HUGHESVILLE — Mifflinburg and Hughesville's meeting could have been the classic trap match for either team. The dynamic was set for both of the teams to fail miserably in the match that was a makeup because of a weather-related postponement with each squad trying to rebound from disappointing losses in the District 4 team tournament.
Even with many of the wrestlers already starting to focus on the individual tournaments that begin in less than two weeks, both teams looked reasonably sharp Monday night. The Wildcats, bounced backed from the bitter disappointment of a two-point loss to Line Mountain in the quarterfinals of the Duals on Saturday, getting key wins from Ryan Gessner and Dakota Noll, to knock off the Spartans, 36-28, in a Heartland Athletic Conference crossover match.
"This team recovered well (after Saturday's loss)," Mifflinburg coach Dave Murray said. "We talked today that there were some coaching moves that we could have made against Line Mountain and we told them that we would grow on that end. I didn't have much doubt that these guys would bounce back.
"They are a hard-nosed group and, man, are they relaxed. They are a confident group of boys."
Hughesville also lost to Line Mountain in the first round of the team tournament last Wednesday and was concerned about a Monday night match.
"We practiced on Saturday because we really had to," said coach Steve Budman, whose short-handed Spartans were forced to forfeit at 112 and 119 because of injuries. "Monday night and a makeup match, we just focused on having Senior Night tonight."
Neither team appeared to let down, despite the circumstances.
After Hughesville (8-7) picked up a fall in the opening bout at 145, the Wildcats ran off three straight wins. Jordan Catherman won a 7-1 decision over Jacob Fry at 152, and Gessner followed with a gutsy 4-2 victory over Kurt Hiller, getting the winning takedown with 40 seconds left in the third period to tie the match at 6-6.
Gessner surrendered a first-period takedown to Hiller but chose top to start the second period and used a bar-and-a-half to turn Hiller for a pair of backpoints.
"After the first takedown, I wanted to be on top in the second," Gessner said. "I was confident that I could turn the kid if I was on top."
In the third period, Gessner defended to two shots by Hiller and finished his second takedown attempt of the period to get the close win that tied the team score at 6-6.
"I just went hard the whole third period," said Gessner, who admitted he needed to shed a few pounds earlier in the day. "I knew I was the one who would get the takedown."
"His confidence just keeps growing and he is getting so much better as the year goes on," said Murray. "Wins like that can only help. He wanted it and he got it."
Sophomore Ty Walter handed Mifflinburg a 12-6 lead when he won his 19th consecutive match with a second-period fall over Connor Cosentine at 171. But Hughesville picked up a 12-4 major decision from veteran Ethan Showers at 189 and once-beaten Brad Poust pinned Mark DeFord with a second period half-nelson at 215 to grab a 16-12 lead.
Hughesville wouldn't win again until Tyler Snyder edged Zane Rowe, 6-3, at 130. In between, Mifflinburg's freshman heavyweight Nazar Mironenko hit a five-point move in the second period and handled Derek Earnest, 6-1, and Brendon Hicks used a half-nelson to stick Matt Heinrich in 1:31 for a 21-16 lead. Hughesville was forced to forfeit to David Sheesley (112) and Clark Wagner (119).
Still, the Spartans had an opportunity to pull out a victory with four bouts remaining. But Noll managed a first-period takedown against Ethan Barnes in the battle at 125, and added an escape and another takedown in the second period for a 5-0 lead. Barnes, trailing 5-1, converted a third period takedown but couldn't tilt Noll for backpoints.
"I just wanted to get my setups early in the match and find the right move for a takedown," Noll said of his match-clinching victory. "It was just a matter of fighting real hard in the third period. I had to have confidence and know that he couldn't turn me to my back. I wasn't thinking about clinching the win for the team, it was just about getting a win."
Hughesville managed to get wins in the last three bouts, picking up tight wins at 130 and 135. Tyler Snyder slipped past Zane Rowe, 6-3, at 130, with a pair of takedowns and, at 135, Mifflinburg's Alan Miller, couldn't sustain a 4-2 second period lead over state-ranked sophomore Kyle Barnes. The No. 13 Barnes cradled Miller early in the third period for three backpoints and a 7-4 win.
Devon Shannon earned Hughesville's last victory with a third period fall over Daniel Danowsky.
High School Sports
Related Photos
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Mifflinburg's Nazar Mironenko, top, picks up backpoints against Hughesville's Derek Earnest at 285 pounds on Monday. Mironenko decisioned Earnest, 6-1. Frank Dimon/For The Daily Item
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Frank Dimon/For The Daily ItemMifflinburg's Dakota Noll, left, lifts the leg of Hughesville's Ethan Barnes at 125 pounds Monday night. Noll edged Barnes, 5-3, to clinch the Wildcats' 36-28 victory. Frank Dimon/For The Daily Item
Mifflinburg bounces back from district disappointment
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