trying to figure out a way to get through his arms,” Peppelman said. “He is lanky and strong. He wanted to bring me up, and I was trying to get his legs.
“Finally, I was able to get it. I mean, he is a very good wrestler. That is why he beat the No. 4 kid in the country [Josh Llopez] in the semifinals.”
Martin executed an escape, and Peppelman remained cautious with a one-point advantage. Almost too cautions.
The Rams standout took a step back, and Martin was able to get a hold for a takedown, but it came a smidgen outside the circle and was waved off. Peppelman held on the last few seconds for the victory.
“Me and my coach work on the last five seconds of a match, and I still have a lot of work to do,” Peppelman said. “I almost lost it again in the finals. I don’t know what happens, the last 10 seconds, something in my mind lapses.
“Hey, a win is a win, and it’s pushing towards March. I’m happy with my performance.”
Trinity’s Ryan Diehl was also pleased, testing Joey Dance, the No. 1 ranked wrestler at 126 according to Intermatwrestle.com, before dropping a 9-7 decision in sudden victory in the finals.
Dance’s speed was tough to deal with early, but Diehl scored a third-period takedown and put the Christianburg ace on his back for two-near fall points to even the match at 7.
In the extra frame, Dance was able to use that speed and slip behind Diehl for the determining takedown.
“You don’t give up,” Diehl said. “It’s my scrambling ability and being funky. He is really fast, and his shrugs are really hard to slow down and I couldn’t do it.
“This is a good tournament to see where you are at and what you need to work on to improve. I need to get better neutral for the faster guys, but overall, I can’t complain.”
Patrick Duggan (138) and TC Warner (160) carried the banner for Cumberland Valley.
Duggan lost a tough semifinal to eventual champion and Tournament Outstanding Wrestler Alfred Bannister (Bishop McNamara) but battled back to finish third.
In his third-place bout, he downed Central Dauphin’s Tyson Dippery by hitting a reversal with eight seconds left to secure a 2-1 decision.
“He was in a crab, which he doesn’t do often, and I knew I could take advantage of that,” Duggan said. “It’s great to get the monkey off my back. He is beaten me a lot over the years, and it’s good to get a win.”
Warner dropped a heart-breaker to Peppelman but stormed back to pin Llopez, who was nursing an ankle injury, in 1:37 for third.
“This gives me a lot of confidence, knowing that I’m just as good as these other kids,” Warner said. “Wrestling Garrett, I mean, it could have went many different ways, but it was good experience.”
Central Dauphin’s Austin Rose (152) put in a full weekend to place third.
After losing in Friday’s prelims, he fought through consolations and beat nationally ranked Wayne Stinson (Northern Burlington) before taking out Garett Hammond 6-4 in sudden victory with a takedown a few seconds before the buzzer.
“I didn’t come here last year because of an injury, and I wanted to make a statement,” Rose said. “I wanted to show that I should be ranked, and I did that.
“All of the summer workouts with coach Courts and open gyms, I mean, it’s my senior year. You have to make the most of it.”
Blair Academy ran away with the team title. Central Dauphin placed fifth out of 103 teams, while Cumberland Valley was 12th.
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