Bald Eagle Area wrestling rallies for season-opening victory over Bellefonte
A new high school wrestling season is underway with a new set of scoring rules.
Takedowns are worth three points, and wrestlers can collect four points for nearfall.
Friday night saw Bellefonte and Bald Eagle Area tangle on the mat after being delayed a day due to Mother Nature.
The Eagles rallied for a 38-26 season-opening win over the cross-town rival Red Raiders.
“We’re young. Some of the kids are just getting their feet wet on the varsity level. I thought they fought,” Bald Eagle Area coach Ron Guenot said. “Bellefonte is tough through the middle and the upper weights. Our kids went out and battled. They didn’t give up easy points, that’s all you can ask for as a coach.”
The Eagles got the dual started off on the right foot by winning the first two bouts.
Freshman Easton Grimes collected a fall in 2 minutes, 49 seconds at 139 pounds to start things off. Dawson Lomison used a second-period reversal in topping Bellefonte’s Andrew Gall, 4-3.
Then, the Red Raiders took over the dual.
Ezra Swisher pinned Alex Surovec in 3:41 at 152 pounds. Noah Weaver followed by using the new scoring to his advantage by racking up a 17-0 technical fall in 3:33 to give Bellefonte an 11-9 lead.
Jackson Long kept things rolling with a fall in 4:40. Luke Hockenberry traded multiple reversals with Kyle Watson at 189 pounds in a 7-2 win.
Jack McHail received a forfeit at 215 to give the Red Raiders a 26-9 advantage. It was also the last win of the match for Bellefonte.
“Andrew Gall is a freshman, wrestled a pretty solid match against a veteran. The other guys, it was expected. They went out and did what they do,” Red Raiders coach Mike Maney said. “Our lineup is going to be a work in progress. It’s one dual meet. It’s in December. We just got to clean some things up.”
BEA reclaimed control of the match at 285 pounds as Gage Gardner piled up a 10-3 win over Logan Rarrick.
The Eagles got a pair of forfeits from Logan Burns and Tyler Corey to get within 26-24. Then came the pivotal match, according to Maney and Guenot, with BEA’s Liam Purcell facing off with Nolan Weaver.
The duo combined for nine first-period points with Weaver holding a 7-2 advantage at the period’s end. Purcell opened the second period by reversing Weaver and pinning him in 2:48.
“We got sloppy in positions, and that cost us. 121 was a match that could have went either way. We had control, and just got a little sloppy there,” Maney said.
Added Guenot: “That’s Liam, he just goes out and lets it fly. That kid had a similar style to Liam, which made it even crazier, but proud of him. He works hard, so pretty cool for him to get that fall. That was a huge momentum shifter for the dual meet.”
A couple of Guenot’s workhorses in Tanner Guenot and Caden Judice closed out the dual with victories.
Tanner Guenot needed an early third-period takedown for a 3-1 win. Judice tallied a 19-4 technical fall in 1:12.
“A lot of points (were scored) very quickly, and that’s the hard thing to get adjusted to. You can be down 7-0, just like that, and it’s just like, whoa. What happened?” coach Guenot said of the new scoring rules. “You really feel like you’re in a hole. I guess it’s just like anything else. We’ll grow and get used to it. I kind of like the three point takedown. I’m not sure about the four point backs (nearfall).”
Boys
Bald Eagle Area 38, Bellefonte 26
Friday at Wingate
139: Easton Grimes, BEA pinned Jan Rojas, 2:49
145: Dawson Lomison, BEA, dec. Andrew Gall, 4-3
152: Ezra Swisher, B, pinned Alex Surovec, 3:41
160: Noah Weaver, B, tech. fall Chayse Kellander, 17-0 (3:33)
172: Jackson Long, B, pinned Brody Gardner, 4:40
189: Luke Hockenberry, B, dec. Kyle Watson, 7-2
215: Jack McHail, B, won by forfeit
285: Gage Gardner, BEA, dec. Logan Rarrick, 10-3
107: Logan Burns, BEA, won by forfeit
114: Tyler Corey, BEA, won by forfeit
121: Liam Purcell, BEA, pinned Nolan Weaver, 2:48
127: Tanner Guenot, BEA, dec. Wyatt Long, 3-1
133: Caden Judice, BEA, tech. fall Jacob Horn, 19-4 (1:12)
Takedowns: B 9, BEA 9
JH: Bellefonte 45-34
Records: Bellefonte (0-1), Bald Eagle Area (1-0)
Next match: Bellefonte at at Gary Woodruff Memorial Duals, Wyalusing HS, 9 a.m.; Central Mountain at Bald Eagle Area, Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Girls
Bald Eagle Area 42, Bellefonte 18
Friday at Wingate
100: No match
106: Lily Spicer, BEA won by forfeit
113: Eden Eveleth, BEA, won by forfeit
118: Addison Tice, BEA, won by forfeit
124: Carly Bair, B, pinned Rebekah Guenot, 1:20
130: Victoria Shellenberger, B, won by forfeit
136: Ella Johnsonbaugh, B, won by forfeit
142: No match
148: No match
155: No match
170: Grace Crestani, BEA, pinned Bailey Scott, :48
190: Harley Spayd, BEA won by forfeit
235: Shaylin Harter, BEA, won by forfeit
Next match: Central Mountain at Bald Eagle Area, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
