by Ryan Mosher
In a battle between two of the top Wasaren League wrestling teams on Thursday night, January 5, it came down to the final few matches to decide a winner. With the help of one big upset, the Panthers were able to hold on for a 48-30 win.
The evening started out with three straight Hoosick Falls wins. Tyler Randall won his match 7-5, to start, followed by Colby Davendonis winning with a pin in the third period of his match. The next match proved to be one of the biggest of the night. Mike Matatt of Hoosick Falls took the mat against Nathaniel Palmer of Granville, who entered the match undefeated at 20-0. Matatt led into the third period before Palmer took him down to bring the score to 5-3. Matatt fought his way out of Palmer’s grasp for the escape, bringing his lead to 6-3 and sealing the victory. With that win, the Panthers had a 12-0 lead.
Granville then went on to win the next four straight matches, taking an 18-12 lead. After two Panther wins by forfeit later, followed by another Granville win by fall, the score was knotted at 24-24. Jeremy Barss wasted no time putting the Panthers back on top. Barss scored a quick take down and then pinned his opponent just :33 seconds into the match. That put Hoosick Falls up, but a forfeit in the next weight class tied the score again.
So tied at 30-30, the next match would be crucial for both teams. Hoosick Falls had six free points coming via a forfeit at 106 lbs. so, essentially, Granville was already down 36-30 with the matches at 99 lbs. and 113 lbs. A Panther win at 99 would seal the victory. Who better to have in that spot than last year’s Sectional Champion Luis Weierbach.
Weierbach took control from the start, gaining control with a take down, and then twice getting back points for almost pinning his opponent. With an 8-0 lead after the first period, Weierbach went on to pin his opponent in the second period and seal the Panthers’ victory over Granville. With the team victory already in hand, Tom Peabody took to the mat for the final match at 113 lbs. He also wasted no time and pinned his way to victory in :38 seconds.