Elizabethtown, PA - No. 19 Messiah College dropped a close 22-19 decision to rival Elizabethtown on Friday.
In his win, junior Ben Kramer became the all-time leader in revearsals in Messiah's program history.
The Falcons battled back and forth against a tough E-Town opponent. The Blue Jays got out to a 13-4 lead after the fourth match-up, but Messiah did very well to come back and take the lead 19-16 with two bouts left to go.
“I know some guys battled through some physical adversity today,” said head coach
Bryan Brunk. “I am very proud of their effort.”
Sophomore
Jake English was one that helped the team get right back into it, wrestling the fifth bout at 157 lbs. He was able to get a big pin on his opponent Michael Lammer, at just 0:51, giving the team six points and getting to within three of E-Town.
Freshman
Josh Thomson continued his winning streak with a win against Julian Meaney. Thomson won with a pin at 4:48 that helped the team get the three point lead after the 184-pound bout.
Unfortunately
Travis Ebersole's opponent at 197 lbs. was Phillip Landis, ranked No. 9 in the nation for Division III wrestlers in that weight class. It was not one-sided though, as Ebersole wrestled well and fought hard. The bout ended with a four point deficit for Ebersole though, putting the match tied at 19.
It was another hard-fought match to end the night, with
Charles Jones and Jeremy Rieth at 285 lbs. It was so close that they needed extra time to decide who the winner would be. It would appear as though Rieth had a little more left in the tank, as he went on to finish out the win with a 3-1 decision.
“It was an exciting back-and-forth match,” said head coach
Bryan Brunk. “We wrestled with a lot of heart and gave ourselves a number of chances to win the dual.”
The team will have to bounce back quickly if they are to be ready for regionals, coming up in two weeks.
“We have two weeks until the regionals and that is what our whole season has been pointing to,” coach Brunk noted. “We have to figure some things out quickly if we are going to peak at the right time.”
The Falcons will face No. 16 The College of New Jersey tomorrow Feb. 16, in Ewing, N.J.
Elizabethtown 22, Messiah 19
125 Kyle McNulty (Elizabethtown) fall
Kurt Rodriguez, 2:15.
133
Kyle Coblentz (Messiah) maj. dec. Michael Henning, 13-2.
141 Jesse Meaney (Elizabethtown) maj. dec.
Alex Gosch, 9-0.
149 Colin Sheridan (Elizabethtown) dec.
Chris Williamson, 7-4.
157
Jake English (Messiah) fall Michael Lammer, 0:51.
165 William Herman (Elizabethtown) dec.
Ricardo Plummer, 10-4.
174
Ben Kramer (Messiah) dec. Ezekial Zimmer, 9-5.
184
Josh Thomson (Messiah) fall Julian Meaney, 4:48.
197 Phillip Landis (Elizabethtown) dec.
Travis Ebersole, 8-4.
285 Jeremy Rieth (Elizabethtown) dec.
Charles Jones (Messiah) 3-1 OT 1.
