Finishes third at 145 pounds in Region VII wrestling tournament.
By: Kyle Moylan
VOORHEES All things considered, the Region VII Wrestling Tournament couldn’t have gone any better for Allentown High School’s 145-pounder Tom Painchaud.
Well, nothing short of Lenape’s Dave Miller getting lost on his way to Eastern High School, the site of the event.
"There was just no way to beat that guy," Painchaud smiled.
Didn’t matter. By winning his other three matches in the tournament, Painchaud advanced on to the same Super Regionals as Miller.
The Super Regionals were scheduled to be held last night, with the top two wrestlers in each weight class advancing into the state’s final eight. Two more wrestlers from each weight class will also advance into the state’s wrestlebacks with a chance to still finish as high as third place.
"I never even thought about going this far," Painchaud said. "I was just thinking about the Districts (which Painchaud won last weekend). Like I said after the Districts, everything else is just a bonus."
Painchaud may not have been thinking about going to the Super Regions, but a path quickly opened up for him.
As the winner of the District 25 Tournament, Painchaud go a bye into Friday’s quarterfinal round of Region VII. And waiting for him was Nottingham’s Charlie Iacono, the same wrestler he pinned to win the District title.
"I was confident I would win that match," Painchaud said. "I don’t know what he (Iacono) was thinking, but I know where I was mentally. I beat him once and I’ll beat him again."
Painchaud pointed out that some people called his win over Iacono in the Districts a "surprise." He didn’t like that assessment.
After Painchaud pinned Iacono again on Friday, no one can call it a "surprise" now.
"I really just wanted to get past that first match so I could face Dave Miller in the semifinals on Saturday," Painchaud noted. "I wanted to test myself against Dave Miller, who was the state champion last year and will probably win the state title again this season. I tested myself and Miller decked me in the first period (laughs). There wasn’t anything I could do about that."
The one big advantage to losing to a wrestler like Miller is it’s an easy setback to accept. After all, this is a wrestler who hasn’t lost in two years. Heck, he’s only had five of his matches all season go to a decision.
"I could’ve accepted my season ending right there to the state champion," Painchaud said. "But my season wasn’t over. As soon as that match was done, it was history. That was an easy match to put behind me."
Painchaud had to get ready for the wrestlebacks. First up in Saturday’s wrestlebacks was Haddonfield’s Walt Hessert.
"I didn’t know anything about him," Painchaud said. "Not a thing. I never even heard of him (smiles)."
Didn’t matter. Painchaud recorded a 5-3 decision, earning himself the right to wrestle for third place and a spot in the Super Regions. The top three wrestlers from each weight class advanced to the Super Regions.
Painchaud also wasn’t very familiar with his next opponent, Shawnee’s Joe Hassab. Both Painchaud and Hassab were pinned in the first period by Miller. It was the results against another common opponent, however, that lifted Painchaud’s confidence.
"I knew I was going to beat him," Painchaud said. "I watched his last match before we wrestled. He only beat Iacono by two points and I had pinned Iacono twice in the last week. I knew I had the upper hand."
Painchaud wasn’t even even feeling tired despite about to enter his fourth match in a 19-hour period.
"I felt fine," Painchaud said. "I still feel good. If I had lost I would’ve probably lied like everyone else does and say I felt ‘lousy,’ but I feel good (laughs)."
The first period against Hassab was scoreless. Before the start of the second period, however, Painchaud made a pivotal decision.
"I chose bottom for the start of the second period and I reversed him," Painchaud said. "I was up the rest of the way after that."
Hassab never could put up much of an offense against Painchaud. In fact, he didn’t score any offensive points at all. Painchaud limited Hassab to a pair of escape points as he rolled to a 10-2 win.
The win over Hassab guaranteed Painchaud some more wrestling action. Following action on Saturday, however, Painchaud was like a kid coming home from Disney World with a Mickey Mouse doll in one hand and a giant lollipop in the other. If mom and dad wanted to stop off for ice cream, great. But either way, he’s not complaining.
"It’s not so much a dream," Painchaud noted. "It’s just something I never even thought about. I never thought about this. It’s only starting to hit me now. How much I’ve managed to accomplish this season is only hitting me now."
Which explains the big smile on Painchaud’s face.
"Regardless of what happens from now on, I’m already in the top 24 in the state," Painchaud noted. "Was I thinking that before the start of the season? No way . . . No way."