WRESTLING: Owen J. Roberts surives scare in Team Duals opener

Owen J. Roberts' Peter Fratantonti, top, works a cradle on Delaware Valley's William Pearn early in their bout at 145 Thursday night at the PIAA Class AAA Team Duals Tournament at Giant Center in Hershey. Frantantoni got the fall at 3:43 to clinch the match for the Wildcats and secure a 33-26 victory. (Photo by Nate Heckenberger)

By Don Seeley
dseeley@pottsmerc.com

HERSHEY — Owen J. Roberts was trailing Delaware Valley halfway through its PIAA-Class AAA Team Duals opener Thursday night.
Talk about feeling a little uncomfortable ... and concerned.
“Actually I was scared at that point,” said senior Pete Fratantoni.
Owen J. Roberts hasn’t had to wrestle from behind too often this year — or for that matter, too often the past three years — en route to a Pioneer Athletic Conference championship hat trick and back-to-back District 1-AAA Team Duals titles. So Fratantoni wasn’t likely the only one fear-struck.
But the fears subsided a bit moments after the turn when Aston White’s decision at 106 pounds and Derek Gulotta’s 36-second pin at 113 gave the Wildcats the lead back and Colby Frank’s first-period pin at 126 cushioned the advantage to seven. Then the fears disappeared for good when Fratantoni capped the otherwise entertaining affair of twists and turns with a pin in the final bout to give OJR a 33-26 win here at The Giant Center.

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