With the postseason in the near future for wrestling programs, both Panther Valley and Lehighton are naturally hoping their student-athletes peak at this point in the season. Not to discount the importance of a team win, however, the rivalry between the two schools still motivates both teams to put forth their best performances.

Such was the case in Wednesday night's Schuylkill League wrestling bout, where fans in attendance witnessed the Panthers (10-9), pick up enough crucial wins to earn the come-from-behind 35-33 win."They're one of our rivals and we've been wrestling them for what seems like forever," Panther Valley head coach Tim Robb said. "They're always tough to beat; they're young and a solid team, so it's a big win for us."With the match starting at the 106-pound bout, the Tribe (12-8),strode out to a 15-0 lead, as Nate and Zach Kemmerer, along with Antonio Lorenzo, all picked up individual wins with Nate Kemmerer and Lorenzo nabbing pins.Hunter Kennedy's major decision halted the skid for the hosts, and teammate Darren Goida followed that up with a tight 3-2 decision over freshman Cody Scherer."We knew this was going to be a tough match, especially with us missing a few guys in the line-up," said Lehighton coach Danny Williams. "But at this point in the season, most teams are suffering from injuries. So we knew we had to try to overcome that."The next match-up featured two of the premier wrestlers in the Times News area, as the Tribe's Tegan Durishin squared off against the Panthers' Ali Capobianco. Durishin picked up a major in their first meeting this season, but Capobianco kept it closer this time around. Four takedowns for Durishin earned him a 9-3 decision, but a near headlock in the waning moments by Capobianco could have swayed it differently."Ali was majored and toyed with the first time, but tonight, he was able to dish it out and kept it to a decision, which was nice," Robb said.The Panthers followed with a Hunter Davidyock pin and a major by Zach Glassic to pull within 18-17, with six bouts remaining.The Indians' Tyler Cann, who returned from a recent injury, followed with a gutsy effort, for a 12-7 decision over Grant Lorkowski at 160."Being out for a while with the injury, Tyler's still getting back into it, so to see him keep battling at the end was nice," said Williams.Noah Berk picked up a forfeit at 170 to temporarily give the hosts the lead, but the Indians' Connor Frey flattened Hunter Kerestes to take back the lead at 182.Another Indian forfeit ensued and Rian Shubeck grabbed a pin to decide the match, as the Panthers led 35-27 with one bout left."Everyone wrestled well for us tonight and I wasn't disappointed with anyone's efforts," Robb said. "From top to bottom, they did their job and didn't give up many bonus points. We're wrestling really well right now, so we hope this carries over to districts."Panther Valley 35, Lehighton 33*106 - Nate Kemmerer (L) pinned Justin Ogozalek in :48.113 - Antonio Lorenzo (L) pinned Mike Lazar in 3:42.120 - Zach Kemmerer (L) dec. Tanner Kennedy, 9-3.126 - Hunter Kennedy (PV) major dec. Grant Wetzal, 19-4.132 - Darren Goida (PV) dec. Cody Scherer, 3-2.138 - Tegan Durishin (L) dec. Ali Capobianco, 9-3.145 - Hunter Davidyock (PV) pinned Cody Semmel in 3:53.152 - Zach Glassic (PV) major dec. Dustin Koons, 15-6.160 - Tyler Cann (L) dec. Grant Lorkowski, 12-7.170 - Noah Berk (PV) won by forfeit.182 - Connor Frey (L) pinned Hunter Kenestes in :36.195 - Dylan Moyer (PV) won by forfeit.220 - Rian Shubeck (PV) pinned Eric Skrincovsky in :40.285 - Alex Smith (L) won by forfeit.*-match started at 106