CHESTERTOWN -- The 65-mile drive from Kent County High back to Pasadena was a long one for Northeast last night. But you can bet Adrian Spears was smiling all the way.
The Northeast 189-pounder's overtime takedown with 1:23 left was good for a 9-7 upset of Rising Sun's top-ranked Bruce Knisely (27-1, 22 pins), helping the Eagles (16-1) to a 41-28 win in last night's 1A-2A East Region dual-meet title bout.
Heavyweight Paul Lauman won by default over Rising Sun's John Zellman as the top-seeded Eagles, who hammered fourth seed Cambridge (11-4), 49-13, in the semifinal, advanced to tomorrow's championship round of four at South Carroll. Rising Sun (15-1) was last year's champ.
Northeast led, 32-28, after a technical fall by sixth-ranked Ron Katzenberger (171), set up Spears (18-6), who clinched the match, 35-28. A former heavyweight, Spears has lost just twice at 189 pounds.
Knisely, a state runner-up last year, led 4-0 after nearly pinning Spears with a cradle in the first period. But Spears went up, 7-4, after scoring a takedown and two back points in the second period, and Knisely's escape and takedown made it 7-7 entering the final period.
"I thought he had me in the first period, but I knew if I kept pushing him, he'd gas out," said Spears, who countered three overtime takedown attempts by Knisely.
The win avenged last year's first-round loss to Rising Sun, ranked No. 10 in the state and a 40-27 winner over No. 3 seed
Kent (14-1) in the other semifinal.
Northeast led, 15-0, after the first three bouts. Glen Mosco (103) built a 5-1 lead in a 5-3 victory over Rising Sun's Luke Garvin, then top-ranked defending state champ Mary Kusick (112) pinned Shane Racine in 54 seconds, and his twin brother, defending state champ Mike (119) received a forfeit.
But Rising Sun came within 15-12 after Seth Garvin (125) overcame a 4-1 deficit to pin Glen Lail, and Brian Price received a forfeit.
Sixth-ranked Jay Queer (135) scored his 20th pin of the year, stretching the Eagles' lead to 21-12, but Rising Sun had its first lead, 22-21, after Chris Zuck (140) scored a 9-1 victory over Northeast's T. R. Fleming, and Cory Hall (145) pinned Tyrone Eaton with two seconds left.
The two teams traded falls over the next two bouts for a 28-27 Rising Sun lead, with Chris Morrow (152) building a 13-0 lead before decking Craig Allen, and Will Street (160) finishing Billy Parks in 1:52.
Against Cambridge, Queer scored a 17-2 technical fall over Mike Pete. And Fleming (140) scored a 2-0 overtime decision over Jeremy Weber (24-2).
Spears (189) downed the Vikings' Noah Webster, 7-2.