The infamously powerful Newport wrestling team is standing strong this year with a 7-3 overall record and a 4-1 league record. The team’s seniors for the 2023-24 winter season are Travis Lilly and Mason Messick.
The start of their season was chillier than normal; the Buffaloes attended the first outdoor match in state history on Saturday, Dec. 2, called “Tundra Tussle” by the hosting Camp Hill Lions. The Blue and White swept the Lions 45-16 at Seibert Park. There, the team withheld three decision wins, three major decision wins, three falls, and one win by forfeit. Mason Messick’s 152-pound bout was a highlight for the senior wrestler as he won in a 4-2 tiebreaker by decision. Lilly commented that this match gave the season a bit of a “different” start.
During the following week on Wednesday, Dec. 6, Newport attended the Perry County Wrestling Tournament at West Perry. In the first round that night, Newport faced the Susquenita Blackhawks in a match that resulted in a score of 48-22, Buffalos favor. The total score of forty-eight was made up of four falls and four forfeits. Neither team had a wrestler for the 127-pound bout. The longest match of the night was sophomore Lane Wright’s 5:41 battle which unfortunately ended with Wright being pinned.
The match against the West Perry Mustangs that night didn’t go as the team would have hoped. Despite the overall loss of 29-42, Newport gained points through three major decisions, one technical fall, and two technical falls.
Throughout the next weekend, Friday, Dec. 15 and Saturday, Dec. 16, the Buffaloes attended a two-day Carlisle Wrestling Classic at Carlisle Area High School. Over the course of this event, Newport ended up getting 129 points, placing them sixth out of the twenty-one participating schools. Newport went up against a few out-of-district schools such as Central Bucks East and Palmerton Area. Freshman Marek Polcha made it the furthest to the championship finals in the 107-pound weight class where he won by decision over a Conestoga Valley wrestler.
Next on the Buffaloes schedule was a dual at Line Mountain High School. The Eagles prevailed over the Buffaloes in a 40-24 final score. Most of Newport’s four wins came from three forfeits by the Eagles. Newport also scored through one fall where junior Aidan Crockett pinned his opponent in the 133-pound bout.
Over Christmas break, the team hosted the Newport Holiday Wrestling Tournament where they placed third overall, behind Camp Hill by 27.5 points but ahead of Mechanicsburg Area by 29.5 points. Marek and his brother, junior Roman Polcha, as well as Wright and Messick, all made the championship finals. Wright fell to his competition from Juniata at 3:54, both Polcha brothers won their matches, and Messick pinned the Camp Hill wrestler in 2:26.
In their 47-30 win over Halifax Area at this event, the Buffaloes had one win by technical fall earned by junior Noah Bryner, six falls, and one win by forfeit from the Wildcats. Notably, Lilly’s 145-pound match went to 5:02.
For a second dual in a row, Newport hosted the Juniata Indians on Wednesday, Jan. 10. This match was rife with controversy. Before the disagreements began, Newport got three wins by fall. Eyebrows raised when a referee disqualified sophomore Dylan Vadasz from his 285-pound bout after he attempted to discuss a call with the referee. Beyond this, the Indians coaching staff expressed disagreement from the sideline over R. Polcha’s 121-pound bout that ended in a 7-6 win, in Polcha’s favor. The Juniata team was discredited one point due to coach misconduct, resulting in the Buffalo win of 42-26.
Middletown Area High School was to host the Buffaloes on Monday, Jan. 15, but they canceled the dual. To make up for this interruption in schedule, Newport made last-minute arrangements to attend the Juniata Pooled Duals. Newport placed second overall and had a 4-1 record at the tournament. The team beat the Susquenita Blackhawks once more 54-18, out-wrangled the West Branch Warriors 61-12, overcame the East Pennsboro Area Panthers 51-16, won over the Salisbury Township Falcons 60-9, and lost to the Montgomery Red Raiders 21-50. To highlight a brand new wrestler, sophomore Jonah Bennetch pinned his Salisbury Township opponent in 1:21 at the 114-pound bout. This takedown marks his first win besides forfeits at weight classes 107 pounds and 114 pounds.
While it is only part of the way through the regular season, Lilly is already looking forward to the postseason matches. “I’m mostly excited to wrestle the postseason this year with the team and see how far we can make it,” he explains. “I think this year will be better than last year, we have definitely been working hard in the wrestling room and the team is excited to compete.
