The final week of January proved an excellent week for the Emmaus wrestling program, as the Hornets won two contests to keep their record perfect at 5-0.

Last Wednesday, the Hornets took care of a feisty Whitehall team 39-20. Emmaus winners on the mat included Quin Scott, who pinned Zachary Beblavy in 1:59 at 160; Jack Brion at 172 pounds, who pinned Timothy Ritter in 1:06; Connor Carter, who pinned Nicholas Rudowski in 3:35 in a compelling match at the 285-pound level. Also, Marco Albanese won a 4-3 decision over Johnny Colon at 120; Nick Velde took care of business at 132 beating Tyler Cunningham 4-0; and Braulio Hurtado won a 4-2 decision over Seth Pascoe at 138.

Hornet head coach Thad Smith continues to be impressed with Velde’s demeanor and never-say-die attitude.

“Nick has come up through the program and is a very coachable wrestler who always wants to get better,” said Smith. “He is a leader in the room and works extremely hard to get better. His attitude is great and he wants to wrestle the best wrestlers to see where he is at.”

Two nights later, Emmaus handled rival Parkland for the second time in two weeks. This time the Hornets went to Orefield and beat the Trojans in their home gym by a decisive 42-16. Winners included Kordell Waiters, who pinned the Trojans’ Mikeal Palmieri at the 3:34 mark to win his 152-pound battle; Geovanni Lainez, who pinned Kaleb Contes in 1:26 for the 113-pound win; Evan Camire, who made his return to the Hornet lineup, claimed an 8-3 decision over Juan Moya at 145; and Trevor Gitski, who pinned Garrett Fitzgerald at the 5:42 mark to win the 215-pound encounter. These four young men joined other Emmaus winners Albanese, Velde, Hurtado and Scott.

Albanese, a sophomore, is another wrestler who has learned how to wrestle the Emmaus way.

“Marco has come up through the program and has a very good work ethic,” Smith said. “Everything he gets, he has earned through hard work. He is very coachable and is willing to listen to the coaches to make himself better.”

The Hornets have two more scheduled regular season contests - at Nazareth and home against Dieruff.