JORDAN - Two young teams took to the mat Friday night in an effort to prove themselves at Jordan-Elbridge Middle School, but one matured just a bit quicker than the other.
Glenn Gaston /Special to The Citizen
Jordan-Elbridge wrestler Colin Ennulate looks at the referee as Port Byron's Tyler Wellington goes for the pin. Wellington won the match by decision.
Jordan-Elbridge wrestler Colin Ennulate looks at the referee as Port Byron's Tyler Wellington goes for the pin. Wellington won the match by decision.
Port Byron used several close victories in the light and middleweight categories en route to a 42-24 victory over Jordan-Elbridge.
“I#'ve got a lot of first year wrestlers,” said Panther coach Tom Green. “They#'re coming around, they#'re working in there and tonight I expected a close match. A few of those matches could have gone the other way.”
Jordan-Elbridge had the disadvantage of wrestling several athletes up in the lighter weight classes - though all were close.
“I#'ve got a real good freshman group,” said Jordan-Elbridge coach Mike Osborne. “They just have to develop and it#'s going to take a lot of time. I think Port Byron is in the same boat; I think they just kept winning the close matches and I really think that that was the difference in the match.”
In the 112-pound weight class, the Eagles' Colin Ennulate avoided a pinfall in the first period and fought back from an 8-1 deficit in the third only to lose to Tyler Wellington, 8-6. In the next class, 119-pound Caleb Green won a back-and-forth match with Mike Nguyen by earning two points for a takedown to win 4-3. Nguyen and Ennulate were wrestling up.
Mitch Cooper won the 130 class for Jordan-Elbridge by pinning Matt Laury, setting up perhaps the most exciting match of the night.
The 135 class pitted Jordan-Elbridge's Eric Gross against Panther Eric Urwin.
The pair were tied at 7-7 late in the match, with Gross racking up points for a reversal and an escape.
The freshman held a 10-9 lead with only seconds left, but after a flurry of scoring Urwin scored the final three points on a near-fall and won 14-11.
After Port Byron#'s Rob Johnson won by forfeit in the 140 class, Christian Cobb put the match away by pinning Jordan-Elbridge#'s Jesse Dexter at 4:12 in hard-fought match.
With the score at 36-12 and just two bouts left, the Eagles couldn't make up the points but finished strong.
Clint Daniels and Matt McWethy both picked up pins to end the meet.
Daniels in defeated Demetri Milczakowskij at 160, and Dan Baldwin lost to McWethy in the 171 class.
“(The lightweights) are were our youth is'” Osborne said. “That's where all the tight, close matches were. Then we got up to where we had a little more experience than they did and we started winning the matches.”
“They#'re first-year guys, they're inexperienced wrestlers, and they just got themselves out of position and got caught,” Green said.
“They did well, they did some solid things when they were on the mat, they just did one wrong thing.”
Noah Adler picked up a win by forfeit in the 215-weight class, and Justin Quimby defeated Gage Thorpe in the 189 class by pinfall (:29) for the Panthers. For the Eagles, Mitch Alpha won by forfeit in the 96-pound class.
Both teams were dealt setbacks this year when they lost several wrestlers to moves or athletes deciding not to return, but Port Byron and Jordan-Elbridge are counting on their youngsters to pull them through.
Osborne is hoping that his team gains experience quickly to become contenders.
“We#'ve got a long road ahead of us,” he said. “I hope that in three years that this team develops into a championship-caliber team. We've done it in the past. We started with a group like this five or six years ago and we won the leagues back-to-back.”
Port Byron (3-0) wrestles today in the Red Creek Duals, while Jordan-Elbridge (1-7) and Marcellus grapple on Thursday.
Panthers 42
Eagles 24
“I#'ve got a lot of first year wrestlers,” said Panther coach Tom Green. “They#'re coming around, they#'re working in there and tonight I expected a close match. A few of those matches could have gone the other way.”
Jordan-Elbridge had the disadvantage of wrestling several athletes up in the lighter weight classes - though all were close.
“I#'ve got a real good freshman group,” said Jordan-Elbridge coach Mike Osborne. “They just have to develop and it#'s going to take a lot of time. I think Port Byron is in the same boat; I think they just kept winning the close matches and I really think that that was the difference in the match.”
In the 112-pound weight class, the Eagles' Colin Ennulate avoided a pinfall in the first period and fought back from an 8-1 deficit in the third only to lose to Tyler Wellington, 8-6. In the next class, 119-pound Caleb Green won a back-and-forth match with Mike Nguyen by earning two points for a takedown to win 4-3. Nguyen and Ennulate were wrestling up.
Mitch Cooper won the 130 class for Jordan-Elbridge by pinning Matt Laury, setting up perhaps the most exciting match of the night.
The 135 class pitted Jordan-Elbridge's Eric Gross against Panther Eric Urwin.
The pair were tied at 7-7 late in the match, with Gross racking up points for a reversal and an escape.
The freshman held a 10-9 lead with only seconds left, but after a flurry of scoring Urwin scored the final three points on a near-fall and won 14-11.
After Port Byron#'s Rob Johnson won by forfeit in the 140 class, Christian Cobb put the match away by pinning Jordan-Elbridge#'s Jesse Dexter at 4:12 in hard-fought match.
With the score at 36-12 and just two bouts left, the Eagles couldn't make up the points but finished strong.
Clint Daniels and Matt McWethy both picked up pins to end the meet.
Daniels in defeated Demetri Milczakowskij at 160, and Dan Baldwin lost to McWethy in the 171 class.
“(The lightweights) are were our youth is'” Osborne said. “That's where all the tight, close matches were. Then we got up to where we had a little more experience than they did and we started winning the matches.”
“They#'re first-year guys, they're inexperienced wrestlers, and they just got themselves out of position and got caught,” Green said.
“They did well, they did some solid things when they were on the mat, they just did one wrong thing.”
Noah Adler picked up a win by forfeit in the 215-weight class, and Justin Quimby defeated Gage Thorpe in the 189 class by pinfall (:29) for the Panthers. For the Eagles, Mitch Alpha won by forfeit in the 96-pound class.
Both teams were dealt setbacks this year when they lost several wrestlers to moves or athletes deciding not to return, but Port Byron and Jordan-Elbridge are counting on their youngsters to pull them through.
Osborne is hoping that his team gains experience quickly to become contenders.
“We#'ve got a long road ahead of us,” he said. “I hope that in three years that this team develops into a championship-caliber team. We've done it in the past. We started with a group like this five or six years ago and we won the leagues back-to-back.”
Port Byron (3-0) wrestles today in the Red Creek Duals, while Jordan-Elbridge (1-7) and Marcellus grapple on Thursday.
Panthers 42
Eagles 24
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