The Emmaus wrestling program had a strong performance in finishing second at the Case-Flynn Duals held last Saturday at Pottsville High School.

“We want to consistently improve throughout the season,” Emmaus coach Jim Best said. “We’d like to consistently show good sportsmanship, and be grateful for the opportunity to improve and compete.”

Best’s squad started their run with a 52-15 first round victory over Tunkhannock. Alex Issa at 127 and Jesse Scott at 152 won their matches respectively with a pin and by major decision. The seven other victories came through forfeits.

The Green Hornets won a tough 39-30 round two win over Cedar Cliff. More impressive than the win was how the Hornets did it, coming from 0-18 down. Xayden Sallit, Marco Albanese, William Tigar, Reilly Bechtel and Scott each won their matches to turn things around and give Emmaus a 27-18 advantage. After a loss, Jake Gross pinned Cedar Cliff’s Cooper Hambright at the 3:50 mark to give the Hornets at 33-24 lead. After another Cedar Cliff win, the deciding match came at 107 as Jackson Max pinned Kevin Trimmer at 3:38.

“Jackson is a hard worker with an aggressive wrestling style and he loves to compete,” Best said.

There was no suspense in round three as Emmaus blitzed Belmont Charter 72-6. The Hornets secured seven falls in this one and won five by forfeit. Gross pinned opponent Zaheedah Abdus-Samad in just 40 seconds at 215, while Albanese pinned Hakiym Smallwood at 1:10.

“Marco has set lofty goals for himself and is super motivated to achieve them,” Best said.

Best’s steamroller kept flattening opponents with vim and vigor in round four when they plastered Milton 51-15. The Hornets had 10 wins in this one, five by fall and three by decisions. Among the winners were E.J. Boney, a tough wrestler who loves to compete, pinned Paul Rohland in 3:41 for the 285-pound win.

The ride came to an end in the championship round when the Hornets came up short in a 44-15 loss to Pottsville. Gross and Boney were the two Emmaus wrestlers who won matches in actual combat.

Three nights earlier Emmaus won their EPC opener with a 58-17 decision over Pocono Mountain East.