BETHLEHEM - There was nothing easy about it.

And there was never going to be.

The District 11 Duals were a challenge - and an opportunity - for Lehighton and Palmerton on Saturday at Freedom High School.

For the Indians, it was a chance to square off with Schuylkill League foe North Schuylkill the second time this week after clinching the league’s Division 1 title with a one-point win Tuesday.

Standing in front of the Bombers was three-time defending 2A champion and perennial power Notre Dame Green Pond.

Lehighton, which qualified as the No. 4 seed, fell to the fifth-seeded Spartans 36-27. Palmerton, the No. 8 seed, suffered a 66-3 setback against the top-seeded Crusaders.

While the tournament came to an end with the quarterfinal losses for both programs, each came away with a clearer understanding of where they are - and where they want to be - just three weeks before wrestling’s individual postseason gets underway.

“It’s nice to get the extra match in,” said Lehighton head coach Floyd Brown. “We got a quality match against North Schuylkill, with some kids that they’re going to see in a couple of weeks in the postseason.

“For our team to get here, we’ve been battling all year. This is where all the other teams are trying to get to. We got here, and it didn’t go our way, but we get to come back and battle another day.”

Qualifying for the event checked a box that was one of the Bombers’ major goals at the start of the season.

“That was what we talked about the whole time. At the beginning of the year, the goal was to make team districts,” said Palmerton head coach Justin Petersen. “We worked our butts off, we did it. They made it. It validates their hard work. Just getting into more of those ‘bright lights’ type of environments. That’s where we want to be, that’s what we want to do.

“We want to compete. That’s been our mantra all year - it doesn’t matter who it is, where it is, we want to just compete, give our best efforts. Regardless of the outcome, as long as we’re giving our best effort, that’s all that matters.”

Lehighton-N. Schuylkill

North Schuylkill was able to flip a few key weights from Tuesday’s 35-34 loss. Jaden Meyer registered a pin after being pinned in the first meeting at 189 pounds, and Neekoli Caraballo, who did not wrestle earlier in the week, earned a 6-2 decision at 285 against Reese Balk, who had defeated him twice earlier this season by scores of 10-4 and 6-4. Balk secured a pin against Sander Stokes in the first match between the teams.

Nate Sterner erased a 4-1 deficit to post a 9-4 win at 139 pounds for North Schuylkill. And Jimmy Weikel, who was trailing 4-0 early in the first period, came back to register a pin at 145.

Lehighton’s Wyatt Sherer flipped a result at 215 pounds, earning a pin in 1:42 after suffering an 8-4 loss on Tuesday.

“We flipped one of them at 215, but then they kind of flipped at heavyweight where we got a pin last time, so that was kind of a nine-point swing,” said Brown. “Overall, we knew it was going to come down to (a few matches), but it just didn’t work out.”

At 172, Brok Solt saved bonus points for the Indians with a 9-6 loss to Ricky Halford, who earned a pin in the first match. Connor Dugan also closed the gap to Kaden Casey at 121 pounds by a significant margin, falling 4-1 after losing 16-4 in their first match.

“It was a great, competitive match,” said Brown. “It helps our kids win or lose, to get some extra matches against quality competition.”

In addition to Sherer, Jacob Ferguson (160) and Aidan Gruber (114) both had pins for Lehighton.

In addition, Jacob Hall used a strong third period to claim a 6-3 decision at 127 pounds in the final match. Hall was trailing 3-2 entering the final period, but got a takedown and two nearfall points in the final 0:24 to secure the win.

Palmerton-Notre Dame

The Crusaders registered eight pins in the match - six in the first period - and also got two forfeits.

Dillon Lombardi rallied for a 5-4 win at 152 pounds for the Bombers. Lombardi was trailing Notre Dame’s Nathan Thomas 4-2 before getting an escape with 0:37 left in the second period.

Lombardi, a junior who is 19-8, took the lead with a reversal with 1:37 left in the third period. Lombardi also posted a one-point win (6-5) over Thomas on Jan. 3.

“We have no seniors in the lineup, and we have a good junior class that’s done well the last couple of years,” said Petersen. “We have a freshman in Thomas (Pasqueriello, 107 pounds, 17 wins), and Dillon Anthony (15 wins), who has helped as well. So we have some guys stepping into roles that maybe they weren’t truly ready for, but they’re growing in their roles, which is good, and that’s all you can ask for.”

Junior Derek King is 25-6, Josh Merkel is 18-12 and Caleb Gaffney has posted 13 wins.

Petersen hopes their progress continues with the postseason on the horizon.

“We’re getting closer, we’re getting better,” he said. “We’ve got some things to obviously work on. But you always want to keep focusing on what the next thing is, and what you can do to get better. If we’re doing that, then we’re doing OK.

“I’m happy with where our guys are at, but it’s not where we want to be. We didn’t get there yet. But we will. The kids are hard workers; they come in every single day, and that’s what you want.”

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS

... For the fourth year in a row, Notre Dame Green Pond and Bethlehem Catholic earned district titles in their respective classifications. The Crusaders topped No. 2 seed Saucon Valley 52-9 for the 2A title, while second seed Bethlehem Catholic made it four in a row in 3A with a 32-23 win over top seed Easton.

District 11 Duals

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

Notre Dame GP 66, Palmerton 3

107 - Paul Laubner (NDGP) pinned Thomas Pasquariello in 3:27; 114 - Ayden Smith (NDGP) pinned Dawson McCoy in 0:26; 121 - Cooper Feltman (NDGP) pinned Kellen Trotter in 2:11; 127 - Tanner Berkenstock (NDGP) pinned Chris Collier in 0:18; 133 - Gavyn Kelton (NDGP) pinned Trent Ader in 0:14; 139 - Jared Gonzelez (NDGP) pinned Jaggar Serfass in 1:02; 145 - Nino Morici (NDGP) dec. Derek King, 7-2; 152 - Dillon Lombardi (P) dec. Nathan Thomas, 5-4; 160 - Josh Ludlow (NDGP) dec. Bryce Smith, 7-3; 172 - Dominic Sumpolec (NDGP) pinned Caleb Gaffney in 0:40; 189 - Keegan Ramsay (NDGP) pinned Jameson Trainer in 0:40; 215 - Connor Smalley (NDGP) won by forfeit; 285

- Gino Guerrisi (NDGP) won by fofeit.

North Schuylkill 36, Lehighton 27

107 - Gaige Mentusky (NS) won by forfeit; 114 - Aidan Gruber (L) pinned Alex Deritis in 0:51; 121 - Kaden Casey (NS) dec. Connor Dugan, 4-1; 127 - Jacob Hall (L) dec. Stanley Padakowski, 6-3; 133 - Blake Muffley (L) won by forfeit; 139 - Nate Sterner (NS) dec. Evan Wentz, 9-4; 145 - Jimmy Weikel (NS) pinned Carter Hontz in 2:46; 152 - Bradlee Smith (NS) pinned Zoltan Bedocs in 1:14; 160 - Jacob Ferguson (L) pinned Ben Carr in 1:55; 172 - Ricky Halford (NS) dec. Brok Solt, 9-6; 189 - Jaden Meyer (NS) pinned Asher Traylor in 1:54; 215 - Wyatt Sherer (L) pinned Cadyn McGraw in 1:41; 285

- Neekoli Caraballo (NS) dec. Reese Balk, 6-2.