Francis Scott Key's 33-31 victory over Northern-Garrett in the Class 1A-2A West regional dual-meet finals still played second fiddle to what occurred earlier in the night in Hampstead.
The crowd that filled the North Carroll gym mostly was there to see whether the defending state dual-meet champion and host Panthers could solve their season-long puzzle against county rival Key.
It didn't happen as No. 2 Key rolled to the finals with a 47-15 win behind pins from Matt Yinger (112 pounds), Randy Owings (140) and Robert Buntin (160).
It was only the first of a two-part mission Key had on the night.
In the finals against top-seeded Northern-Garrett, 51-14 winners over fourth-seeded Southern-Garrett, Buntin's second pin of the night against Eric Miller at 160 clinched the region championship for the Eagles, who advance to the state dual-meet championships tomorrow at South Carroll.
"I was concerned going in about seeing North Carroll again as much as we've seen them this year," said Key coach Bill Hyson, whose Eagles have defeated the Panthers four times this season.
"And then we wrestled sharp against North Carroll and I was hoping we weren't so keyed up for North Carroll that we wouldn't have anything left [for Northern-Garrett]. We're here and the kids want to go on through. The kids come up big when we need them."
Buntin came up big with Key leading, 27-15, but Northern-Garrett very strong at the upper weights.
"I knew I had to wrestle hard," he said. "A lot of our matches are decided around my weight so you have to know the situation and what you need. Everybody on the team wrestled well."
Jason Hooper won a decision over Matt Wolf at 125 to get Key within 9-7 early. Tony Cahoon pinned Jim Greene at 135 to give Key a 16-9 lead and set the table for an Owings' pin and Zac Yinger's technical fall.
"The seniors -- [Steve] Lessard, Owings and Yinger -- are the heart and soul of this team and we have other kids in the wings," Hyson said. "At this point of the year, you have the physical skill to get here and the heart and determination takes over."
The No. 7 Panthers tried to shuffle their lineup from their previous dual meet with Key, but the matchups still were on the Eagles' side.
The move backfired for the Panthers. When Jason Elmo weighed in at 137 1/2 pounds earlier in the day, he was half-a-pound shy of being eligible for the 145-pound weight class. After he was announced at that weight, the Panthers were forced to forfeit, giving J. T. Chiaruttini and the Eagles six points and a 28-9 lead.
Two matches later at 160, Buntin needed just 1:35 to pin Colin Eutsler and send the Eagles to the finals.
"[Key's] just so tough," said Panthers coach Bryan Wetzel. "There's not much to say but they just beat us."