- About
- |
- Schedules
- |
- Camps
- |
- Facilities
- |
- Directory
- |
- Visitor's Guide
- |
- Athletic Training
- |
- Aquatics
- |
- Resources
|
Messiah Splits Tri-Match At #19 King's On Snowy Saturday
Wilkes-Barre, PA — With a mid-Atlantic blizzard shutting down nearly all of Messiah’s athletic endeavors over the weekend, the Falcons wrestling team beat the storm, traveling to King’s College Friday afternoon for a tri-match Saturday. And while Messiah was unable to knock off the 19th-ranked hosts, the team did conclude its trip with a win, throttling Morrisville State College by a 36-9 score. “It was a good weekend of wrestling,” said Bryan Brunk, Messiah head coach. “We were just thankful that we got the opportunity. Friday afternoon, it was questionable if we’d wrestle at all this weekend.” Messiah (8-9) had its Friday evening home dual match with Johns Hopkins University cancelled due to the pending storm, and Brunk then elected to leave Friday afternoon to make the trip to King’s. It was a good decision, as nearly two feet of snow fell on Messiah’s campus overnight Friday. The storm kept the Falcons’ track teams and men’s and women’s basketball teams at home, but the wrestling team plowed on. Saturday’s tri-meet was originally scheduled as a quad, but Gettysburg College elected not to make the trip. Facing 19th-ranked King’s to open Saturday’s competition, Messiah kept things close throughout, but a injury default loss at heavyweight produced a 22-12 final — a score not indicative of how close the match actually was. The Falcons got on the board first as sophomore Danny Lethbridge came back from a one-point deficit at the start of the third period, utilizing an escape and a takedown for an eventual 5-4 win over the Monarchs’ Michael Tabasco at 125. Following a pair of decisions for the hosts, senior Domineak Commodore came up with perhaps the most exciting finish of the afternoon, defeating King’s Chris Puorro at the final buzzer in the 149-pound bout. Commodore got caught on his back with time winding down in the match, but fought for a reversal just before time expired, ekeing out an 8-7 win. “Dom showed a ton of heart in his match,” Brunk said. “He kept wrestling until the final whistle. It was really a great match.” Commodore’s match pulled Messiah within a 7-6 count in the team scoring, but sophomore Matt Cross dropped a 3-1 decision at 157, a match that Brunk described as a “close battle.” Senior Trent Zempel then claimed an 8-2 decision over the Monarchs’ Jerry Robbins at 165, and following a loss in the 174 bout, sophomore Tim Stewart carded a 9-4 decision at 184. With two matches left, Messiah only trailed by a 13-12 score. Sadly, the Falcons could not get on top. The Monarchs’ Peter Dwyer handed junior Pat Hogan a 3-0 defeat at 197, and when junior Zane Bachert was unable to finish his heavyweight bout against King’s Chris Rash, the final score was official. “It was a really good match against King’s,” Brunk said. “The final score was a little bit skewed, but I was pleased with how we wrestled. It was a back and forth battle. It was a good experience for us collectively.” Messiah showed no signs of disappointment going against Morrisville State in the second match of the day, knocking off the Mustangs by a 36-9 score. Following a loss by pin at 125, the Falcons rattled off eight straight victories, including a stretch of three consecutive pins from 165 to 184. Following a somewhat controversial, 3-2 loss to King’s Frankie Davis, senior Alex DeHart picked up a major decision over Morrisville State’s Brian Latham. Zempel then pinned his counterpart in 2:50, as did junior Michael Hojnacki at 174 (5:22) and freshman Travis Ebersole at 184 (3:46). Pat Hogan then racked up a major decision to put Messiah ahead by a 36-6 count following the 197 match, completing the Falcons’ dominant effort. “The team looked really good against Morrisville,” Brunk said. “We battled back after a tough loss to King’s, and our guys really battled in each match. That was good to see.” Messiah will return to the competitive mats next Friday, as the team will host Muhlenberg College in Brubaker Auditorium. Wrestling is slated to begin at 7 p.m. #19 King’s 22 over Messiah 12 Messiah 36 over Morrisville State College 9
|
