'It's gonna be a fun year:' Dallastown wrestling stays hot against New Oxford

It’s hard to imagine a better start to the season for the Dallastown wrestling team.

The Wildcats opened competition with a first-place finish at the Solanco Mule Classic this past weekend. They topped Central Dauphin by 52 points in the team race, notable considering Central Dauphin has won seven District 3 titles and came in third last season.

Dallastown kept the hot start going in its dual-meet debut, topping New Oxford 40-20 on the road Thursday. The Colonials finished second in YAIAA Division I last season and have high expectations this winter with most of its lineup back.

Bottom line: Dallastown is really good. Just don’t bother trying to get the Wildcats to boast about it. 

They know they still have plenty to prove.

"There were a lot of close matches, so it was closer than the score indicated," Dallastown coach Dave Gable said. "We're moving in the right direction, but it's a long season and there are a lot of challenges coming up for us."

Gable might be humble, but in fairness, the Wildcats don't have time to be too excited about a hot start. They travel to Altoona for a tournament this weekend, and face another powerful test in Division I newcomer Gettysburg next Wednesday at home. 

The highly anticipated match against powerhouse Spring Grove won't take place until Jan. 17. By that point, Dallastown will have a better sense of where it stands in the YAIAA and District 3. 

"Can't let things get to our heads," senior 182-pounder Jarrett Feeney said. "But we're going to keep going out there with fire in our bellies." 

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Dallastown does have a deep and experienced lineup with 12 returning starters, eight of which qualified for the District 3 tournament last season. And that depth was on display Thursday night. 

After losing the first three matches, Dallastown rallied to claim seven of the next eight. Overall, the Wildcats won eight of 14 bouts with heavyweight Raymond Christas, 113-pounder Adam Karlie, 132-pounder Cael Turnbull and 182-pounder Feeney providing pins. 

Add in 160-pounder John Ligon's tech fall, 220-pounder Jamal Brandon's 13-4 major victory and 106-pounder Caden Dobbins 8-0 major, and the Wildcats got bonus points from seven wrestlers. 

Still, the most exciting — and maybe the most important — win came from senior Franklin Klinger at 170 pounds. Losing in the final minute of the third period to Luke Lardarello, Klinger got a late takedown before the match went to overtime. He eventually got an escape to claim a 5-4 win. 

Lardarello was dealing with leg cramps throughout the bout. 

"This year he's been wrestling with a lot more confidence, " Gable said of Klinger, who finished 16-13 last season. "Any time you win an overtime match, it helps you with future matches to know you can do it."

Even with so many returning starters, Dallastown does have one fresh face in the lineup at 106 pounds. Just a freshman, Caden Dobbins moved into the school district this school year. He's an experienced wrestler who's competed at tournaments across the country. 

Interestingly enough, his father competed for Gable at Dallastown years ago. 

"I've had quite a few of these," Gable said. "It's making me feel very old, but it's nice to have a lot of wrestling families."

Now in 22nd overall season as Dallastown's head coach, Gable has coached many great wrestlers in a career that has produced two District 3 team titles and two individual state champions. Still, this particular senior class is very meaningful to him. 

While he took a hiatus as Dallastown High's head coach from 2010 until last season, he spent time as the district's middle-school coach and has worked with these seniors since they were in the seventh grade. 

He hopes to see the group go out on a high note. 

"It's going to be an extremely sad year for me no matter how well we do," Gable said. "The relationships I've been fortunate enough to have with these kids and their parents ... I just want the best for them.

"But it's gonna be a fun year." 

Added Feeney: "This year is going to be the candle on top of the cake." 

New Oxford also has very little time to rest with a tournament at Penn Manor this weekend. The Colonials face South Western on the road in their next dual meet next Wednesday. 

"Dallastown is well-coached and has put the work in over the summer," New Oxford coach Brian Martin said. "We've got some kids dropping weight right now, and you can tell the conditioning is not there." 

Dallastown 40, New Oxford 20
138: Jared Bair, NO, dec. Brooks Gable 11-5; 145: Brennan Romanoff, NO, dec. Sam Druck 7-5; 152: Jaleel Johnson, NO, dec. Hunter Sweitger 2-1; 160: John Ligon, D, tech fall Kinser Laughman 17-1 (4:26); 170: Franklin Klinger, D, dec. Luke Ladarello 5-4; 182: Jarrett Feeney, D, pin Anthony Withrow 1:16; 195: Dylan Forbes, NO, dec. Andrew Smith 9-5; 220: Jamal Brandon, D, major dec. Dylan Smith 13-4; 285: Raymond Christas, D, pin Logan Dickensheets 1:37; 106: Caden Dobbins, D, major dec. Dakota Brady 8-0; 113: Adam Karlie, D, pin Ryan Dubs :24; 120: Tim Uhler, NO, tech fall Owen Bricker 15-0 (3:12); 126: Austin Brotherton, NO, dec. Donovan Trauger 11-6; 132: Cael Turnbull, D, pin Kurt Smith 3:54.