A good start is often a key to coming away with a victory in wrestling.

It not only sets the tone for the match, but it also gives other wrestlers who are about to square off confidence.

On Wednesday, Tamaqua was able to accomplish just that after three wins to start the match against Schuylkill League Division 1 opponent Jim Thorpe sparked a 45-27 win.

The Raiders (1-1), deployed some strategy early on, bumping up 106-pounder Levi Kunkel to 113 pounds, who was able to come away with a dramatic win with a pin at the 5:41 mark.

Gabe Erbe was then able to take care of business at 120 pounds with a pin (1:21), and Brody Boyce picked up another late pin for Tamaqua, getting the job done at the 5:52 mark.

The strong start not only gave the Raiders confidence, but the two last-second pins also fueled their intensity and excitement in the match.

“We had some things go our way, especially early on. It was honestly a match that could’ve gone either way. It was a very competitive match,” said Tamaqua head coach Jim McCabe. “We had two tight matches that I think we were in control of, but to come away with two pins like that late was huge. Those point swings are big. It definitely got our confidence up, and got the team fired up, for sure.”

Jim Thorpe got its first victory of the night when Ridge Snyder posted a 12-6 decision at 132. Tamaqua would then get the next two behind Jacob Schlier (138) and Michael Steigerwalt (145), before the Olympians (0-2) went on a nice little run.

The strength of Jim Thorpe’s lineup was on display as Gabe Heaney, Cam Tinajero, Jared Newhall and Caleb McDermott all came away with pins to put the pressure back on the Raiders.

However, Tamaqua finished as strong as it started, as pins by John Buday (215), Donavin Albert (285) and Aiden Schlier (106) sealed the league victory for the Raiders.

“Coming into the season, the lack of experience was my biggest concern,” said McCabe. ‘We have a ton of freshman in the lineup and a lot of guys who are older, but are really seeing their first significant mat time.

“We knew we had to come in and mature quickly, and tonight was a good step toward that. If you believe you can beat the guy in front of you, that goes a long way during a match, and I think our guys are starting to gain confidence and learn that.”

Tamaqua 45, Jim Thorpe 27

113 - Levi Kunkel (T) pinned Noah Geiser (JT) in 5:41; Gabe Erbe (T) pinned James O`Neill (JT) in 1:21; 126 - Brody Boyce (T) pinned Tanner Yurchak (JT) in 5:52; 132 - Ridge Snyder (JT) def. Zaidyn Walker (T) 12-6; 138 - Jacob Schlier (T) def. Nikolas Schwartz (JT) 5-0; 145 - Michael Steigerwalt (T) pinned Richard Kenna (JT) in 1:42; 152 - Gabe Heaney (JT) pinned Nathan Milkovits (T) in 2:38; 160 - Cam Tinajero (JT) pinned Jacob Hehn (T) in 4:48; 172 - Jared Newhall (JT) pinned Cole Eberts (T) in 3:37; 189 - Caleb McDermott (JT) pinned Arnold Fernandez (T) in 2:58; 215 - John Buday (T) pinned Angel Cintron (JT) in 1:54; 285 - Donavin Albert (T) pinned Blake Carroll (JT) in 1:32; 106 - Aiden Schlier (T) pinned Henry Snyder (JT) in 3:43.