W: Lawrence North defeats arch-rival Lawrence Central, 43-24

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By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor    

INDIANAPOLIS – Lawrence North started its annual dual-meet showdown with arch-rival Lawrence Central up 12-zip due to two forfeits, and the host Wildcats ended up with nine wins overall Jan. 16 en route to a 43-24 victory.

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO PLAYER TO THE RIGHT OF THE HOME PAGE FOR INTERVIEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS, PLUS A PHOTO GALLERY!

Lawrence Central registered three of the evening’s five pins, but a trio of forfeits – including that of ninth-ranked senior Riley Newkirk at 120 that gave LN its dozen-point early lead – spelled doom for the maroon-clad visitors.

Lawrence North’s two ranked wrestlers – No. 9 126-pound senior Alex Sparks and No. 9 senior Juwan Bartlett at 138 – both earned victories, with Sparks pinning LC senior Joe Smedley in 1:22 and Bartlett scoring a 4-0 decision over junior Jonathan Folson.

First-year coach Brain Seltzer’s Wildcats also had another pair of big wins at 152 (where junior Dan Reed bumped up and pinned Jonathan Watkins in the third period after trailing 8-7) and at 195 (where junior TreMayne Perryman, Jr. survived a double-overtime thriller against senior Steven Cox with a 4-2 decision.

Third-year coach Tom Corbett’s Bears, meanwhile, got wins from its two ranked wrestlers as well – No. 13 senior Scott Swingle in a hard-fought 3-1 decision over junior Ivory Duerson, Jr. at 145 and No. 9 senior Myron Hamilton with a slick second-period pin of sophomore Aaron Gavina (see video player!) at 2:32.

Four-time state champion Lawrence North (1992 and ‘93, 2004 and ‘05) will compete Jan. 19 at the annual Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference Champions at Warren Central, while LC will be off until both schools begin their postseason journeys Jan. 26 at the Indianapolis Arlington Sectional.

The match-by-match results:

113: Dylan McQueen (LN) forfeit (LN, 6-0)
120: Nick Smith (LN) forfeit (LN, 12-0)
126: #9 Alex Sparks (LN) pin Joe Smedley 1:22 (LN, 18-0)
132: Max Brutus (LC) pin Jorge Pardavilla 3:03 (LN, 18-6)
138: #9 Juwan Bartlett (LN) dec. Jonathan Folson 4-0 (LN, 21-6)
145: #13 Scott Swingle (LC) dec. Ivory Duerson, Jr. 3-1 (LN, 21-9)
152: Dan Reed (LN) pin Jonathan Watkins 4:29 (LN, 27-9)
160: Andrew Rattay (LN) dec. Damon Perkins 7-3 (LN, 30-9)
170: Joe Fowler (LN) major dec. Teondre Williams 10-2 (LN, 34-9)
182: Quentin Rabin (LC) pin Jockque Floyd 4:15 (LN, 34-15)
195: TreMayne Perryman, Jr. (LN) dec. Steven Cox 4-2 (2OT) (LN, 37-15)
220: #9 Myron Hamilton (LC) pin Aaron Gavina 2:32 (LN, 37-21)
285: Sam Torres (LC) dec. Austin Berg 7-2 (LN, 37-24)
106: Isaac Castro (LN) forfeit (LN, 43-24)