The Parkland wrestling program participated in its final regular season tournament last weekend at the Coal Cracker Invitational in Lehighton.

The growing two-day tournament drew teams from across Pennsylvania and produced wrestling on par with the postseason.

Adrian Gacek, who won the Bethlehem Holiday Classic in late December, led the Trojans with another tournament title, taking the 189-pound crown at Lehighton. He won his six matches on three technical falls and three pins, including the title bout when he showed Gettysburg’s Tyler Withers the lights with six seconds remaining the match.

The Trojans finished sixth out of 60 teams at the Coal Cracker with three placewinners.

Blake Dergham (114) won his first four matches last weekend, three by fall, and eventually reached the third-place bout where he beat Gettysburg’s Isaiah Jackson 9-4.

Juan Moya (152) finished seventh in the tournament as all three Trojans who wrestled in place matches came out on top. Moya beat Kyle Ferster of Midd-West by an 11-3 major decision for the seventh-place medal.

Leo Kern (133) and Michael Gavrilesku (285) also wrestled well in Lehighton, winning four and five matches each, respectively.

Parkland entered the Coal Cracker with a fine 8-2 record. Two nights earlier the Trojans traveled west to Whitehall and earned a 40-25 win. Dergham won by technical fall over the Zephyrs’ Kade Pascoe 19-4. Phoenix DelVecchio was on fire in his 127-pound match this night, pinning Ruth Rivera in just 21 seconds. Jakob Peterson won a close 7-5 decision over Nolan Schmeckenbecher at 133, while Kern won a fine major decision victory over Trokton Kai 11-2.

Tough guy Moya pinned Whitehall’s Hudson Saylor at the 3:37 mark, while Victor Carrasquilla beat Preston Saylor 13-5, and Gacek pinned James Hopkins in 3:48 in the 215-pound match.

Coming into the ‘22-’23 campaign Trenge was determined to see continued improvement overall, predicting a fifth-place finish in districts, at least five to regionals and three states. That projected advancement was on display during the Mid-Winter Mayhem tournament held Jan. 13 and 14 at the Kovalchick Conventional Complex at IUP. Parkland finished fourth in the 47-team field with Gacek finished in third place at 189 and Moya earned fifth at 152.

The Trojans looked good also Jan. 11 at Freedom with a 40-23 victory.

Parkland Results from Coal Cracker Invitational

107 - Eli Russ

Russ pinned Brock Schneiderwind (Palisades) in 1:11

Dorian Hoffman dec. Russ, 6-1

Evan Reed (Catasauqua) pinned Russ in 1:34

114 - Blake Dergham

Derghampinned Ezra Swartley (Souderton) in :46

Dergham pinned Ramier Haynes (Belmont Charter) in 1:11

Dergham major dec. Brady Kareha (Abington Heights), 16-5

Dergham pinned Isaac Eidle (Wilson West Lawn) in 5:13

Colton Wade (Sullivan County) major dec. Dergham, 13-3

Dergham dec. Isaiah Jackson (Gettysburg), 9-4

Third-place match: Dergham dec. Zachary Berwick (Stroudsburg), 5-4

121 - Jarrett Graham

Edward Luritsen (Pleasant Valley) dec. Graham, 4-3

Josh Merkel (Palmerton) pinned Graham in 1:35

127 - Jakob Peterson

Kyle Winter (Berwick) pinned Peterson in 1:30

Peterson pinned Brendan Nye (Catasauqua) in 2:09

Anthony Crisafulli (Freedom) dec. Peterson, 6-4

127 - Phoenix DelVecchio

DelVecchio pinned Sam Jeckell (Crestwood) in 3:23

Matthew Smith (Midd-West) dec. DelVecchio, 9-5

Luke Evans (Abington Heights) pinned DelVecchio in :24

133 - Leo Kern

Dallas Schorr (Central Dauphin) dec. Kern, 6-4

Kern pinned Ryan Harpster (Selinsgrove) in :54

Kern dec. Matthew Rebert (Gettysburg), 2-0

Kern major dec. Jacob Leonori (Scranton), 8-0

Kern dec. Caden Herb (Wilson West Lawn), 8-6

John Samy (Salisbury) dec. Kern, 4-1

145 - Waris Mughal

Gavin Fehr (Catasauqua) pinned Mughal in 2:35

Mughal dec. Eric Irizarry (Jim Thorpe), 11-5

Connor Ondek (Scranton) pinned Mughal in 4:54

152 - Juan Moya

Moya tech. fall Tavin Soos (Southern Lehigh), 19-4 in 2:48

Moya tech. fall Cael Heaney (Jim Thorpe), 21-5 in 5:00

Moya pinned Leyton Ruck (St. Joe’s Prep) in 4:31

Michael Lane (William Penn, DE) dec. Moya, 6-2

Moya major dec. Jacob Ferguson (Lehighton), 17-4

Garrett Paradis dec. Moya, 9-4

Seventh-place match: Moya major dec. Kyle Ferster (Midd-West), 11-3

160 - Victor Carrasquilla

Alex Bozzi (Interboro) pinned Carrasquilla in :48

Toby Linn (Salisbury) pinned Carrasquilla in :53

160 - Jorge Moya

Franklin Norris (William Penn, DE) pinned Moya in 2:59

Moya pinned Pucas Longo (Wallenpaupak) in 2:36

Nuallan King (Pen Argyl) pinned Moya in 4:33

172 - Emanuel Montalvo

Shamere Davenport (Belmont Charter) pinned Montalvo in 3:45

Montalvo pinned Spencer Garvey (Meadowbrook Christian) in :32

Montalvo pinned Cade Sawyer (Southern Lehigh) in 3:58

Joel Landry (Honesdale) dec. Montalvo, 5-0

189 - Adrian Gacek

Gacek pinned Christian Duarte Diaz (Wilson West Lawn) in :34

Gacek tech. fall TJ McLain (Bangor), 22-6 in 3:50

Gacek tech. fall Gian Greggo (Pen Argyl), 17-1 in 3:30

Gacek tech. fall Eli Poyer (Central Dauphin), 17-2 in 3:25

Gacek pinned Henry Baronowski (Wallenpaupak) in 1:31

Championship match: Gacek pinned Tyler Withers (Gettysburg) in 5:54

215 - Gavin Edwards

Mark Effendian (Faith Christian Academy) pinned Edwards in :54

Bryce Hackenburg (Midd-West) pinned Edwards in 3:40

285 - Michael Gavrilesku

Gavrilesku pinned Rayvon Hampton (Sullivan County) in 1:00

Gavrilesku pinned Sam Frame (Northern Lehigh) in :36

Gavrilesku injury default Bruce Hartman (Berwick), 2:54

Gavrilesku pinned Joshua Nittinger (Athens) in :43

Reese Balk (Lehighton) pinned Gavrilesku in 1:40

Gavrilesku pinned Nick Giza (Wyoming Valley West) in :32

285 - Max Pugach

Maxwell Roy (St. Joe’s Prep) pinned Pugach in 1:08

Pugach pinned Paul Borowski (Western Wayne) in 4:36

Sam Frame (Northern Lehigh) dec. Pugach, 5-4