Bellwood-Antis wrestlers and head coach Ron Wilson knew going in that they were giving up 24 forfeit points to visiting Huntingdon. Little did they Blue Devils suspect that those 24 points would determine the winner.
Bellwood-Antis, renewing a series with the Bearcats that had stopped in****, wrestled Huntingdon even on the mat, but fell 49-25 by the points given up in those four weight classes they had to forfeit.
After Huntingdon wrestler Chris Banks opened the match with a pin over Ron Colyer (4-12) at 152, to take a 6-0 lead, Mike Thomas got half of that back when he decisioned Tim Cousins 6-2. Thomas (10-7) scored on a first-period takedown for the early lead, then when Cousins closed to within 3-2, the B-A senior escaped and registered another takedown to insure the win
At 171, Dwayne Cherry (10-12) came on hard in the third period with a reversal, escape, takedown and two back points, but fell one point short to Neil Hood in an 8-7 thriller.
Huntingdon picked up forfeits at 189, and 215. At 275, Bearcat senior Damien Gresko, back after missing all of the football season and nearly all of the wrestling season as well, due to a knee injury suffered at a college camp during the summer, pinned ninth grader Tyler Narehood (11-11) in 0:56. Gresko is 6-0 since coming back-all first-period falls. Gresko has a full scholarship to play football at division I Rhode Island University and is a three-sport star at Huntingdon, playing baseball in addition to football and wrestling.
A forfeit at 103, lifted the Huntingdon advantage to 33-3 before Bellwood-Antis staged a comeback attempt.
At 112, Brandon Beech (6-10) registered six takedowns and six nearfall points to major Stephan Brown 18-4. Beech, winning for the third time in four matches, took Brown, a senior who will become a Marine following graduation down twice in each period and added an escape and nearfall in the middle stanza and a nearfall in the final period for the four-team point win.
Eli Colyer made quick work of Stephen Brown’s brother, junior Philip Brown at 119. Colyer (15-6) opened with w quick takedown and turned Brown to his back twice in succession. Once for three nearfall points and the second time for the fall in 1:28. The B-S sophomore has now won 10 of his last 12 matches.
Will Edwards (13-2) had a 5-0 lead when he worked Eric Harlow over for the pin in 3:26 to cut the team score to 33-19. Edwards won for the 10th time in 11 matches by jumping out to a first-period takedown and second-period penalty point and takedown before turning Harlow for the pin.
Tim Brown, the third of the three Huntingdon brothers won an 18-4 major decision over Dustin Harris (3-16). Brown built up a 13-1 advantage after two periods, before Harris notched an escape and takedown to keep the Bearcats from getting more than one bonus point for the major decision.
Josh Ervine (16-5) picked up the final B-A points of the evening with a third-period pin of Dustin Banks at 135. Ervine put five first-period points on the scoreboard and seemed to be coasting until Banks caught the Blue Devil sophomore on his back for three points to narrow the lead to 5-3. Ervine reversed Banks in the second period to lead 7-3 after two periods, then reversed and turned him for the fall in 4:29.
Chris Meyers closed out the match for Huntingdon with a fall over Liam Flynn (1-13).
“We showed a good effort tonight,” said Bellwood-Antis coach Ron Wilson. “We wrestled aggressively. We were down 24 points before the match began and when the match was over, that was the margin on the scoreboard. Our kids are improving for the most part, doing things better that at the start of the season. We got some bonus points that we haven’t been gotten in a while. We just need to avoid giving them up as much as we do. Consistency is a key and with a young team, that is very hard to maintain. I’m not displeased with the effort of our kids. Hopefully this will lead to good things somewhere down the road.”
Bellwood-Antis (2-11) will travel to Tyrone for a match Saturday at 9 a.m. and then return home for a match at Bellwood against Portage at 1 p.m. on Saturday, to finish the regular season.
Junior High
Huntingdon won the junior high match 57-39 over the Little Blue Devils. Huntingdon jumped out to leads of 21-3 and 27-9 before Bellwood-Antis won five of the next six weights to draw into a 33-33 deadlock. Trey Mock (85), Tim Collier (90) and Ricky Shawley (105) pinned their foes and Joe DelMastro (100) picked up a forfeit to tie the score. The Blue Devils managed just one more win however, a fall by Dan Pielmeier to end the match, with Huntingdon taking five straight wins in between.
Jabree Cruz, Jimmy Watters, Ben Martinez and Tyler McCracken won exhibition matches.
Varsity
Huntingdon 49 Bellwood-Antis 25
152 – Chris banks (H) pinned Ron Colyer 3:27
160 – Mike Thomas (BA) dec. Tim Cousins 6-2
171 – Neil Hood (H) dec. Dwayne Cherry 8-7
189 – Brad Hollenbaugh (H) won by forfeit
215 – Brandon VanBuskirk (H) won by forfeit
275 – Damien Gresko (H) pinned Tyler Narehood 0:56
103 – Vance Meyers (H) won by forfeit
112 – Brandon Beech maj. dec. Stephen Brown 18-4
119 – Eli Colyer (BA) pinned Philip Brown 1:28
125 – Will Edwards (BA) pinned Eric Harlow 3:26
130 – Tim Brown (H) maj. dec. Dustin Harris 18-4
135 – Josh Ervine (BA) pinned Dustin Banks 4:29
140 – Chris Meyers (H) pinned Liam Flynn 0:16.
Junior High
Huntingdon 57 Bellwood-Antis 39
155 – Jason Everhart (H) pinned Chad Schiling 0:35
165 – Jason Kylor (H) dec. Boe Latchford 1-0
185 – Andy Martinez dec. Ryan Everhart 2-0 OT
210 – Matt Motter (H) pinned Caleb Stephens 2”18
250 – Ben Speckler (H) pinned Cody Smith
75 – Tyler McCracken (BA) won by forfeit
80 – Cody Bishop (H) won by forfeit
85 – Trey Mock (BA) pinned Mark Smyers 4:11
90 – Tim Collier (BA) pinned Jesse Runk 0:31
95 – Pete Mykut (H) pinned Don Partner 1:29
100 – Joe DelMastro (BA) won by forfeit
105 – Ricky Shawley (BA) pinned Jordan Dotter 0:56
110 – London Yingling (H) pinned Dustin Pruznak 2:17
115 – Jon Morningstar (H) pinned T. J. Byers 2:45
122 – Kendrick Trice (H) pinned Ron Wilson 0:53
130 – Kylor Thompson (H) dec. Ricky Tilley 6-0
138 – David Towns (H) dec. Garrett Wyland 11-4
145 – Dan Pielmeier (BA) pinned Brian Bliss 2:03
Exhibition
122 – Jabree Cruz (BA) pinned Darren Kanagy 0:44
130 – Jimmy Watters (BA) pinned Kory Knable 0:37
185 – Ben Martinez (BA) dec. Jacob Hetrick 4-0
80 – Tyler McCracken (BA) dec. Cody Bishop 7-2
145 – Brian Bliss (H) pinned Timmy Woomer 0:48.
