The District 11 junior varsity individual wrestling tournament took the spotlight last weekend, with Whitehall crowning a champion last Saturday at East Stroudsburg South High School.

Tyler Oswald won the 195 weight class, registering a 4-3 win over Kurt Dougherty of Blue Mountain High School. Junior varsity coach Doug Bonshak said it's the second consecutive JV title for Oswald, following last year's pin of Liberty's Kyle Gildner in the finals.

En route to the championship, Oswald recorded two falls, decking Pius X's Matthew Haycock in 3:52, then pinning Emory Herb of Pine Grove Area High School in 2:30 during the semifinals.

The Zephs also had another place winner as first-year wrestler Jake SinkowskI took fourth at 138. He won three matches, two by fall before losing to Parkland's Michael Ye in the consolation match.

In the end, the Zephyrs finished tenth among the 29 teams participating in the tourney, earning 47 points at Saturday's weather-shortened event. Easton Area High School earned the top spot, finishing with 184.5 points.

Bonshak said that 14 junior varsity wrestlers attended the tournament. Of those 14, eight are first year wrestlers, according to Bonshak.

Bonshak said the tourney was impacted by the weather, altering the format. Usually, the tourney runs two days, but with such adverse conditions the tournament was consolidated into one day. That meant the tournament was changed from its normal double elimination format, to one in which a wrestler had to make it to the quarterfinals to wrestle back.

And with such a young squad, the opportunity to battle back through the loser's bracket was made more difficult by curtailing their chances.

"Unfortunately, many of our wrestlers lost their first match and this was it," said Bonshak. "These guys worked out all year long and this is their final competition. Many of the JV wrestlers came out to be a part of a team. They have shown improvement all year long and have learned many of the core values we attempt to teach this year: Commitment, Determination, and Family."

In addition to the place winners, the Zephs were represented by Nikitas Davis, Mohamed Elseify, Ali Mobin, Rafat Yacoub, George Hana, Lewis Kamamo, Jesiah Davis, Oliver Castle, Marwan Rajha, Samuel Kolie and Jon Andrews.

Bonshak said that he hoped the wrestlers also learned some life lessons that will carry over to their personal lives as well as their academics. He said it was gratifying watching the wrestlers progress throughout the year, using what they learned to become more adept at their new sport.