Robert "Butchy" Tully didn't waste any time wrapping up a double-leg takedown to begin his match against Matthew Gross from William Allen, executing the move before the echo from the referee's whistle had subsided.

From that point the senior grappler was in control, moving from the takedown into a quick pinning combination that had Gross stacked at 1:22. It was one of eight bouts resulting in bonus points for the Zephyrs as they rolled to a 48-18 win over the Canaries last Wednesday in Allentown.

Tully, who wrestles at 152, is in the midst of a strong season for the Zephs. He's currently battling an injury that forces him to wear a brace, but that doesn't prevent his aggressiveness. Tully's always looking to get the drop on his opponent and the quicker he can turn a match to his advantage, the better.

"I like to get a good start," said Tully who is currently 16-2. "I like to get right at it. I like to get in control from the beginning of the match, make my self comfortable, and then gain some confidence in myself."

Tully said that his plan will slightly vary depending on who he's facing. Still, he's looking to turn his opponent at every opportunity. Against Gross he used an arm bar, a hold he doesn't use much, but decided to employ that move en route to the pin.

"Today I used it a little, but I really wanted to get my match over with, and then cheer on my teammates," said Tully.

Tully's been wrestling since his freshman season. He knows what it takes to compete in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and was a bit surprised at their success so far this year. Coming into the Allen match the Zephs were 11-4.

"We didn't think we were going to have a strong team this year, but we picked it up in the wrestling room and started telling everybody to start working toward the postseason," said Tully. "Then everybody started picking it up a little and we came together pretty well as a team."

That camaraderie was on display throughout the evening. When seniors Daniel Mittura and Anthony Fragnito were locked in tough matches, Tully and his teammates were urging their fellow wrestlers on, clapping and cheering as both matches went down to the final seconds.

Mittura got penalized for locking his hands while in control of Wilberto Sicard in the final period. At the start of the period, Mittura had been up 1-0 after a second period escape. However, the penalty point forced Mittura to let Sicard go, giving the Canary a 2-1 lead.

In an effort to take down Sicard in the waning seconds, Mittura got caught in a headlock and surrendered two near fall points to lose the match as the buzzer sounded.

Fragnito's match was similar to Mittura's as both wresters were up by a point heading into the third period. Fragnito tried to extend the lead in the final two minutes, but succumbed to a hip toss that resulted on a takedown and a 2-1 loss.

Head coach Tim Cunningham was pleased how those two competed, emphasizing it's more than just winning or losing a match.

"We want each kid to perform to the best of their ability," said Cunningham. "And it was great to see all the wrestlers cheer them on. We've been preaching team, team, team."

Cunningham said that Mittura drew one of the better wrestlers from Allen and that the match was in the balance until the final seconds.

"I'm really proud of him," he said.

Joe Gladish got the Zephs on the board first with an 11-0 major decision over Cameron Chappelle at 220. Gladish successfully used a double-leg takedown and then turned Chappelle for a near fall to lead 5-0 after the first period. In the second he got Chappelle in trouble with a cradle, and then used an escape and takedown in the final period to give the Zephyrs an early 4-0 advantage.

Heavyweight Edgardo Rivera kept the Zephs rolling with a gritty 4-1 win, using a takedown and reversal for his points.

At 120, Noah Rex was able to get bonus points when he decked Jason Caraballo in 3:38. Before that pin, Rex had been superior on his feet, racking up a 10-0 lead before registering the fall.

Nikitas Davis was another wrestler who quickly won his match, pinning Jonathan Mendez in 1:36, while Tyler Schaeffer earned a tech fall over Thomas Eggleston in 5:05.

Matt Schuler also recorded a tech fall over Felix Alvarez as the buzzer sounded, recovering from an earlier reversal into an arm bar that nearly resulted in a pin, while Tyler Oswald outlasted Jamal Clayton 4-2 at 192.

Brad Schuler pinned Josh Bennicoff in 3:51, while John Kaintz earned a 10-0 major decision over Alfred Logan at 145.

"We knew we needed a big win tonight," said Cunningham. "Allen's an improved team; their junior high program's improved and coach Keith Smith is doing a great job here at Allen."

Cunningham said they expected a close match and noted that winning the coin flip was crucial in helping them prepare their line-up.

"If they would have won that coin flip, they could have pushed [favorable] guys out against our guys," said Cunningham. "The coin flip mattered a lot. I have to give Allen a lot of credit they kept wrestling."

The Zephs were coming off a close loss to Quakertown Area High School on Saturday, and Cunningham said they needed to learn from some fundamental mistakes that plagued them in that match.

"That's what we were working on Monday and Tuesday," said Cunningham.

As for the postseason, Tully said his goals this year are clear cut. It's what he's been aiming for since the season began.

"I'm looking to make it to the postseason and not just get to districts because everybody gets to districts," said Tully. "I want to make it to the finals, and then to regionals and then to states."