Last winter the Salisbury wrestling team was so small in numbers that it often forfeited more bouts that it competed in during dual meets. However, that small team produced three District 11 medalists and regional qualifiers.

This year, with a few more wrestlers filling those weight classes that were forfeited last season, the Falcons could do even more damage in the postseason. They finished 32nd out of 59 teams last weekend at the Coal Cracker Invitational at Lehighton High School. Salisbury had three wrestlers reach the semifinal round and one come away with a medal at the Coal Cracker.

Senior John Samy led the way for the Falcons. He won his first three bouts before getting pinned in the semifinal by Kennett’s Kane Lengel. Samy beat Parkland’s Leo Kern by a 4-1 decision in his first consolation bout, but fell to Palisades’ John Haubert by an 8-6 decision in his next match to fall into the seventh-place bout.

Samy pinned of Freedom’s Cameron Wickenmeyer in 4:49 to earn the seventh-place medal.

“I wish I would have done a little better,” said Samy, a two-time regional qualifier. “I placed fourth last year, but there’s so many more teams here this year.

“I just take it one match at a time. First match is a wall I have to go through and that’s how I treat every match. Sometimes I get jammed up, but it’s just how I bounce back. That’s what I’m about.”

Samy bounced back twice at the Coal Cracker, following two losses with wins in his next match. Over the years he’s learned to put those setbacks behind him. He did the same thing after failing to place at a tournament at Conestoga High School over the holiday break.

“Mentally that hurt a lot,” he said. “I had to bounce back. I went on a 13-match win streak until [the Coal Cracker].”

Two other Falcons, Jakub Gloc and Mitchell Miller also reached the semifinal rounds, but both dropped two straight bouts and came up just short of placing.

Miller pinned his first three opponents, putting down the first two in under a minute. He fell in the 285-pound semifinals by a 14-8 decision to St. Joe’s Prep’s Maxwell Roy then lost 8-4 to Northern Lehigh’s Sam Frame.

Gloc had a first-round bye at 189 before pinning his first two opponents in just over a minute each. He was then pinned by Wallenpaupak’s Henry Baronowski in 5:50 in the semifinals and dropped his consolation match to Jason Singer of Faith Christian.

The Falcons have two dual matches schedules for this week, including Wednesday’s senior night contest against Southern Lehigh. They’ll compete in Sunday’s Colonial League Championships at Catasauqua High School. This is the first season the league is holding an individual tournament.

The Falcons will host a dual tournament on Saturday Feb. 11 then have a couple weeks off before the District 11 Championships on Feb. 24-25.

Salisbury results from Coal Cracker Invitational

114 - Jaxon McGuckin

Connor Novakowski (Wyoming Area) pinned McGuckin in 2:32

McGuckin pinned Brighton Dauberman (Meadowbrook Christian) in 1:42

Shoaib Nadir (Scranton) pinned McGuckin in :51

127 - Edwin Serrano

Jadel Colwell (Wallenpaupak) pinned Serrano in 1:31

Kayden Skibber (Pocono Mt. East) major dec. Serrano, 13-3

133 - John Samy

Samy pinned Racer McGuire (Panther Valley) in :39

Samy dec. Cameron Wickemeyer (Freedom), 4-2

Samy dec. Evan Wentz (Lehighton), 6-0

Kane Lengel (Kennett) pinned Samy in 2:38

Samy dec. Leo Kern (Parkland), 4-1

John Haubert (Palisades) dec. Samy, 8-6

Seventh-place match: Samy pinned Cameron Wickenmeyer (Freedom) in 4:49

139 - Jordan Tocci-Wachter

Jacob Courtney (Athens) tech. Fall Tocci-Wachter, 22-6 in 3:22

Tocci-Wachter dec. Hunter Beers (Pen Argyl), 10-9

Alexander Hosler (Central Columbia) pinned Tocci-Wachter in 4:34

145 - Mason Holva

Bryce Smith (Palmerton) major dec. Holva, 11-2

Holva pinned Emil Mustafin (Northern Lehigh) in 2:55

Richard Kenna (Jim Thorpe) pinned Holva in 2:36

152 - Nathaniel Tone

Braylon Hawkins (Berwick) pinned Tone in 5:25

Tone dec. Brayden Styka (Mahanoy), 3-1

Vincent Tomasetti (Souderton) dec. Tone, 5-0

Watson dec. Taylor Burton (Crestwood), 5-4

160 - Jacob Watson

Alexander Roberts (Central Columbia) dec. Watson, 4-2

Watson dec. Nate Armstrong (Palisades), 5-2

Watson pinned Alex Bozzi (Interboro) in 3:53

Porter Dawson (Sullivan County) major dec. Watson, 8-0

160 - Toby Linn

Ivan Bonilla (Freedom) pinned Linn in 2:50

Linn pinned Victor Carrasquilla (Parkland) in :53

Alexander Roberts (Central Columbia) dec. Linn, 5-2

189 - Jakub Gloc

Gloc pinned Malachi Morgan (Hanover Area) in 1:05

Gloc pinned Lincoln Bibla (Crestwood) in 1:04

Henry Baronowski (Wallenpaupak) pinned Gloc in 5:50

Jason Singer (Faith Christian) pinned Gloc in 1:49

215 - Sam Krauss

John McLaughlin (Wyoming Valley West) pinned Krauss in 1:07

Krauss pinned Josh Careccia (Pleasant Valley) in :16

Krause pinned Blake Carrol (Jim Thorpe) in 4:40

Wyatt Sherer (Lehighton) pinned Krauss in 3:25

215 - Ethan Sandford

Ryan McMilla (Wilson West Lawn) pinned Sandford in 5:11

Sandford pinned Isaac Zimmerman (Meadowbrook Christian) in 3:39

Locke Lamfers (Wallenpaupak) pinned Stanford in 4:27

285 - Clark Gulycz

Eliedxander Jarquin-Torres (William Penn, DE) pinned Gulycz in 3:20

Gulycz pinned Adrian Ramirez (Gettysburg) in :51

Gulycz pinned Aidan Milkovits (Panther Valley) in 2:27

Aaron Phillips (Honesdale) pinned Gulycz in 3:39

285 - Mitchell Miller

Miller pinned Mohamed Souare (Belmont Charter) in :13

Miller pinned Ian Gill (Southern Lehigh) in :56

Miller pinned Nicholas Farrel (Freedom) in 2:17

Maxwell Roy (St. Joe’s Prep) dec. Miller, 14-8

Sam Frame (Northern Lehigh) dec. Miller, 8-4