Mike Nicosia was battling fellow freshman Mike Rambone late in the third period of Wednesday’s first bout among EPC rivals Bethlehem Catholic and Easton.

Nicosia, who fought off multiple Rambone’s scoring opportunities earlier in the match, was comfortable with a 4-1 lead and in the scrambling position he was in when the Golden Hawk saw an opening.

He hit the six-point move in the final several seconds to turn a precarious lead into a major decision.

Teammate and fellow freshman Gino Bozzi did nearly the identical thing in the following bout at 114 pounds, turning a decision into bonus points in the final seconds.

Bethlehem Catholic was up eight points after the first two bouts, which were toss-ups, but it had all the emotional momentum.

Sophomore Nico Emili followed with two sets of back points in the third period at 121 for a third consecutive major decision, and the Golden Hawks were in control the rest of the way.

Bethlehem Catholic never trailed and pulled away for a 40-17 victory.

“I would say those first three bouts,” head coach Mike Cole said, “those guys did their jobs. I had those first two as toss-ups with us favored by 55%. I was hoping for one. Not only did we get two, we scored majors right at the end in both.

“That is wrestling. That’s what we need. That’s the selflessness, the thought of the team.”

The Red Rovers pulled within 15-12 after seven bouts when Ethan Krazer won 4-0 over Andre Cerrato at 145. But Keanu Dillard, Mason Thomas and Zach Papcsy followed with pins for the Golden Hawks.

Grant Mulhern, a first-year senior, finished it off with his first victory — a pin at 285.

“I started the season a little rough, going 0-4,” Mulhern said. “But each practice, all the guys are just working to get better. I was feeling a little antsy with my shoulder [that forced him to miss all of last season], but after getting this win I feel like I’m back.”

But it was the lightweights who dictated how things went from the start for Bethlehem Catholic.

Nicosia, who doesn’t weigh close to 107 pounds, said he’s still fighting nerves as much as his opponents. But he let his skills take over when it mattered most against Rambone.

“[Rambone] was really strong,” Nicosia said, “and I was really nervous at the beginning because I didn’t know if I was going to get the takedown. But when I got that takedown in the second period, I knew I was going to win it.

“And late in the third I felt that duck under and was able to hit to get the bonus points for the team.”

Several scrambles did not produce any points in the first two minutes, but Nicosia got his takedown with 13 seconds left in the second for a 4-0 lead. That was a sign of things to come.

Up 4-1 late in the third, Nicosia hit the duck under for the takedown and three back points for a 10-1 major.

After Bozzi gave up a first-period takedown to Easton’s Brayden Abrams, the Bethlehem Catholic 114-pounder took the lead with 45 seconds left in the second period with a takedown. He got four back points as time expired in that period. Then after getting reversed and escaping in the third, Bozzi secured a takedown with one second left for another bonus-point victory.

“Those two easily could have sat on their leads,” Cole said. “Easily. That’s pretty good for two freshmen.”

Emili then dealt Easton freshman Tanner Milburn his first loss of the year with a 13-0 major, dominating from the top position.

Freshman Jack Famularo got the Red Rovers on the board with an 8-4 win over A.J. Gomez at 127 and returning state champion Nick Salamone followed by a pin in 5 minutes, 44 seconds in a testy 133-pound matchup with freshman Jack Cole to get coach Corey Keener’s club within 12-9.

But Reef Dillard righted the ship with a 7-2 decision at 139, then the three decisive pins a short time later for the Golden Hawks.

Keener said Easton has to wrestle smarter and understand situations better as it moves forward.

“It shows how we have to be more tactical in some of those positions,” Keener said of the first couple bouts. “Giving up a takedown at the end, you’ve got to know to bail. They are young kids. They will learn. But, definitely, the tone of the match changes.

“We have to continue to work on the things we’re not having success with. We can’t continue to make the same mistakes time after time and multiple times in a match. We have to be able to adjust mid-match. That’s what really good wrestlers do. You have to be able to make the adjustments.”

Up next

Bethlehem Catholic (2-1) and Easton (6-3) are among the seven area teams headed to the Beast of the East tournament on Saturday and Sunday at the University of Delaware’s Carpenter Center.

Bethlehem Catholic 40, Easton 17

107: Mike Nicosia (BC) maj. dec. Mike Rambone, 10-1

114: Gino Bozzi (BC) maj. dec. Brayden Abrams, 13-5

121: Nico Emili (BC) maj. dec. Tanner Milburn, 13-0

127: Jack Famularo (E) dec. A.J. Gomez, 8-4

133: Nick Salamone (E) pinned Jack Cole, 5:44

139: Reef Dillard (BC) dec. Noah Fenner, 7-2

145: Ethan Krazer (E) dec. Andre Cerrato, 4-0

152: Keanu Dillard (BC) pinned Wyatt Snyder, 1:16

160: Mason Thomas (BC) pinned Logan Young, 0:46

172: Zach Papcsy (BC) pinned Tyler Cruise, 4:49

189: Justin Cosover (E) tech. fall James Bozzi, 19-4, 2:27

215: Connor Gillahan (BC) dec. Alonzo Parker, 10-3

285: Grant Mulhern (BC) maj. dec. Dan Vargas, 13-5

Referee: Jason Magditch

Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com