There was no championship for Lehighton.

Nor was there any hardware for Palmerton or Panther Valley.But that didn't mean the three Times News area squads that competed Saturday at the Anthracite Duals left empty handed."Overall, it was a good day," said Floyd Brown, whose Indians finished the day 3-2.The Blue Bombers and host Panthers both went 2-3 at the 16-team event, one that offered something a little different for everyone.LEHIGHTONThe Indians fell to Midd West 45-31 in their opener, but bounced back to knock off Panther Valley 36-31 and Brandywine 49-15 to go 2-1 and finish second in pool play."Our first match, we went right out against one of the better teams here, and we hung in there with them, and I thought we wrestled them tough," Brown said of opening the day against Midd West. "But it was nice to comeback against a local team in Panther Valley, which is a solid team this year, and we were able to get a win there.Lehighton (6-3) lost to Penns Valley, 63-15, in its next match before topping Williams Valley 42-37 in its final contest."I think we could have wrestled a lot better (against Penns Valley)," Brown commented. "But I think our performance there motivated the kids in the last one."On paper, we don't really matchup very well against them (Williams Valley). But we were able to pull out a win, so I was happy. Overall, I was happy with the way we wrestled."Individually, Lucas Sangiuliano, Nathan Kemmerer, Tyler Schock, Chris Whiteman and Dylan Schock all posted 4-1 records for the Indians. Isaiah Wetzel and Cody Scherer both went 3-2.PALMERTONThe Blue Bombers wrapped up pool play 1-2, opening with a 45-32 win over Halifax before falling to Pine Grove 63-17 and Milton 42-36.Palmerton lost a close match to North Schuylkill, 41-36, before topping Panther Valley 39-36 in its finale."It's good to get competition in against a lot of different kids and teams from out of our league, and also out of our district," said Palmerton head coach Justin Petersen. "It's good to get some different matchups for the kids."Really, what it comes down to, and what I tell the guys, is that the main goal is to keep getting better as we head toward the end of the season and districts. I like to win, obviously, but I thought we got better today. I thought we got more experience, and that's the main thing. We're not where we need to be, but we don't have to be there right now. I think right now, we just need to keep working to get better, get back on Monday and get ready for our next match."Jared Mooney went 5-0 for the Bombers, while Kyle Kralik and John Iles both posted 4-1 marks. Shawn Gardner, Nate Sterner and Riad Kapur all went 3-2.PANTHER VALLEYImprovement is something every coach is seeking, and the Panthers' Tim Robb is no exception.Saturday was another chance for his team to get better."We're behind schedule. We're behind where we need to be," said Robb. "We've got a lot of work to do."We want to peak in February; we certainly aren't peaked right now."Panther Valley took down Brandywine 48-29 to start the day before falling to Lehighton and Midd West (46-30) to close pool play 1-2.The Panthers (7-5) responded with a 58-12 triumph over Kutztown before dropping their final match against Palmerton.Kyle Rusnak, Tanner Kennedy and Derrick Beckham all went 5-0 for PV, while Hunter Kennedy finished the day 4-1 and Xander Kern posted a 3-2 mark.Despite the struggles, Robb knows a tournament like Saturday's will make his team better."This puts you through the grinder a little bit," he said. "They'll be beat up. After you wrestle five matches … I've got a bunch of kids banged up that I gotta get stretched out."We have Upper Dauphin Wednesday, and that's an important dual for us. I hope we wrestle better than we did tonight."CHAMPS … Wilson topped Pine Grove 45-27 in the finals for the team title. The Warriors beat Kutztown 57-15; Midd West 47-18; Penns Valley 38-28; and Tri-Valley 63-18 before downing the Cardinals for the championship.SUCCESS … Saturday's event is a popular one, something evidenced by the pool of teams participating. "We got people trying to get into this … people enjoy this," said Robb. "It's a great AA event; a lot of teams on the same level."I love the event, and I know all the coaches seem to enjoy it."SAVE THE DATE … Panther Valley will be hosting the Coal Cracker Tournament Jan. 27-28.