GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah Wrestling team opened the season on Saturday at the annual Messiah Invitational. The Falcons finished fifth with 117.5 team points. Messiah collected seven podium finishes, highlighted by a first-place finish for
Keegan Demarest at 165 lbs. and second places finishes for
Levi Snyder and Nathan Kovalcik at 149 lbs. and 197 lbs., respectively.
The Falcons return to action on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 10:00 a.m. when they travel to Ursinus College for the Racich Rumble.
Podium Finishes
Keegan Demarest scored an early takedown in his opening bout at 165 lbs. before winning via medical forfeit. Demarest advanced to the quarterfinals after an 18-3 tech fall over Arcadia's Landen Taylor. Demarest collected four takedowns and six nearfall points to secure the spot in the quarterfinals. In his quarterfinal bout, Demarest earned the 21-5 tech fall over William Merkle of Johns Hopkins in 3:19 after six first period takedowns and a seventh to open the second period. Demarest earned a fall in 2:09 over Briar Ivey of Wisconsin Eau Claire to advance to the championship bout where he earned a 15-6 major decision over Noah Danforth of Washington and Lee to finish first.
At 149 lbs.,
Levi Snyder opened his day with a pair of tech falls to advance to the quarterfinals. In his first bout against Flynn Sullivan of Johns Hopkins, Snyder earned a 21-4 in 3:11. Snyder took a commanding 18-4 lead in the first period before an early takedown in the second gave him the tech fall. In his second bout, Snyder held a 6-1 lead over Sam Teti of Ursinus after the first period before an escape, a pair of takedowns, and four nearfall points in the second secured the 17-2 tech fall in 4:38. Snyder secured a spot in the semifinals after a 9-5 decision over Evan Owen of Washington and Lee and advanced to the championship bout after a medical forfeit by his opponent. A loss via 8-2 decision in the championship bout set Snyder in second place.
Nate Kovalcik opened his day at 197 lbs. with a pair of tech falls to advance to the semifinals. In his first bout of the day, Kovalcik earned a 20-4 tech fall over Arcadia's Aaron Kaufman in 2:07. In his second bout, Kovalcik battled with Jake Gross of Ursinus, leading 10-7 after the first period and 25-13 after the second. Kovalcik scored an early takedown in the third period for the 28-13 tech fall in 5:20. Kovalcik earned an 8-1 decision over McDaniel's Isaac Ogunlade to advance to the championship bout. Kovalcik finished second after dropping the championship bout to Ian Pepple of Wisconsin Eau Claire via fall in 4:01.
At 141 lbs.,
Jacob Cunningham opened his day with a pair of tech falls to advance into the quarterfinals. In his first match against Keegan Allan of Elizabethtown, Cunningham earned a first period tech fall after collecting seven takedowns in 2:13 to earn the 21-6 win. In his second bout, Cunningham took a 9-2 lead against Arcadia's Alex Castano before tallying 11 points in the second period to secure the 20-3 tech fall in 4:18. In his quarterfinal bout, Cunningham trailed Robert Pablek of Washington and Lee 1-0 after two periods but used an escape and takedown to earn the 4-1 decision and a place in the semifinals. Cunningham dropped his semifinal bout to Brockport's Nicolas Balella via 11-3 major decision and finished third after a no-contest in the third-place bout.
Dalton Monger opened his day at 157 lbs. with a fall over McDaniel's Austen Kuntz in 27 seconds. In his second bout, Monger secured his second fall of the day, defeating Brockport's Brandon Drummond in 2:17 to advance to the quarterfinals. Monger advanced to the semifinals after securing his third first period fall of the day, defeating Karl Dean of Liberty in 2:30. Monger fell to the quarterfinals after a loss via major decision against Elizabethtown's Zack Jaffe but earned a spot in the third-place bout with a fall in 25 seconds over Zev Koransky of Johns Hopkins. A fall in 3:31 over Liberty's Karl Dean earned Monger the third-place finish.
Shaun Quirk opened his day at 141 lbs. against Elizabethtown's Steven Perez. Perez earned the early takedown but a reversal from Quirk brought the score to 3-2 after the first period. Quirk took the lead in period two with a takedown and an escape and takedown in the third period gave him the 9-4 decision. Quirk advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Arcadia's Jackson Ratcliffe via 19-2 tech fall in 5:44. A takedown and three nearfall points gave Quirk a 6-1 lead after the first. He added three takedowns, a pair of escapes, and two bonus points to earn the 19-2 tech fall. A 17-1 tech fall over Calvin Singewald of Wisconsin Eau Claire in 5:38 secured Quirk a spot in the semifinals. Quirk dropped to the consolations after a loss via 9-0 major decision against Andrew Schaen of Ursinus and finished fifth after a no-contest in the fifth-place bout.
Ezra Masood opened his day at 184 lbs. with a fall in 2:02 over Anderson Garcia of Ursinus after leading 9-2. Masood advanced to the quarterfinals following a 7-5 decision over Liberty's Paul Moore. Moore led 3-1 after two periods before Masood tallied two takedowns in the third to earn the win. Masood then earned a place in the semifinals after a 4-1 overtime decision over Maxx Miller of Washington and Lee. After a 1-1 tie forced overtime, Masood earned the takedown just over a minute in to advance. Masood dropped to the consolations after losing via fall to Zak McPhee in the semifinals and finished sixth after medically forfeiting the remainder of his matches.
Other Action on the Mats
At 125 lbs,
Austin Jeffrey opened his day with a fall over Ricky Dixon of McDaniel in 4:49. Jeffrey held a 7-4 lead after the first period with an escape and pair of takedowns before he opened the second period with a reversal. He capitalized on a takedown to earn the fall and advance. Jeffrey fell to the consolation bracket after Brockport's Robert Armstrong earned the fall in Jeffrey's second bout of the day. In the consolations, Jeffrey dropped a close battle with Macauley Fuld of Johns Hopkins 5-4 to end his day.
Chris Brooks opened his day at 125 lbs. against Arcadia's Gregory Schaefer, dropping his bout via tech fall in 5:39 to drop to the consolation bracket. In his first consolation bout, Brooks earned a 20-2 tech fall over Liberty's Angelo Battista in 6:40. Brooks took a 6-2 lead in the first period before adding eight nearfall points in the second. An escape, takedown, and four nearfall points in the third gave Brooks the win. Brooks saw his day come to an end in his next bout after a battle with Cael Stewart of Brockport tipped in Stewart's favor 11-10 to end the day for Brooks. At 125 lbs.,
Jacob Vile dropped his opening bout to Elizabethtown's Hunter Pettorossi via 5-1 decision to drop to the consolation bracket. Vile faced Gabe Tulone of Ursinus in the consolations, where he took a 1-0 lead with a penalty point. Tulone used an escape and riding time point to earn the 2-1 decision and end Vile's day.
Ezra Swartley trailed Arcadia's Daniel Mallitz in his opening bout at 133 lbs., 8-5 after the first period. He worked to battle back, earning a takedown in the second and an escape in the third but it wasn't enough as he dropped the bout 12-9 to drop to the consolation bracket. Swartley opened his time in the consolations with a 14-4 major decision over Elizabethtown's Febian Dawit before securing an 8-1 decision over Neil Sharma of McDaniel. After leading Nicolas Brockson of Ursinus 12-1, Swartley capitalized on his position and earned the fall in 4:38. In his final match of the day, Swartley lost via tech fall to Travis Moelter of Wisconsin Eau Claire in 5:20. At 133 lbs.,
Matthew Casey dropped his first bout of the day against Wyatt Unser of Wisconsin Eau Claire via tech fall to drop to the consolations. Casey's day came to a close in the consolations when he dropped his second bout via 15-4 major decision against Nicolas Brockson of Ursinus.
Micah Lozano dropped his opening bout at 141 lbs. via tech fall against Garrett VerHeecke of Wisconsin Eau-Claire to drop to the consolation bracket. In the consolations, Lozano earned a 9-7 decision over Dylan Vallone of Ursinus before a loss via fall against Max Aspel of Johns Hopkins ended his day.
Deshawn Jones battled Evan Shriberg of Ursinus in his opening bout, trailing 4-0 after the second period. Jones battled back in the third, outscoring Shriberg 5-1 to force overtime. A takedown from Shriberg in the first overtime forced Jones into the consolations. Jones earned a 13-2 major decision over Elizabethtown's Matthew Sommer before earning a 7-3 decision over Aidan Laird of Wheaton. After a medical forfeit by his opponent, Jones advanced after a 4-1 decision over Wheaton's Jake Topartzer. Jones' day came to a close with a loss via 6-4 decision to Freddy Pimental of Johns Hopkins.
At 149 lbs.,
Landen Pangborn opened his day against Wheaton's Jake Topartzer, dropping the bout via tech fall in 4:43 to fall to the consolation bracket. Â Pangborn battled Elizabethtown's Stephen Bialek through three periods, tied 11-11 and forced into overtime. A takedown for Bialek gave him the win and ended Pangborn's day.
Jackson Green opened his day at 149 lbs. against Wheaton's Aidan Laird. Green trailed 12-0 after the first two periods before collecting eight nearfall points in the period. A late reversal from Laird earned him the 14-8 decision as Green dropped to the consolations. Green dropped his consolation bout to Braxton Stewart of Arcadia via fall to end his day.
Jayden Rooney opened his day at 157 lbs. against Brockport's Mason Mangialino. Mangialino led 3-0 after a first period takedown but an escape and takedown in period two gave Rooney the 4-3 decision. Rooney then picked up a first period fall over Arcadia's Josiah Thomas in 2:27 to advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, Rooney fell to Finn Bloomquist of Wisconsin Eau Claire via 7-0 decision before ending his day in the consolations with a loss via 6-3 decision to teammate Craig.
Mikey Hollar battled Elizabethtown's Kevin Gierej to open his day in the 157 lbs. weight class. Hollar led 6-1 after a pair of first period takedowns and extended his lead to 9-2 in the second. An escape and pair of takedowns in the third gave Hollar the 16-3 major decision. After leading Joshua Di Giulio of Ursinus 3-0, Hollar secured the fall in 4:34 to advance to the quarterfinals. After dropping his quarterfinal bout to Washington and Lee's Liam Flanagan, Hollar ended his day with a medical forfeit in the consolations.
At 157 lbs.,
Justin Craig earned an 11-5 decision to open his day against Liberty's Justin Root. Craig led 6-1 after a pair of first period takedowns before holding an 8-4 lead after the second period. A takedown in the third gave Craig the 11-5 decision. After losing via third period fall to Braden Kmak of Ursinus, Craig earned a 6-4 decision over McDaniel's Chase Ullman to continue his day in the consolations. Craig's day continued after a 14-4 major decision over Jordan Blaise of Washington and Lee and a 6-3 decision over teammate Rooney. In his final bout of the day, Craig lost via 4-2 decision to Zev Koransky of Johns Hopkins.
Garet Fowler opened his day at 157 lbs. with a 24-4 tech fall over Liberty's Chase Knuckles. Fowler earned the early takedown before an escape and takedown gave Knuckles an early 4-3 advantage. After an escape, Fowler earned the takedown and tallied 10 nearfall points to take the lead back at 17-4. A takedown and four nearfall points in the second gave him the 24-4 tech fall. Fowler then dropped to the consolations following a fall against Washington and Lee's Liam Flanagan and ended his day with a loss via technical fall against Liberty's Justin Root in 4:07.
At 165 lbs.,
Alex Riehl opened his day against Brockport's Dylan Forant, dropping the bout via tech fall in 6:29 to fall to the consolations. Riehl earned the fall over Brockport's Kevin Regan in 2:05 before advancing via medical forfeit. In his next bout, Riehl secured a fall in 2:54 over Joseph Martini of Ursinus after capitalizing on a reversal before ending his day in the next round with a loss via fall to Brockport's Max Morrison.
Drew Kozubal opened his day at 174 lbs. with a loss via major decision to Raul Rodriguez of Johns Hopkins to move to the consolations. Kozubal advanced in the consolations following an 11-4 decision over Arcadia's Jagger Gray and a 13-9 decision over Brockport's Jake Zeigler. He then secured a 15-5 major decision over Wheaton's Hunter Feagan after taking a 10-1 lead in the first period. Kozubal's day came to a close via fall against Liberty's Crew Farrell.
Caden Shearer tallied a pair of takedowns, a pair of reversals, and a pair of penalty points to open his day with a 10-6 decision over Dillon Heffernan of Johns Hopkins to advance to the quarterfinals in the 174 lbs. weight class. Shearer dropped to the consolations after a loss via fall against Elizabethtown's Justice Hockenberry-Folk. In his first bout of consolations, Shearer dropped a close 2-1 decision to Tristan Drier of Wisconsin Eau Claire to end his day.
Sladen Wolf dropped his first bout at 174 lbs. via technical fall against Washington and Lee's Jacob Hills to drop to the consolation bracket. He dropped his consolation bout via 7-2 decision to Brockport's Elijah Bonet to end his day.
Sergio Garcia advanced to the quarterfinals in the 184 lbs. weight class after a 4-0 decision over Clark Carey of Liberty in his first bout. The pair were tied 0-0 after two periods before Garcia secured an escape with just under a minute remaining and a takedown in the final seconds to earn the 4-0 decision. Garcia dropped to the consolations after a loss via 5-1 decision to Jacob Wright of Washington and Lee before winning his first consolation bout via 4-1 decision over Elizabethtown's Johnny Mauer. Garcia's day came to a close with a loss via 4-3 decision to Liberty's Paul Moore.
Tim Rambo dropped his opening bout in the 197 lbs. weight class via fall to Elizabethtown's Gavin Wagner before securing a fall in 4:27 over Jesse Rappazzo of Wheaton to open his time in the consolation bracket. Rambo's day came to a close with a loss via 8-3 decision against Jake Gross of Ursinus.
Elijah Farr dropped his opening bout at 285 lbs. via 8-5 decision to Brody Perry of Wisconsin Eau Claire. Farr trailed 5-4 heading into the final period and tied it with an escape. Perry was able to secure a takedown to earn the win and send Farr to the consolations. Farr matched up with Elizabethtown's Ksawery Niewadomy, who earned the tech fall in 6:15 to end Farr's day.
Kaleb Britting earned an 11-5 decision over Liberty's Jackson Bowden to open his day at 285 lbs. before medically forfeiting the remainder of his matches.
Up Next
The Falcons return to action on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 10:00 a.m. when they travel to Ursinus College for the Racich Rumble.
