You can call it an early-season measuring stick for Tamaqua.

The Blue Raiders were trying to make a statement against perennial wrestling power Blue Mountain in s Schuylkill League match on Wednesday evening.

Unfortunately for Tamaqua, it was a battle that was controlled by Blue Mountain.

The Eagles were quick, aggressive and showed their wares from the onset on the way to an impressive 50-24 decision.

Blue Mountain (2-0) bolted to a 47-0 lead before the Blue Raiders hit the scoreboard. These vaunted Eagles had firepower from just about every angle and every weight class, piling up falls at 139, 145, 160, 189 and 215 in building their big lead. There was also a technical fall at 152 and a forfeit win at heavyweight.

“I was coached by Todd Kindric growing up, and that’s always been our philosophy,” said second-year Blue Mountain coach Alex Gosch about his team’s aggressive style on the mat.

It showed up and down the lineup. Koder Brish make quick work at 139 against Brody Boyce in the opening match with a pin.

At 145, Owen Well needed all of 25 seconds for his pin over Chase Zeigenfuss, before Payton Fasnacht grappled his way to a 15-1 technical fall over Stephen Kieffer.

The beat went on for the Eagles when Sayyidakbar Akbaron laid a 28-second pin on Bradley Whalen. Tamaqua’s Jacob Hehn fell to Hunter Blankenhorn by pin. Lukas Kauffman got all he could handle from Tamaqua’s Will Behun before finally recording a pin late in the third period to give his team a 35-0 lead.

“We battled a little up top and down below bumping some weights up,” said Tamaqua coach Jim McCabe. “But Blue Mountain capitalized on situations that their good at.”

After ceding a forfeit to the Eagles at heavyweight, Tamaqua got on the board when Evan Temarantz received a forfeit win at 107

The bright spots for the Blue Raiders (0-2) were pins recorded by brothers Brody Schlier at 114 and Aiden Schlier at 121. Brody needed just :32 while Aiden finished his match at the 3:53 mark.

Tamaqua’s final points came when Levi Kunkel received a forfeit at 127.

“Things didn’t pan out our way,” McCabe said. “But tomorrow we go right back in the wrestling room and we work hard.”

NO GIRLS… Blue Mountain failed to bring girls to wrestle the Tamaqua squad, which had hoped to get at least four bouts in.

NICE WORK … McCabe felt his team’s effort was there. “We’re just missing a few things, but I know we’re going to get better.”

STANDOUTS … Blue Mountain was tough with its aggressive style. Its wrestlers wasted little time in getting advantage at the start of bouts,which paid off in a number of early pins.

UP NEXT … Tamaqua’s Blue Raider Duals take place this Saturday with an all-day wrestling tournament.

Blue Mountain 50 Tamaqua 24

139 - Kaden Brish (BM) pinned Brody Boyce in 1:08; 145 - Owen Woll (BM) pinned Chase Zeigenfuss in 1:25; 152 - Payton Fasnacht (BM) tech. fall Stephen Kieffer, 17-2 in 2:45; 160 - Sayyidakbar Akbarov (BM) pinned Bradley Whalen in 0:29; 172 - Bradley Renninger (BM) won by forfeit; 189 - Hunter Blankenhorn (BM) pinned Jacob Hehn in 3:23; 215 - Lukas Kauffman (BM) pinned Will Behun in 5:03; 285 -Trevor Manbeck (BM) won by forfeit; 107 - Evan Temarantz (T) won by forfeit; 114 - Brody Schlier (T) pinned Troy Mady in 0:32; 121 - Aiden Schlier (T) pinned Cooper Leibold in 3:53; 127 - Levi Kunkel (T) won by forfeit; 133

- Bryce Bodenberg (BM) dec. Gabe Erbe, 3-1.