Ridley Wrestling Team Finishes 2003 Undefeated 

Ridley’s strong outing against a Central League foe in Marple-Newtown capped off an impressive show of strength against outmatched opponents. The first real test for the enthusiastic squad will take place during the Ridley Christmas Classic scheduled for the Saturday after Christmas (December 27^th). But perfecting wrestling moves and building confidence is always important and the match against the M-N Tigers allowed our guys to do just that. During the 53-15 romp, Ridley wrestlers captured 11 wins, 4 by pin, as 8 Ridley Raider grapplers remained undefeated through the team’s first 5 matches. 

The action began with a solid 12-4 victory by Cory Malampy (4-1 at 130 pounds) who picked up the major victory with 2 points in the late going. Marple-Newtown’s tough Daniel Brubaker put his long time experience to use with a 2^nd period pin at the expense of Dave Schaub (3-2 at 135 pounds). Mario Simonetti (4-1 at 140 pounds) then got the Raiders back on the right track with a first period pin to make the team score 10-6 Ridley. An exciting match followed when Ridley tri-captain Corey Brown (5-0 at 145 pounds) fought through a cut and the questionable tactics of his opponent to record a 2^nd period pin. After falling behind early in the match, Phil Rayer (4-1 at 152 pounds) gamely turned the tide before running out of time in his match against the county’s 3^rd ranked wrestler at that weight. At this juncture Ridley still enjoyed a 16-9 lead and the onslaught was about to begin.

Dan Gillon (5-0 at 160 pounds) continued his winning ways with a 15-4 pulverizing of his opponent. That was followed by Steve Sweeney ‘s 1^st outing at 171 pounds and he made it count with a smooth decision over his tiger foe. Undoubtedly, the most exciting match of the night was to follow. John Thomas, Delaware County’s #2 ranked 189- pounder with a 5-0 record, admits to struggling to make weight from time to time. After shedding 7 pounds to make weight earlier in the day, he had to be just a little weakened. Seizing on that opportunity, and the referee’s questionable decision to penalize John a 3^rd period point for unsportsmanlike conduct, the Marple wrestler forced Thomas into a sudden death overtime period. Despite being exhausted and finding himself in a dangerous position early, John recovered to manage a 2-point takedown and the victory. The decision improved Ridley’s advantage to 26-9 with more to come.

Mark Fritz (4-1 at 215 pounds) disposed of his competition after just 1:25 with an impressive pinning combination. Ridley heavyweight Mike Steven (4-0) who’s just itching to get on the mats, was awarded another forfeit as the inexperience of the Marple proved the better part of valor. Tri-captain Eddie Hall (5-0 at 103 pounds) was entertaining as always before he pinned his tiger wrestler in the second period. Another Ridley light-weight, Tim Handley, remained undefeated at 112 (5-0) when he was awarded a forfeit to make the team score 50-9, Ridley. Freshman Mark Bascelli (2-2 at 119 pounds) was then the victim of a pin by the more experienced Anthony Pizzi who is ranked #2 in the county at 119. Tri-captain Matt Ziegler (5-0) continued to display an ability to win close matches with a 3-1 triumph over a highly regarded Mike Furman. The final score- Ridley 53 and Marple-Newtown 15.