North Pocono Survives Senior Night Thriller at Valley View, 39 36
By: Brad Loff | SportzWire | January 7, 2026 | Photo courtesy Brad Loff
North Pocono edged Valley View 39 36 Wednesday night in a tightly contested wrestling dual that came down to the final bout, spoiling an emotional senior night at Valley View.
The Cougars honored their seniors prior to the opening whistle, but it was North Pocono that struck first. Alyssa Publik opened the night at 107 with a pin of Carlos Lopez in 1:14 to give the Trojans an early lead. North Pocono followed up at 114 as Caden Hall earned a major decision over Jackson Healey, continuing to build momentum.
Valley View answered at 121 when James Scagliotti pinned Shane Kearney to swing the energy back toward the home side. North Pocono responded at 127 with Ryan Craven picking up a forfeit, and at 133 Merrick Young delivered a technical fall over Mason Venia to keep the Trojans narrowly in front.
The middle of the dual belonged to Valley View and ignited the packed gym. Seth Wheeland pinned Cooper Rawlings at 139, Dominic Klem needed just 30 seconds to pin Tyler Matay at 145, Kayden Radice followed with a fall over Connor Kamora at 152, Tywone Giles added another pin at 160, and Seamus Sprague kept the run going with a pin of Teddy Blume at 172 as the Cougars surged ahead.
North Pocono steadied itself in the upper weights. Mason Mitchell pinned Josef Wolff at 189 to stop the Valley View run, then Joshua Magnotta added a critical pin over Janzier Rivera Laboy at 215 to pull the Trojans back within striking distance.
That set the stage for a dramatic heavyweight bout. With the dual on the line, Apollo Kazmerski pinned Anthony Bardzilouskas in just 42 seconds at 285 to pull within 3 of a 39 36 victory for North Pocono.
The final score reflected how evenly matched the teams were throughout the night. North Pocono finished with seven wins including four falls, a technical fall, a major decision, and a forfeit. Valley View countered with six victories, all coming by pin, in a relentless senior night effort.
Despite the outcome, Valley View’s seniors were honored with a gritty performance in front of a packed home crowd, making it a memorable night that came down to the final whistle.
A big thank you to No Limits Grappling Academy of Blakely for supporting local wrestling and helping make coverage like this possible. Their commitment to developing athletes on and off the mat continues to have a strong impact throughout the community.
