In the post-season, DV's wrestlers are in top form

By Josh Lashley
MILFORD — Wrestling, a sport that's great on so many levels, has teams and athletes competing in post-season tournaments at high schools all across the county. Pennsylvania may have more wrestling talent and depth than any other state.
The Delaware Valley High School wrestling program has certainly enjoyed its share of successes on the mat in the post-season over the years. This year, the Warriors once again feature many high-quality student-athletes.
Mike McKinney, John McCarthy, Troy Moore and Hayden Thompson are the team leaders, said Delaware Valley head coach Lou DeLauro said.
“They have been leading on and off the mat," DeLauro said. "With a very young team they have been keeping them focused and working towards our team goals."
He's seen hard work pay off.
“Our entire team has made tremendous strides and improvements," he said. "They are all working hard, and we are in great shape which always proves to be an advantage in the post-season. A couple individuals who are peaking at the right time and putting themselves in great position for the post-season are McKinney, Kyle Stoll, Andrew Kidd, and John McCarthy. The four of them all won the Lackawanna League Championship this past weekend.”
The Warriors have already made headlines with their achievements this winter, and they’re working hard to garner more success in the coming weeks.
“We won the Lackawanna League Dual Team Championship a couple of weeks ago,” DeLauro said. “We lost in the District finals to Hazleton. It was a goal to be at the Team Dual State Meet but we came up short with this loss. We have Individual Districts this weekend we are hoping to win as a team as well as sending 6-9 wrestlers to the regional tournament.”
John McCarthy won the PIAA District 2 AAA Tournament title at 220 pounds. Mike McKinney (132), Kyle Stoll (138), and Andrew Kidd (182) each placed third at the Districts. Joseph Porco (106), Jack Dardia (126), and Shawn Davis (145) all placed fourth. Machias Magill (120), Hayden Thompson (152), and Troy Moore (1950 placed fourth at the Districts.
The North East AAA Regional is scheduled for March 3 and March 4 at Bethlehem Liberty High School.
“Our techniques has greatly improved and we have been pushing the pace and been on the attack,” DeLauro said. "We need to work harder on getting out of bottom. Our younger wrestlers need to be more confident in themselves.”
Through Feb. 20, some of the top performers for Delaware Valley include John McCarthy (30-7 record), Andrew Kidd (30-7), Mike McKinney (26-9), Joe Porco (24-11), and Kyle Stoll (23-11).