ALLENTOWN—Maul in state’s top 16 at 119 pounds

By: Kyle Moylan Sports Editor
    Taylor Maul was having such a good time in Atlantic City on Friday, he decided to stick around for another day.
    Maul, a sophomore at Allentown High School, won his opening match in the state championships on Friday. This put Maul into the final 16 in the state for 119 pounders. It also guaranteed Maul he would get the opportunity to wrestle on Saturday.
    “Whoever lost that first match was out of the tournament,” Allentown High Coach Larry Kimport said. “He (Maul) didn’t just want to show up in Atlantic City, he wanted to wrestle well and make it into Saturday. He did that.”
    The champions from the eight regions received an automatic bye into the final 16 in the state. The second- and third-place finishers needed to win a match on Friday to keep their season going. Maul, a third-place finisher from Region VII, responded with a 10-3 win over Montgomery’s Tom Reynolds.
    “Taylor wrestled really aggressively,” Kimport said. “He was real strong. He jumped ahead in the beginning and had a powerful first and second period.”
    In the round of 16, which also was held on Friday, Maul was pinned by Toms River East’s Vinnie DelleFave.
    “That kid is ranked number one in the state,” Kimport said. “I think Taylor was honored to get a chance to wrestle against him. He definitely knew who that guy was.”
    DelleFave would go on to win the state title on Sunday. It was the second year in a row he’s won the championship at 119 pounds.
    By advancing to the round of 16, Maul was allowed to come back on Saturday and stay active in the wrestlebacks. Maul’s season finished at 32-7 as he was defeated in the first round of the wrestlebacks by Wallkill Valley’s Zach DiPini, 10-5.
    “The whole thing was thrilling,” Kimport said. “I think Taylor felt the same way. It was a totally different venues than what we’re used to. The districts were held at Steinert High School. The regions were held at Moorestown High School, which does have a nice, big gym. I asked someone at the Boardwalk Hall how many people does it sat and he said with the configuration they had, it could hold 14,000. There were eight mats with action going at the same time, but it was very well organized. If they said your match started at 10 a.m., that’s when the whistle blew.”
    Being just a sophomore, Maul certainly has a chance to be back to Atlantic City. The same is true for Ross Scheuerman and Sam Shonk, other Allentown High sophomores that made it as far as the regions.
    “I don’t think Taylor was overwhelmed at all,” Kimport said. “He wrestled well. He did a great job for a tenth grader.”