Middletown, CT — A good start and an even stronger finish helped Messiah rally past Wesleyan University by a 24-14 score Saturday, earning the Falcons' third dual match victory in just four outings on the season.
Despite a nearly five-hour bus ride to the Cardinals' Bacon Field House, it was Messiah (3-1) that displayed the most toughness throughout the day, winning the event's final four matches — including two by fall — to roar back from a 14-6 deficit en route to the win.
“This was a great win for us,” said Messiah head coach Bryan Brunk. “We showed a lot of heart today, and were able to come up with wins in some very hard-fought matches. We got down and kept fighting, and that is a trait that we always want in our program.”
Things got off to a solid start for Messiah — ranked 19th in the latest Brute-Adidas/National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Top 30 Poll — as freshman Ricardo Plummer used an early takedown to hold off the Cardinals' Kyle Roosa at 174 pounds, winning by a 3-2 tally. Injuries then forced Brunk into a plethora of lineup changes, as normal backup 174-pound junior Davin Okerblom was inserted into the 184-pound bout. And while Okerblom couldn't get anything going in a 7-2 loss to Wesleyan's Jefferson Ajayi, junior and normal 184-pound starter Tim Stewart found more success in a move to 197: Despite giving up weight, Stewat carded a 4-2 decision over WU's Luke Erickson, putting Messiah ahead by a 6-3 tally on the team scoreboard.
“We had some injuries at 197 (-pounds), so we had to do some funny stuff with our lineup,” Brunk said. “(In the 197-pound match), we bumped up our normal 184-pounder Tim Stewart, and Timmy was awesome. He was giving up weight but absolutely dominated his opponent. He used a first-period takedown and just built momentum from there.”
Collectively, the Falcons couldn't build much mojo over the next three matches, as senior Pat Hogan failed to hang onto a 1-1 tie in the ensuing heavyweight bout, being taken down with just 20 seconds remaining.
With the team score tied at 6-6, Wesleyan (0-1) rattled off a pair of major decisions at both 125 and 133, capturing a 14-6 lead and putting Messiah in a win-or-go-home state.
“(Sophomore) Spencer Alexander lost in a wild match where takedowns were exchanged back and forth,” Brunk said. “In a couple different scrambles, Spencer got outmuscled and ended up on his back and those back points proved to be the difference. But it was a lot closer match than a major decision for sure. That was kind of a down turn for us, though, and it continued at 133. It wasn't looking good.”
Another injury — this one to usual 141-pound starter sophomore Ty Kanouff — kept things ominous, but backup sophomore Josh Bressler helped turn the tide: The Odenton, Md. native outworked Wesleyan's Nick Scott, winning a 9-4 decision and pulling the Falcons back to a manageable, 9-14 deficit.
“Josh was awesome,” Brunk said. “He worked for the fall from every position, had his opponent on his back two different times, and really started the ball rolling to turn momentum our way.”
If Bressler started it, sophomore Chris Hardenberg, senior Mike Bressler and junior Matt Cross were there to finish it.
After Hardenberg secured an early takedown against the Cardinals' Greg Faxon at 149, Brunk instructed Hardenberg to let his opponent up after not being able to turn him.
The decision nearly backfired, as Hardenberg was immediately taken down himself, falling behind 3-2 and putting his match in jeopardy.
“I felt horrible,” Brunk said.
Fortunately, Hardenberg wasn't finished.
In a scramble in the second period, Hardenberg caught Faxon in a high position, hunted for his head and put him on his back, earning the fall at the 2:31 mark — and giving Messiah a 15-14 lead with two matches to go.
“At that point we knew that all the momentum was going with us,” Brunk said.
Mike Bressler continued it in the 157-pound card, putting the Cardinals' Howard Tobochnik on his back early for a 5-0 lead, and an eventual 11-9 win.
“Tobochnik fought back and showed a lot of heart,” Brunk said. “I was really impressed with the kid.”
Cross then finished things off with a pin over Wesleyan's Alex Cannon in the 165-pound weight class, putting his opponent on the mat in just 1:02.
Messiah will now remain idle through the holiday break, returning to the competitive mat Jan. 7 when the team hosts Centenary College in Brubaker Auditorium. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
“I think we're pretty pleased with where we're at heading into the Christmas break,” Brunk said. “We've shown that we have good depth throughout the lineup, and this layoff will help heal some nagging injuries. Today was another good day for us as a program.”
#19 Messiah 24 over Wesleyan 14
174: Ricardo Plummer (MC) dec. Kyle Roosa (WU): 3-2 (3-0)
184: Jefferson Ajayi (WU) dec. Davin Okerblom (MC): 7-2 (3-3)
197: Tim Stewart (MC) dec. Luke Erickson (WU): 4-2 (6-3)
285: Dave Amrhein (WU) dec. Pat Hogan (MC): 2-1 (6-6)
125: Chris Alvanos (WU) maj. dec. Spencer Alexander (MC): 20-9 (6-10)
133: Maika Nagata (WU) maj. dec. Matt DelGallo (MC): 23-10 (6-14)
141: Josh Bressler (MC) dec. Nick Scott (WU): 9-4 (9-14)
149: Chris Hardenberg (MC) pinned Greg Faxon (WU): 2:31 (15-14)
157: Mike Bressler (MC) dec. Howard Tobochnik (WU): 11-9 (18-14)
165: Matt Cross (MC) pinned Alex Cannon (WU): 1:02 (24-14)
