Faith Christian Academy Dominates Escape the Rock Tournament, Solidifying Top National Ranking

No. 1 FCA (PA) secures its third major title of the season with a commanding victory at the Escape the Rock Tournament, featuring standout performances from Fred Bachmann and Adam Waters

Jarrel Miller of St. Edward (bottom) struggles against Adam Waters of Faith Christian Academy during their 190 pound semifinal match during the 2024 Ironman Wrestling Tournament at Walsh Jesuit High School on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Waters was a champion again this weekend at the Escape the Rock Tournament at Pennsylvania's Council Rock High School. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

By capturing the team title at this weekend's Escape the Rock Tournament hosted by Council Rock High in Pennsylvania, No. 1 Faith Christian Academy is now three-for-three in winning big-time tournaments coupling this crown with those earned at Ironman and Beast of the East.

The Lions gained some room to breathe on the second day. The gap was just five at the end of Saturday’s action but was up to 13.5 going into the final round and ended at 22-points, 221-199.

Faith Christian pushed five guys into the finals and came away with two champions, No. 1 Fred Bachmann (114) and No. 2 Adam Waters (189). Waters was an Escape the Rock Champion as a freshman and second last year as a sophomore, losing to Ryan Burton (St. Joseph Regional, NJ).

Bachmann blanked the unranked Liam Davis (Lake Highland Prep), 3-0, in his final. Waters had a far easier time locking down his top honors clocking a 19-4 technical fall over No. 8 Vincenzo LaValle (Hanover Park, NJ). LaValle avenged a Beast of the East loss to No. 7 Robert Kucharczk (Lake Highland Prep), 13-5, in the semis.

Settling for silver for the Lions were 127lber Joe Bachmann (No. 4 at 120), No. 23 Jason Singer (215), and No. 9 Mark Effendian (285). Joe Bachmann and Gauge Botero (No. 9 at 126) switched spots in the lineup here. It is unknown whether this is a permanent change or not.

Botero placed third at 121 as did No. 13 Max Stein at 152 and No. 11 Nicholas Singer at 172. No Lions finished lower than fifth and two of them did that, Mason Wagner (145) and No. 26 Chase Hontz (160).

Lake Highland secured one title out of four gold medal dances, with heavyweight, No. 8 Jacob Levy securing his second straight win over Effendian, 4-1, in sudden victory overtime. Levy lost his first two encounters with Effendian at Super 32 and Ironman but claimed victory at the Beast of the East.

Standing on the second spot of the podium for the Highlanders were Davis, honorable mention Charlie DeSena (145), and No. 6 Zeno Moore (152).

Lake Highland’s other four placers were all bronze medalists, No. 8 Jayce Paridon (139), No. 11 Lucas Boe (160), Kucharczk, and Alex Smith (215).

No. 17 St. Joseph Regional showed some of that oomph that led to them being ranked as a top five team in the country when the season began with a third-place finish above No. 6 Malvern Prep, Pennsylvania (4th) and No. 15 St. Edward, Ohio (6th).

The Green Knight’s put two wrestlers in the top position at their weights to equal Faith Christian in the title count. The victors were spread around to eleven different schools (there are only 13 weights in the PIAA format).

Shining brightest for St. Joe’s was No. 14 JoJo Burke, who replicated his run to the finals at PowerAde here, but this time, made the final move all the way to the top by upsetting No. 5 Justin Farnsworth (Malvern Prep), 13-4. No. 3 Burton claimed his second consecutive wall chart with a 6-1 win over No. 4 Asher Cunningham (State College, PA), a wrestler he pinned in the PowerAde finals, 5:15.

Four more Pennsylvania schools had a championship representative. Malvern Prep’s No. 20 Tyler Conroy used a 9-4 decision of No. 24 Casen Roark (Father Ryan, TN) for the 133lb glory.

No. 30 Bishop McDevitt landed fifth in the team race outpointing St. Edward, No. 23 Bethlehem Catholic, PA and No. 28 St. Peter’s Prep, NJ. No. 14 Lucas Lawler helped power that outcome with his 8-5 victory over FCA’s Jason Singer at 215.

No. 9 Eren Sement (Council Rock North) won his crown, 8-4 over DeSena at 145. DeSena, who beat Sement at Fargo, upset No. 16 Tyler Traves (Mountain View, VA), 2-1, in the semifinals.

Quakertown’s No. 6 Collin Gaj (160), who was a champion here as a sophomore then defaulted to sixth-place last year, got back on the top spot by downing No. 8 Benjamin Weader (Chantilly, VA), 10-1. Both grapplers are headed to Virginia Tech next year.

Ohio had two champs, No. 7 Karson Brown (St. Edward, 127) and Spire Academy’s honorable mention Ryan Kennedy (139).

Brown downed Joe Bachmann, who definitely looked out of sorts up in weight but still held his own, with an overtime takedown in the sudden victory frame, 4-1. Kennedy upset No. 24 Camden Baum of Bishop McDevitt, also in SV OT, 10-7. Kennedy pushed the pace hard in the third period resulting in stall calls and an eventual locked hands call that forced overtime. Kennedy had a bigger upset in the semis when he shocked Paridon, 6-3.

New Jersey’s Christian Brothers Academy saw No. 7 Paul Kenny improve upon his runner-up performance from a year ago with a 5-4 decision of No. 25 Johnathon McGinty (St. Joseph Regional). The tight margin here was opposite of Kenny’s easier 8-2 win over McGinty at the Catholic School Duals two weeks ago.

At 152 lbs, there was a battle of Beast of the East Champs with Brooke Point, Virginia’s Chase Van Hoven (No. 7 at 157) squaring off with Lake Highland Prep’s Moore. Van Hoven controlled this match from the outset, working his way to a 24-8 tech fall. Van Hoven, who also beat Moore at the Journeymen Fall Classic, placed second here last year.

Team Scores (Top 15):

1-Faith Christian Academy, PA 221

2-Lake Highland Prep, FL 199

3-St. Joseph Regional, NJ 150.5

4-Malvern Prep, PA 141

5-Bishop McDevitt, PA 136.5

6-St. Edward, OH 118.5

7-Christian Brothers Academy, NJ 96

8-Northfield Mount Hermon, MA 81.5

9-Bethlehem Catholic, PA 80.5

10-Ponaganset, RI 67.5

11-Connellsville, PA 67

12-Easton, PA 59.5

13-Camden Catholic, NJ 58

14-Council Rock South, PA 57.5

15-Quakertown, PA 53.5

Two teams in our top 35 who were out of the top 15:

19-St. Peter’s Prep, NJ 45.5

22-Notre Dame-Green Pond, PA 41.5

Finals

107-Jojo Burke Park Ridge, NJ (St. Joseph Regional) MD Justin Farnsworth Fort Washington, PA (Malvern Prep), 13-4

114-Freddy Bachmann North Wales, PA (Faith Christian Academy) DEC Liam Davis Orlando, FL (Lake Highland Prep), 3-0

121-Paul Kenny Bayville, NJ (Christian Brothers Academy) DEC Johnathon Mcginty Ridgewood, NJ (St. Joseph Regional), 5-4

127-Karson Brown Hinckley, OH (St. Edward) DEC Joe Bachmann North Wales, PA (Faith Christian Academy), 4-1 SV

133-Tyler Conroy West Chester, PA (Malvern Prep) DEC Casen Roark TN (Father Ryan High School), 9-4

139-Ryan Kennedy North Olmsted, OH (Spire Academy) DEC Camden Baum Dillsburg, PA (Bishop McDevitt-Harrisburg), 10-7 SV

145-Eren Sement Newtown, PA (Council Rock North) DEC Charlie Desena Orlando, FL (Lake Highland Prep), 8-4

152-Chase Van hoven Stafford, VA (Brooke Point) TF Zeno Moore Orlando, FL (Lake Highland Prep), 24-8 5:40

160-Collin Gaj Quakertown, PA (Quakertown) MD Benjamin Weader Centreville, VA (Chantilly), 10-1

172-Ryan Burton NY (St. Joseph Regional) DEC Asher Cunningham State College, PA (State College), 6-1

189-Adam Waters Stowe, PA (Faith Christian Academy) TF Vincenzo Lavalle East Hanover, NJ (Hanover Park), 19-4 3:34

215-Lucas Lawler Harrisburg, PA (Bishop McDevitt-Harrisburg) DEC Jason Singer Bally, PA (Faith Christian Academy), 8-5

285-Jacob Levy GA (Lake Highland Prep) DEC Mark Effendian Philadelphia, PA (Faith Christian Academy), 4-1 SV

3rd Place

107-Killian Coluccio Lacey Township, NJ (Lacey Township) MD Sean Kenny NJ (Christian Brothers Academy), 12-2

114-Max Tancini Collegeville, PA (Perkiomen Valley) DEC Charlie Esposito Pequannock Township, NJ (St. Joseph Regional), 1-0

121-Gauge Botero (Faith Christian Academy) DEC Nick Salamone Easton, PA (Easton), 4-1

127-Matthew O'neill Malvern, PA (Malvern Prep) DEC Greyson Music Annville, PA (Bishop McDevitt-Harrisburg), 10-3

133-Khimari Manns Lyndhurst, OH (St. Edward) M FOR Sammy Spaulding Runnemede, NJ (Camden Catholic)

139-Jayce Paridon Orlando, FL (Lake Highland Prep) DEC Kai Vielma Connellsville, PA (Connellsville), 8-3

145-Joseph Joyce harmony, RI (Ponaganset) F Tyler Traves Stafford, VA (Mountain View), 1:36

152-Maxwell Stein New Hope, PA (Faith Christian Academy) DEC Ryan Lawler Harrisburg, PA (Bishop McDevitt-Harrisburg), 1-0

160-Lucas Boe Orlando, FL (Lake Highland Prep) DEC Kage Jones Cherry Hill, NJ (Camden Catholic), 4-1 SV

172-Nicholas Singer Bally, PA (Faith Christian Academy) DEC Shane Mcfillin Bethlehem, PA (Bethlehem Catholic), 6-0

189-Robert Kucharczk Orlando, FL (Lake Highland Prep) DEC Tanner Hodgins Howell, NJ (Howell), 9-6

215-Alex Smith Orlando, FL (Lake Highland Prep) DEC Aiden Peterson Medina Ohio, OH (St. Edward), 7-3

285-Cristian Alvarez Woodcliff Lake, NJ (St. Joseph Regional) DEF James Bechter Dayton, OH (Northfield Mt. Hermon), 2-0 1:53

5th Place

107-Braiden Lotier Camp Hill, PA (Bishop McDevitt-Harrisburg) DEC Nico Emili Bethlehem, PA (Bethlehem Catholic), 4-1

114-Connor Whitely OH (St. Edward) DEC Robby Rodriguez North Bergen, NJ (St. Peter's Prep), 9-5

121-Ethan Timar North Royalton, OH (St. Edward) DEC Reef Dillard Bethlehem, PA (Bethlehem Catholic), 7-4

127-Colin Martin VA (Staunton River) DEC Colton Hagerty Washington Township, NJ (Washington Twp), 4-1

133-Bobby Duffy Milltown, NJ (Christian Brothers Academy) DEC Vincent Paino Emerson, NJ (St. Joseph Regional), 1-0

139-Pat Woloshyn Ivyland, PA (Council Rock South) MD Jason Torres PA (Malvern Prep), 12-2

145-Mason Wagner Souderton, PA (Faith Christian Academy) MD Reid Clausi Fairfield, NJ (West Essex), 17-4

152-Evan Petrovich Dunbar, PA (Connellsville) DEC Evan Boblits Hughesville, MD (St. Mary's Ryken), 5-2

160-Chase Hontz Royersford, PA (Faith Christian Academy) DEC Charlie Scanlan Bethlehem, PA (Bethlehem Catholic), 4-2

172-Dominic Sumpolec Bethlehem, PA (Notre Dame Green Pond) DEC Elliot Humphries Gill, MA (Northfield Mt. Hermon), 7-4 SV

189-Kaleb Jackson Teaneck, NJ (St. Joseph Regional) DEC Alex Reyes Holmdel, NJ (Holmdel), 4-2

215-Stosh Zalota Malvern, PA (Malvern Prep) F Tyler Palumbo Little Silver, NJ (Christian Brothers Academy), 2:33

285-Dante Donaldson Summit, NJ (The Hill School) F Jeff Gessner Holland, PA (Council Rock South), 2:31

7th Place

107-Tanner Tran TN (Father Ryan High School) F Thomas Boyce Fairless Hills, PA (Conwell-Egan Catholic), 3:55

114-Anthony Mason NJ (Southern Regional) F Kole Davidheiser Barto, PA (The Hill School), 1:35

121-Jack Baron Fort Washington, PA (Germantown Academy) M FOR Anthony Borrometi Saddle Brook, NJ (St. Peter's Prep)

127-Shai Sabag Fort Washington, PA (Germantown Academy) DEC Reid Yakes Tampa, FL (Jesuit High School - Tampa), 4-3

133-Gavin Green Fairfield, PA (Delone Catholic) DEC Tanner Berkenstock Easton, PA (Notre Dame Green Pond), 2-1

139-Benjamin Aguilar Stafford, VA (Brooke Point) M FOR Scottie Sari Stafford Township, NJ (Southern Regional)

145-Walker Turley Richmond, VA (St. Christopher's School) DEC Colby Houle CT (Northfield Mt. Hermon), 7-2

152-Holden Huhn Cincinnati, OH (Cincinnati La Salle) M FOR Griffin Laplante North Tonawanda, NY (St. Francis)

160-Max Nevlin Matawan, NJ (St. Peter's Prep) F David Perez Coventry, RI (Ponaganset), 4:46

172-Gavin Cole Holland, PA (Council Rock South) MD Colin Wooldridge Spring Valley, OH (Cincinnati La Salle), 15-2

189-Reese Spiro Amherst, NY (Northfield Mt. Hermon) F Carter Euker Collegeville, PA (Perkiomen Valley), 0:51

215-Zak Zindle Gloucester, MA (The Hill School) M FOR Dylan Greenstein Lynnfield, MA (Northfield Mt. Hermon)

285-Mark Feldman Paoli, PA (Malvern Prep) F Lance Clelland Richmond, VA (St. Christopher's School), 0:51