GRANTHAM, Pa. - The No. 17 Messiah wrestling team honored their seniors on Friday night, prior to handling the Elizabethtown Blue Jays by a 35-12 final score. Messiah claimed seven of the 10 bouts, with
Garret Cornell (141 lbs.),
Nick Barnhart (149 lbs.), and
Brian Shermeyer (174 lbs.) all picking up falls. The Falcons earned bonus points in all but two of their victories on the evening.
After dropping the opening bout, Messiah responded by winning the next seven weight classes to build an insurmountable 35-3 heading into the 197 lbs. match. Elizabethtown claimed the final two matches, but the Falcons earned the comfortable victory.
The Falcons have a quick turnaround, as they host No. 6 The College of New Jersey Lions on Saturday afternoon in Hitchcock Arena. The top-20 dual is set to begin at 12:00 p.m.
How it Happened
The Blue Jays struck first on Friday night with a high-scoring 11-9 decision at 125 lbs. Elizabethtown's Austin Jones finished on top in a closely contested opening bout.
Josiah Gehr got the Falcons back on track with a decisive 17-2 technical fall at 133 lbs. The Blue Jays' Josh McLaughlin earned the first points of the match with a takedown just over a minute into the opening period, but the tone of the match changed in the final seconds of the opening period. Gehr escaped and quickly took McLaughlin down to pick up a 3-2 lead. It was over from there, Gehr dominated the rest of the bout with nearfall points, takedowns, and an escape to earn the technical fall.
Back-to-back falls from Garrett Cornell and
Nick Barnhart followed for the Falcons at 141 lbs. and 149 lbs. as Messiah ballooned their lead to 17-3. Cornell controlled the pace in the first period with a takedown and a pair of nearfall points. After earning a reversal to start the second period, Cornell earned the fall in 3:39.
In the next match, Barnhart had to battle back against Elizabethtown's Josh Paisley to earn his victory. After trailing 4-1 at the end of the first period, Barnhart picked up a reversal in the second to close the gap to 5-3. In the third, Barnhart escaped to cut his deficit down to one at 5-4. A takedown put Barnhart in front for the first time in the match and he flipped Paisley to his back for the fall in 5:27.
At 157 lbs.,
Stephen Maloney controlled his match from start to finish, picking up a takedown in the first and a reversal in the second en route to a 5-0 decision.
Matt Pangle earned the second-straight decision for the Falcons, claiming a 9-2 decision at 165 lbs. to give the Falcons a 23-3 advantage. Pangle earned four takedowns in the match while allowing just two escapes in the solid decision.
Brian Shermeyer was clinical in the first period against the Blue Jays' Hunter Beaudet at 174 lbs. Shermeyer earned seven takedowns in the three-minute period and cut Beaudet loose six times to take a 14-6 lead after one period. One more takedown was all Shermeyer needed. The junior took down Beaudet just after the whistle to begin the second period and flipped Beaudet to his back for the pin in 3:26, the fastest fall of the night for the Falcons.
After a forfeit victory at 184 lbs. to
David Stevens, Messiah held a sizable 35-3 lead. The Blue Jays would eat into the lead slightly with a first-period fall at 197 lbs. and a decision at 285 lbs., Messiah would hold on for the 35-12 victory.
What's Up Next
The Falcons will conclude the regular season with a dual against No. 6 TCNJ on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons and Lions squared off earlier this season in the championship match of the Budd Whitehill Duals on Jan. 11. The Lions handled the Falcons to the tune of a 38-3 victory to claim the title.
Saturday's match is scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. in Hitchcock Arena and will be Messiah's final tune-up before NCAA Regionals. The Falcons will serve as the host to the Regionals as well on Feb. 28 and 29.
No. 16 Messiah defeats Elizabethtown - 35-12
125 - Austin Jones (Elizabethtown) decision (11-9) over
Sean Redington (Messiah)
133 -
Josiah Gehr (Messiah) technical fall (17-2) over Josh McLaughlin (Elizabethtown)
141 -
Garret Cornell (Messiah) fall (3:39) over Colton Rex (Elizabethtown)
149 -
Nick Barnhart (Messiah) fall (5:27) over Josh Paisley (Elizabethtown)
157 -
Stephen Maloney (Messiah) decision (5-0) over Brian Schneider (Elizabethtown)
165 -
Matt Pangle (Messiah) decision (9-2) over Kyle Bythell (Elizabethtown)
174 -
Brian Shermeyer (Messiah) fall (3:26) over Hunter Beaudet (Elizabethtown)
184 -
David Stevens (Messiah) wins by forfeit
197 - Tyler Phenegar (Elizabethtown) fall (1:34) over
Joe Embleton (Messiah)
285 - Keegan McCord (Elizabethtown) decision (6-0) over
Carter Urich (Messiah)
