GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah wrestling team concluded the Petrofes Invitational on Saturday afternoon with
Josiah Gehr (141 lbs.) and
Garret Cornell (157 lbs.) winning their respective weight classes and 11 total Falcons placing in the event. As a team the Falcons finished in second place with 138 team points only trailing Muhlenberg and their 147.5 points.
Rounding out the top five were Mount Union (137.5), Alvernia (135.5) and SUNY Cortland (132). McDaniel was the only other team to accumulate over 100 points, finishing the two-day tournament with 125.5 points, finishing in sixth place.
The Falcons will be back on the mats next weekend when they host Lock Haven, Clarion, and Stevens for a day full of duals. Messiah and Lock Haven will get the busy day started at 10:00 a.m. in Hitchcock Arena.
Gehr Wins 141 lbs. Bracket
Saturday opened with a semifinal match between Messiah teammates
Josiah Gehr and
Asa Brunk. Gehr claimed the semifinal match with a first-period fall in 2:43 and later in the morning claimed the 141 lbs. bracket with an 11-6 decision over Muhlenberg's Gregory Baum by a score of 11-6.
After falling to Gehr in the semifinals,
Asa Brunk earned a first-period fall of his own against Mount Union's Lukas Blaine in 1:43 to advance to the Third-Place Match. Brunk claimed the match due to a medical forfeit and finished the weekend in third place at 141 lbs., giving Messiah two of the top three spots at the weight class.
Three Falcons Place at 149
Jake Coniglio completed his battle through the consolation bracket at 149 lbs. to earn third place. The senior had to win six-straight matches across Friday and Saturday to claim his third-place finish. On Saturday, he picked up a 6-4 decision over Gettysburg's Eric Mougalian before winning by injury default against teammate
Camerin Deville and then topping another teammate,
Ike Bryner, by major decision (8-0) in the Third-Place Match.
Both
Camerin Deville and
Ike Bryner placed this weekend with Bryner earning fourth place and Deville taking sixth. Bryner started his Saturday with a tech fall over Jeovannie Martinez (McDaniel) by a 17-2 score and earning a fall against Muhlenberg's Chris Sockler in 4:12 before dropping the Third-Place Maatch to Coniglio.
Deville had his day cut short due to injury, having to leave his match early with Coniglio in the final seconds and forfeiting his Fifth-Place Match with Chris Sockler from Muhlenberg to take sixth on the weekend.
Falcons Go One-Two at 157
Garret Cornell and
Nick Barnhart finished first and second at 157 lbs. Cornell earned the title due to a medical forfeit. Barnhart earned his spot in the First-Place Match with a slim 2-1 decision against SUNY Cortland's Chandler Merwin in the semifinal match while Cornell won by disqualification against Alderson Broaddus' Jamar Williams. Both had stellar tournaments for the Falcons with only two of their matches needing the full seven minutes to be decided. The duo combined for five falls on the weekend.
Needles Finishes Runner-Up at 165
At 165 lbs.,
Zach Needles earned a thrilling 3-1 overtime victory over Mount Union's Chris Anderson in the semifinal to earn a spot in the First-Place Match. Once there, McDaniel's Alexander LaVeck proved to be too much, pinning him in the opening period. Despite the setback, Needles completed a strong weekend with a Runner-Up finish in the bracket.
Also at 165 lbs.,
Hunter Zacerous started his day by earning a fall over Steven Gazzillo (SUNY Cortland) late in the third period (6:36) of the fifth-round of the consolation bracket. After dropping the consolation semifinal, Zacerous earned a medical forfeit victory to claim fifth place for the weekend.
Urich Highlights Upper Weight Classes
Carter Urich finished his run through the consolation bracket with a third-place finish on Saturday. Urich earned a tight, 8-6 decision against Waynesburg's Rocky McGeary to advance to the consolation semifinal and a medical forfeit put him in the Third-Place Match. Once there, Urich disposed of Alvernia's Chase Smith by a 12-4 major decision to take home third place at 285 lbs.
Ryder Slaton also placed at 184 lbs., taking home fifth place. Slayton began his Saturday with a major decision over Kelvin Cupay (Gettysburg) by a 10-0 score. After a tough overtime loss in the consolation semifinal, Slayton earned a medical forfeit to finish the weekend in fifth place.
What's Up Next
The Falcons will be back in action next weekend when they host a handful of duals against Lock Haven, Clarion, and Stevens. The action begins in Hitchcock Arena at 10:00 a.m. against Lock Haven.
