by Ryan Mosher
BCS wrestler Max Fischer continued his stellar senior season this weekend at the Maple Hill Invitational where he finished in fourth place to lead the Mountaineers. Berlin had just seven wrestlers competing in the event, so they were counting on their veterans, namely Fischer and Billy Scully. Scully started out very strongly in the 130 pound weight class, beating Cole Alesarian from Rensselaer 7-4. As Scully’s match was ending, teammate Kelsey Longhi was just beginning his first match on the next mat over. Longhi wasted no time with his Greenville opponent, taking him down and then pinning him just 1:17 into the match. Fischer received a bye in the first round and did not have to wrestle.
In the second round Scully faced off against a Catskill wrestler. Scully built up an 11-4 lead heading into the final period but would not need the points as he pinned his opponent with just :38 remaining in the match. That win would propel him into the semi-finals.
Fischer finally took the mat against Tamarac’s Matt Gras in the quarterfinal round. In the first period Fischer scored on a takedown to lead 2-0 but could not register any other points in the first. In the second period he scored just one point on an escape. Despite leading 3-0 entering the final two minutes, it was a very even match. In those final two minutes Fischer recorded five near fall points to seal the win, 8-0. He, too, would move on to the semifinals.
Scully’s luck would run out in the semifinals as he was pinned midway through the second period by the eventual tournament champion from Schuylerville. Fischer’s semifinal match put him up against Quin Schulerud of Ichabod Crane. After Fischer took Schulerud down, the two battled for control for the entire first period. At the end of that period, a scoring discrepancy led to a several minute delay while the official tried to sort it out. It seemed that all three score keepers had different takes on what the score actually was. When all was said and done, Fischer was leading 8-4. In the second period Schulerud scored three near fall points to make the score 7-8. In the final two minutes he scored a reversal to take over the lead and hold on for the 9-8 victory. With that loss Fischer was sent to the consolation bracket semifinals.
In that round, Fischer took a commanding 7-2 lead before pinning his Albany High School opponent just :25 into the second period. Now Fischer would once again face off against Gras from Tamarac, this time with third place on the line. Once again the two wrestlers battled evenly for much of the match. In the final period, Gras managed to score one point to take the match, 7-6, and third place. After the tournament Fischer’s record for the year was 13-4.