THE FACTS
Messiah (1-3) 31, Gettysburg (1-1) 15
What: Non-conference wrestling match
When: Friday, Dec. 8
Where: Grantham, Pa.
THE SKINNY STORY
Messiah won four straight matches to break an early back-and-forth affair with Gettysburg and help notch a 31-15 victory.
THE LEADERS
•
Phil Nave (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township) led the Bullets with a 44-second pin.
•
Luke Kowalski (Derwood, Md./St. John's College) added a first-period fall at 141.
FOR THE FOES
• Austin Brass led the Falcons with a first-period pin at 174.
THE REST OF THE STORY
•
Antonio Abate (Northvale, N.J./Don Bosco Prep) staked Gettysburg to a 3-0 lead in the match, earning a late takedown for a 12-9 victory at 125. Caidan Heller countered with a sudden-victory takedown for a 6-3 win at 133, tying the match at 3-all.
•
Luke Kowalski continued the alternating wins and losses with a fall in 2:00 at 141 but Noah Rice wasted no time once again drawing the match even, notching a fall midway through the second period to tie the match at 9-all.
• Garret Cornell, however, started a run of four straight wins to secure the victory for the Falcons, grabbing a 14-10 win at 157. Zach Needles added a forfeit win at 165 and Austin Brass stretched the lead to 24-9 with a 1-minute, 42-second fall. Ryder Slayton secured the victory with a 14-1 major decision at 184.
•
Phil Nave broke up the run with a pin at 197, grabbing an early takedown and turning it into six points. Hayden Benner and
Simon Taylor (Alexandria, Va./Woodberry Forest School) were locked up in a battle at heavyweight. Taylor earned a second-period escape and Benner earned an escape in the third period for the only points of regulation. Neither wrestler could take advantage of the first sudden victory period and Benner finally prevailed in the first tiebreaker period, 3-2.
THE INSIDE STORY
Messiah 31, Gettysburg 15
125: Antonio Abate (G) dec. Tyler Ratledge 12-9;
133: Caiden Heller (M) dec.
Brendan Callahan 6-3 (SV1);
141: Luke Kowalski (G) pinned Asa Brunk 2:00;
149: Noah Rice (M) pinned
Ethan Composto 4:52;
157: Garret Cornell (M) dec.
Gavin Pascoe 14-10;
165: Zach Needles (M) won by forfeit;
174: Austin Brass (M) pinned
Graham Chandler 1:42;
184: Ryder Slayton (M) maj. dec.
James Doliscar 14-1;
197: Phil Nave (G) pinned Sawyer Dereszynski 0:44;
285: Hayden Benner (M) dec.
Simon Taylor 3-2 (TB1).
NEXT UP
Gettysburg returns to action at Elizabethtown on Saturday, Jan. 6. Match time is 1 p.m.
