Rams outlast Leopards, 35-30, in rivalry dual

In a battle of top wrestlers, Jake Conroy topped Elijah Brown to help Ringgold to the win.

The Mon Valley’s much-anticipated wrestling clash between local-rivals Ringgold and Belle Vernon lived up to its billing on Wednesday night. The packed gym was electric as fans from both sides watched the back-and-forth battle for bragging rights. In the end, Ringgold walked away with a hard-fought 35-30 victory, clinched by standout performances and clutch wins in critical moments.

The match began at the 114-pound weight class, where Ringgold set the tone early.

Leif Syrko pinned Belle Vernon’s Rylee Doppelheuer in the third period after dominating throughout the bout.

The momentum continued to stay with Ringgold at 121 pounds, as Nico Bove added five more points to the team’s total by overpowering Enzo Ortolona with an 18-3 technical fall. Just two matches in, Ringgold was out to an 11-0 lead, silencing the Belle Vernon crowd early.

Belle Vernon found a spark at 127 when Leonidas Soto delivered a gutsy 12-4 victory over Ringgold’s Andrew Barkey, cutting the deficit to 11-4.

However, Ringgold quickly reclaimed control at 133 as Evan Tolliver pinned Vander Raczkowski just 1:38 into the first period, extending their lead to 17-4.

Belle Vernon began to rally with their middle-weights in the lineup.

At 139 pounds, Deydon Soto secured his 100th career victory in style, earning a dominant 16-1 win over Brennan Ambrose.

The triumph brought Belle Vernon within striking distance at 17-9, and Soto was recognized for his accomplishment on his senior night.

Following Soto’s win, the energy in the gym shifted entirely.

Colby Hibner electrified the crowd even further by pinning Max Soles just 13 seconds into their match at 145. Hibner’s quick work made the score 17-15 and had Belle Vernon’s bench rocking.

Belle Vernon kept rolling at 152 pounds as Connor Hoffman pinned Eli Pierce in just over a minute, putting his team ahead 21-17.

Ringgold, though, wasn’t finished. At 160 pounds, Cristian Lowther delivered in the clutch, edging Kole Doppelheuer, 8-6, with a last-second takedown to keep Ringgold within a point, 21-20.

Belle Vernon responded at 172 pounds, where Skylar Gush defeated Caden Smith by 9-5 decision giving Belle Vernon a 24-20 advantage heading into the final stretch.

Ringgold knew they had to capitalize in the upper-weight classes, and that’s exactly what they did. Being that they were without a wrestler at the 107 weight class, they knew that they’d have to forfeit the last of the bunch, effectively handing Belle Vernon six late points.

At 189 pounds, Owen Conroy pinned Eric Adamec in just 15 seconds, swinging the score back in Ringgold’s favor at 26-24.

Then came the most anticipated matchup of the night at 215 pounds: Belle Vernon’s Elijah Brown versus Ringgold’s Cornell commit Jake Conroy in a battle of 2024 WPIAL champions and a battle of two of the state’s top-ranked wrestlers in the weight class.

Brown jumped out to a commanding 9-0 lead midway through the second period, but Conroy refused to quit. ‘ He battled back with two quick takedowns to pull within four, 106, by the end of the second. In the third, Conroy’s relentless motor shined as he scored a point early and then executed a dramatic takedown in the final seconds to tie the match at 10-10, forcing an ultimate tiebreaker.

The extra period was all Conroy, who outlasted a winded Brown to win 14-10, securing three crucial points for Ringgold and a 29-24 lead.

“Jake’s heart is what impressed me the most,” said Ringgold head coach Luke Smith. “To come back from being down 8-0 against a wrestler like Elijah, shows you exactly the kind of fighter he is. He never gave up. Cornell is getting an incredible kid with an unbelievably high ceiling. We’ll be talking about him in NCAA tournaments down the line. I couldn’t be more proud of the effort he put in tonight.”

With the heavyweight match looming, Ringgold’s James Holmes delivered the decisive blow, pinning Randall Munsky in the first period.

The win extended Ringgold’s lead to 35-24, sealing the victory.

“It sucks that it had to be against my buddies,” Smith admitted after the match. “We have a lot of history with those guys on the other side of the mat. Bob Bove gave me my first coaching job, and I’ve learned so much from him over the years.”

Despite the loss, Belle Vernon coach Bove expressed pride in his team’s effort but acknowledged the areas they fell short.

“We came to wrestle, and we got some of the matchups we wanted,” Bove said. “Elijah and Jake gave everyone their money’s worth, and you really have to give it to him (Conroy). He just kept going and wouldn’t quit. But as a team, we lost two late leads, and we need to find ways to finish those matches against better opponents. They out-hustled us, and that cost us big time. “You have to give them credit over there. They did what they needed to do to snatch the win away from us. I used to teach there, I’ve coached some of those guys, and my nephew is on that team, so I’ve got nothing but respect and love for what they do.”