Heart and Resilience Shine at Escape the Rock Tournament

HOLLAND, Pa. — In a dramatic final moment of his fifth-place match at Escape the Rock, Noah Knorp found himself in a desperate situation. With just 10 seconds left on the clock, he was pinned down by Matt Scott, a 285-pound opponent from the host team. The crowd’s cheers for Scott echoed through the gym, but Knorp focused on one thing: the voice of his coach, Matt Veres.

“All we preach in our program is heart,” Veres said. “You got to have a lot of heart. That’s the only thing I care about. I don’t care about winning. I don’t care about losing. I just care about kids who have heart. When you see kids who have heart, it makes you emotional because it’s not always talent and speed and technique and ability. It’s the will to win. That makes a difference.”

Knorp fought valiantly, trying to escape the mat with five seconds left. He and Scott went out of bounds, but Knorp managed to get back into position for a final shot. This time, he found a way to his feet near the edge of the mat, breaking free from Scott just as time expired. The moment was a testament to his resilience and determination.

“Noah Knorp showed a lot of heart,” Veres said. “One second left in an ultimate rideout. It’s good to see that, to end with a fifth-place medal. That kid beat him twice before. He wanted to get out. I was happy to see him get out.”

The tournament, which was condensed to a single day due to snow forecasts, had its share of twists and turns. Teams from across the country participated, and the revised schedule meant fewer opportunities for local wrestlers to secure medals. Despite this, many athletes still showcased their heart and skill.

“We had seven guys still alive [in consolations],” said Easton coach Corey Keener. “A number of those guys could have won matches on the back side to put themselves in position to get on the podium. But, due to unfortunate circumstances, it is what it is. It was a good experience because we were able to win some matches we weren’t able to win last year so that was good.”

No one from the Lehigh Valley’s three entries left with a gold medal. However, Notre Dame-GP, Easton, and Bethlehem Catholic combined for six medalists, none of whom reached the finals. For Bethlehem Catholic, the tournament was particularly challenging.

Freshman Jack Cole suffered what appeared to be a right hip injury 25 seconds into his round of 32 match against Conwell-Egan’s Lukas Grodski. He remained on his back for over 15 minutes while awaiting a stretcher to take him to the hospital. Teammate Mason Thomas also suffered a season-ending leg injury at last year’s tournament.

Still, the coaches saw positives in the abbreviated event. “We’ve just got to get healthy and wrestle a little bit better,” said Bethlehem Catholic coach Mike Cole. “Andre Cerrato and Jaden Santiago will be good moving forward.”

Perhaps the biggest surprise among the local entries was Bethlehem Catholic’s Keanu Dillard, the top seed at 139 pounds, who lost in the quarterfinals to St. Joseph Regional’s Brian Little. Dillard bounced back to win two matches and finish fifth.

“I’ve studied his films and we’ve had a lot of conversations about his stalking,” Cole said. “In the match he lost, he was actually stalking well. He just didn’t finish any of them. I was pleased with his approach in that match except his inability to finish. I think Keanu will be fine. He’s a tough kid. He knows what he has to do mindset-wise.”

Notre Dame-GP had two other medalists in addition to Knorp. Max Quarry finished fifth at 107 pounds, and Dom Sumpolec took third at 189 pounds. Sumpolec faced a similar challenge in his placement-round match, where he and Camden Catholic’s Jaden Simpson rode each other out in the regulation part of their third-place match.

After a tense tie-breaker, Sumpolec escaped and avoided further drama to win 4-0. His semifinal loss to Howell’s Tanner Hodgins was another close call, but his determination shone through.

“Some guys show [heart] in tense moments like Knorp in a rideout,” Veres added. “That’s just great to see. I was happy to end on that note. Max Quarry took a couple tough losses, but he’s getting better. He’s taking some losses, but he’s making adjustments and becoming better each week. Dom had that [semifinal] won. You have to dig deep in those moments. You have to learn from those matches. If you don’t, that’s a tough loss to have.”

Nick Salamone was Easton’s lone medalist, finishing sixth at 133 pounds. Nico Emili, a sophomore from Bethlehem Catholic, took fourth at 121 pounds after a strong performance in the quarterfinals.

Local Results from Escape the Rock

ROUND OF 64

• 114: Brayden Abrams (Ea) dec. Maximus Behrooz (St. Christopher’s School), 6-4; Johandiell Gonzalez (Berks Catholic) dec. Gino Bozzi (BC), 6-4
• 127: Trey Neith (NDGP) tech. fall Dale Wetherill (Central Bucks West), 16-1, 4:44; Jack Famularo (Ea) pinned Ethan Smith (Jesuit), 1:55
• 133: Braxton Eason (Father Ryan) dec. Mason Roncolato (NDGP), 16-12
• 152: Wyatt Snyder (Ea) maj. dec. Edgar Estrada (Miami Southridge), 13-1
• 160: Mason Thomas (BC) maj. dec. Ryan Nathan (Owen J. Roberts), 10-1; Danny Byrne (Lower Cape May) tech. fall Tyler Cruise (Ea), 21-5, 3:47; Shohjahon Sharifov (Council Rock South) dec. Dominic Tocci (NDGP), 4-0

ROUND OF 32

• 107: Max Quarry (NDGP) pinned Rhys Schaffer (Wilson-West Lawn), 5:59; Jack Anello (Blair Academy) pinned Michael Rambone (Ea), 0:35; Nolan Mather (Grassfield) maj. dec. Mike Nicosia (BC), 14-6
• 114: Cael Muller (NDGP) dec. Nick Banos (Southern Regional), 7-0; Shiloh Joyce (Christian Brothers Academy) tech. fall Brayden Abrams (Ea), 19-3, 2:08
• 121: Rocco Lombardo (Malvern Prep) tech. fall Tanner Milburn (Ea), 15-0, 5:00; Nico Emili (BC) tech. fall Logan Worth (Council Rock South), 15-0, 3:53; Noah Hernandez (Seton Hall Prep) tech. fall Cole Schwartz (NDGP), 16-0, 4:12
• 127: Lukas Grodski (Conwell-Egan) inj. def. Jack Cole (BC), 0:25; Finnegan O’Brien (Blair Academy) pinned Trey Neith (NDGP), 1:15; Mikey Bautista (St. Joseph Regional) Jack Famularo (Ea), 18-3, 3:22
• 133: Reef Dillard (BC) dec. Carter Soto (Owen J. Roberts), 5-3; Nick Salamone (Ea) tech. fall Keith Messner (Berks Catholic), 17-2, 3:53

ROUND OF 16

• 107: Max Quarry (NDGP) maj. dec. Trapp Walsh (Berks Catholic), 8-0
• 114: Shiloh Joyce (Christian Brothers Academy) tech. fall Cael Muller (NDGP), 20-2, 5:46
• 121: Nico Emili (BC) dec. Rocco Lombardo (Malvern Prep), 5-2
• 133: Nick Salamone (Ea) dec. Reid Yakes (Jesuit), 2-1 TB-1; Evan Sanati (Brentsville) dec. Reef Dillard (BC), 4-1
• 139: Gavin Green (Delone Catholic) dec. Noah Fenner (Ea), 8-1; Keanu Dillard (BC) pinned Adam Seidman (Germantown Academy), 4:27
• 145: Bobby Duffy (Christian Brothers Academy) maj. dec. Ethan Krazer (Ea), 13-1; Weston Borgers (Blair Academy) maj. dec. Gavyn Kelton (NDGP), 15-7
• 189: Lucas Parietti (Wyoming Seminary) maj. dec. Justin Cosover (Ea), 9-0; Jaden Simpson (Camden Catholic) dec. Connor Gillahan (BC), 2-1; Dom Sumpolec (NDGP) pinned Greg Sawyer (Delsea), 1:38
• 215: Bradley DiMiglio (Malvern Prep) dec. Connor Smalley (NDGP), 5-2 TB-2
• 285: Noah Knorp (NDGP) dec. Christian Soto (Miami Southridge), 3-2 UTB; Jared Martini (Mount Olive) dec. Kurtis Crossman (Ea), 4-1 SV

QUARTERFINALS

• 107: Ace Chittum (Cleveland) dec. Max Quarry (NDGP), 5-0
• 121: Nico Emili (BC) pinned Johnathon McGinty (St. Joseph Regional), 5:05
• 133: Sammy Spaulding (Camden Catholic) dec. Nick Salamone (Ea), 10-4
• 139: Brian Little (St. Joseph Regional) dec. Keanu Dillard (BC), 4-1
• 189: Dom Sumpolec (NDGP) pinned Levi Foote (Southern Regional), 0:36
• 285: Cael Mielnik (Blair Academy) maj. dec. Noah Knorp (NDGP), 13-3

SEMIFINALS

• 121: Cooper Merli (New York Military Academy) dec. Nico Emili (BC), 5-3
• 189: Tanner Hodgins (Howell) dec. Dom Sumpolec (NDGP), 7-6

SECOND-ROUND CONSOLATIONS

• 107: Mike Nicosia (BC) dec. Mike Rambone (Ea), 7-2
• 114: Nick Banos (Southern Regional) tech. fall Brayden Abrams (Ea), 15-0, 3:43
• 121: Cole Schwartz (NDGP) tech. fall Tyler Maack (Owen J. Roberts), 17-0, 3:17; Logan Worth (Council Rock South) dec. Tanner Milburn (Ea), 4-0
• 127: Jack Famularo (Ea) maj. dec. Kristen Beres (Mount Olive), 10-2
• 139: Mason Kanuck (NDGP) dec. Maksim Marrero (Seton Hall Prep), 7-6
• 152: Jared Gonzalez (NDGP) tech. fall Vince Lienti (Central Bucks West), 17-0, 3:48; Brady Greene (Grassfield) dec. Wyatt Snyder (Ea), 7-0
• 160: Colton Quinn (Christian Brothers Academy) dec. Mason Thomas (BC), 7-4
• 172: Cole Retos (NDGP) forfeit over Brandon Papa (Seton Hall Prep)
• 215: Alonzo Parker (Ea) pinned Ryan Brown (Connellsville), 2:23
• 285: Grant Mulhern (BC) pinned Christopher Thompson (Bishop McDevitt), 2:47

CONSOLATION QUARTERFINALS

• 107: Max Quarry (NDGP) dec. Stephen Bagocius (Camden Catholic), 8-2
• 133: Nick Salamone (Ea) dec. Shai Sabag (Germantown Academy), 8-5
• 139: Keanu Dillard (BC) dec. Pat Woloshyn (Council Rock South), 6-5
• 285: Noah Knorp (NDGP) dec. Jared Martini (Mount Olive), 4-1

FIFTH-PLACE MATCHES

• 107: Max Quarry (NDGP) dec. Evan Cies (Malvern Prep), 5-4
• 133: Vincenzo Anello (Blair Academy) tech. fall Nick Salamone (Ea), 18-1, 3:54
• 139: Keanu Dillard (BC) pinned Ryan Rios (Blair Academy), 0:45
• 285: Noah Knorp (NDGP) dec. Matt Scott (Council Rock South), 3-2 UTB

THIRD-PLACE MATCHES

• 121: Jovanni Tovar (Miami Southridge) maj. dec. Nico Emili (BC), 10-2
• 189: Dom Sumpolec (NDGP) dec. Jaden Simpson (Camden Catholic), 4-0 TB-2