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Nolehi matmen stay unbeaten

Northern Lehigh was busy on Tuesday night, but busy is nothing new for the Bulldogs' Matt Schmall.

The senior has been quite active over the past four years, piling up one win after another.Shortly following a quick Colonial League conquest of Salisbury earlier in the afternoon, Schmall earned his 100th career win in Northern Lehigh's second match of the day against Palmerton. The Dogs' looked strong in an impressive 54-21 victory over the Bombers."It's a team sport and we always stress that, but when you're performing as an individual, it's always nice to get those accolades," said Northern Lehigh head coach Steve Hluschak Jr. "A hundred wins is nothing easy, he' been doing it for four years now and I have nothing but good things to say about him. He's very talented, a hard worker, always there putting in work in the offseason, so it's good to see that hard work pay off for him."Damien Fink started Palmerton off on the right foot in the initial bout of the match with a pin over Tyler Hargraves at 138.But, a few holes in the Bombers' lineup, combined with some clutch performing from wrestlers such as NL's Cameron Kates, was a bit too much for Palmerton to overcome on a wintery Tuesday evening. Kates was a perfect 2-0 on Tuesday, defeating both Alexander Nicholas of Salisbury and Jericho Burger of Palmerton, 3-2."He had two big wins against two tough, quality kids," said the Northern Lehigh coach of his heavyweight's big day."He was never really in trouble tonight, they were close, but that's how heavyweights tend to be - not as much action as the lighter weights. He does a lot of things that other heavyweights don't do though, like shoot inside and outside. He was in total control, and that was good to see. He's athletic, strong, and smart; he really has really taken off this year."Hluschak explained that his squad wouldn't be nearly as successful if it wasn't for a group of unsung heroes whom largely contribute on a daily basis."We lost a lot (of wrestlers) from our district championship team last year, and now we're working with these young guys from junior high and the others just coming out to give it a shot from football," he said. "We commend them for giving it their all, and we're trying to catch them up as fast as possible for the end. We always want to get better each and every day. We got some good individuals coming back from last year; we had several make it to regionals last year, and several more make it to states."Along with the inexperienced contributors, the Bulldogs' coach has high hopes for his experienced wrestlers on the team."I would love to medal four or five guys out there (states) and I think we can do it. With guys like Ryan Farber, Matt Schmall, Cameron Kates, Colten Rex, and CJ Young - we definitely have a legitimate shot to rank in the state, we want to get some hardware come March, that's always the goal."GOING STREAKING ... Northern Lehigh's win-streak remains in tact without a blemish on the 2015-16 season, at a perfect 6-0.WASTING NO TIME … Palmerton's Damien Fink pinned his opponent in the first bout of the match in 24 seconds. Jarred Mooney also won by pin for the Bombers at 182.No. Lehigh 54, Palmerton 21138 - Damien Fink (P) pinned Tyler Hargraves in :24145 - Matt Schmall (NL) pinned Jacob Kupillas in :56152 - Brandon Belfonti (NL) dec. Nate Sterner, 11-4160 - Ryan Farber (NL) pinned Kyle Kralik in 1:03170 - CJ Young (NL) won by forfeit182 - Jarred Mooney (P) pinned Cameron Deibert in 1:15195 - Brandon Smith (NL) won by forfeit220 - Jason Schaffer (NL) won by forfeit285 - Cameron Kates (NL) dec. Jericho Burger, 3-2106 - Hunter Fiero (P) won by forfeit113 - Seth Fronheiser (NL) pinned Devin Rivera in 1:27120 - Colten Rex (NL) won by forfeit126 - Ezra Neff (NL) pinned Chase Faulstick in 2:29132 - Lucas Christman (P) dec. Chase Ohlsen, 6-0

Northern Lehigh's Brendon Belfonti (top) tries to keep control of Palmerton's Nate Sterner in their 152-pound bout. Belfonti won by an 11-4 decision. NANCY SCHOLZ/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS