TOWAMENCIN- Up by only two points with one more match left to go, North Penn boys wrestling ultimately prevailed this Thursday night (35-30) in a neck-to-neck battle against Central Bucks East, making this match a memorable and exciting senior night. 

Despite losing the first match, CB East had a comfortable lead of 6-18 until North Penn’s Daniel Mallitz stepped onto the mat for the fifth. Mallitz clinched a major decision win (17-3), getting North Penn back into the game and prepping the stage for Josiah Thomas to bring North Penn into a 20-18 lead during the seventh match.

With two more lead changes and a close final score, victory seemed possible for either team when the twelfth—and final—match commenced. North Penn put all its hope in Benjamin Quiles-Rosa who faced off his CB East opponent and came out in victory; ending the meet with a five-point win. 

The energy that surrounded the gym as the last buzzer sounded, was deafening. Parents who came to support their child, students who came to support their fellow classmates, and other fans who came to watch were all on their feet, clapping for a great conclusion to the last home meet this season.

The real magical view, however, wasn’t watching the fans but the team who immediately flooded the mat and began celebrating an amazing senior night.

“We haven’t gotten a senior night win for a couple of years now—ever since I joined the program. Tonight was just so special to actually get a win. It was so close, but it was a great win. I feel amazing,” senior Daniel Mallitz said. 

While the triumph was sweet, the meet itself was a pretty close match-up. This being the last meet before the SOL Colonial Championships, keeping the players in the game no matter the score was one of the biggest goals for head coach Jim Swiggard going into Thursday night. 

“We try to stay in routine, and we try to remind them that they’re capable. We’re finishing the season 12-9, and we were 2-19 last year…So just reminding them that they have the talent has been important,” Swiggard said.

The coaches’ undeniable effort to help their players perform their best during the meet only reflected the strong connection that they have for each of the players. This encouragement is appreciated by everyone. 

“Our coaches are always pushing us to win and pursue greatness. They’re always pushing us to go a hundred percent—to be the best we can possibly be. They’re overall just amazing coaches. It’s been a great year,” Mallitz said.

As the seniors start to say goodbye to their fellow teammates and embark on exciting new journeys, the underclassmen, while saddened to see their leaders go, will hopefully look ahead with optimism, focused on the examples that their graduating teammates left behind.