BETHLEHEM - There was a loud roar from the corner of Liberty’s Memorial Gymnasium Saturday evening, and that was a good thing for Pleasant Valley during the consolation finals of the District 11 3A wrestling tournament.

James Syracuse (189) was the lone Bear in contention during Saturday’s medal rounds, and he went out with a bang, pinning Whitehall’s Melquan Warren in 3:50 to take third place.

Syracuse is the first Pleasant Valley district medalist in recent memory, and the screams of joy resonated as a shining moment for the program looking to rebuild its brand.

“It’s a huge win, and that’s Jimmy Syracuse at his best,” said Pleasant Valley head coach Alex Depew of his senior. “It’s awesome for him to medal. He works so hard, he’s the captain of our team and everyone likes him. I’m really glad we were able to get one year with him. I just wish we could keep him longer.”

It was the second time both wrestlers met in the tournament, as Syracuse knocked off Warren 13-8 in the quarterfinals, and both times he used a cross face cradle to run away with the victory.

Instead of getting back points during Friday night’s action, Syracuse’s move paid off with a pin Saturday.

“I use that move a lot, and it’s really just getting a feel for it on someone,” said Syracuse. “Some guys know how to avoid it by sticking their arms out, and sometimes you can lock it up with that cross face. After 13 years of wrestling, it just feels nice to come out of districts with my first medal.”

While garnering his first district medal was a major achievement, there’s still plenty of room for improvement, as Syracuse saw during the semifinals when Sonny Sasso dumped him for a fall in 1:11.

“That match definitely didn’t go how I wanted it to go,” Syracuse said. “You learn from it and just move on. I had a match right away after that, so I couldn’t sit there and dwell on it. I knew I had to get back out there and wrestle.”

The focus now moves on to this weekend’s Northeast Regional 3A tournament back at Memorial Gymnasium, where the Bears hope Syracuse can make them roar again.

He’ll open the tournament against Dylan Clair of LaSalle in Friday’s round of 16, with the winner taking on second-seeded Bryce Molinaro of Hazleton.

“I’m not going to play sports after high school, so this weekend is going to be pretty big,” said Syracuse of his expectations for regionals. “I still have my goals for where I want to be this year, and it just continues at regionals.”

CHAMPS

... Nazareth came away with the team title Saturday night, outscoring Bethlehem Catholic 305.5-288.5. All 13 Blue Eagles advanced to regionals, as they crowned five champions. Bethlehem Catholic had the most champions with seven wrestlers coming away with gold medals, but the Hawks fell short in the team points by moving on 11 wrestlers to next week.

HONORED

... Northampton’s Seth Lisa was voted coach of the year, while fellow K-Kid Dagen Condomitti (152) was voted the Outstanding Wrestler after pinning all four of his opponents on the weekend.