Two straight pins from Dan Oberle (182 pounds) and Tom Alcaro (195) put Emmaus in front of Parkland for the first time all night with two bouts remaining.

But it was a pin in the next match by the Trojans' best wrestler, Omar Haddad, at 220 pounds, which gave Parkland the lead back. A decision from Jahan Worth in the final bout (285) clinched the Trojans' 31-25 win over the Green Hornets 31-25 last Wednesday night at Parkland High School.

"[Dan] Oberle actually leads our team in wins," said head coach Jeff Arbushites. "He came up big in a big spot. Thomas [Alcaro] has been a stud since he entered the arena. He's our go-to guy. I knew we were a little short up top, but I'm proud of how we wrestled throughout the lineup."

The loss snaps a two-game winning streak in the East Penn Conference after two one-point wins against Stroudsburg and Liberty last week.

Parkland started off the match with two dominating wins at 106 and 113. Nick Dolak (tech fall) and Zach Ortman (major decision) helped the Trojans jump out to an early 9-0 lead, but Emmaus' Tyler Corpora answered with a close 3-2 decision at 120.

The two teams traded wins for the next seven bouts. The Hornets' Lucas Schaf (132) won by a major decision, while teammates Matt Hamati (145) and Cole Franklin (160) each won by decisions, as Emmaus trailed 22-13 with four bouts remaining.

"When you're going out against some of their studs and only losing by a few points here and there, you're right in it," said Arbushites. "And even after a few losses, we were right in it until the end."

With Emmaus down by nine, and time dwindling, the sophomore Oberle and senior Alcaro stepped up and scored big wins to give their team the lead and some momentum.

But that is just what Parkland did in turning to its leader in the senior Haddad. His pin, followed by Worth's decision, gave the Trojans the EPC victory.

The Green Hornets regrouped in a big way and won the US Military Duals championship at Chapin High School in South Carolina last weekend, their second in the last three years.

Five wrestlers (Alcaro, Schaf, Franklin, Corpora and Oberle) went undefeated at 5-0. Schaf (132) and Franklin (160) were named Most Outstanding Wrestlers (MOW) in their respective weight classifications. Fittingly, the title was won with a 5-1 decision by Alcaro over Boiling Springs Baxter Murray in the 220-pound match.

"We're making less mistakes and we're finding our way here," added Arbushites. "We're just getting better match by match with fundamentals, position and technique."