Chucks wrestling hosts Curwensville on Senior Night

PUNXSUTAWNEY — The Punxsutawney Chucks wrestling team hosted the visiting Curwensville Golden Tide on Tuesday evening, with it being Senior Night as well. Despite an early surge, the visitors overcame the Chucks to win 47-29.

“We wrestled hard, and it’s the little things we need to keep working on with Districts in a couple of weeks,” said Punxsy coach DJ Gould.

He added about the five senior members of the team, “This is a lot of work, and they come out and battle every time. We congratulate them and wish them luck in future.”

The evening started at 107, where the visitors’ Austin Gilland pinned Hunter Dobson with 37 seconds left in the first period.

With the Chucks earning victories via forfeits at 114 and 121, Jordan Rutan came out strong at 127 for Punxsy, as he earned a 15-0 major decision over Curwensville’s Damian Brady in the second period. By the end of the first period, Rutan was up 8-0. “He wrestled really well, as they bumped away from Dysen (Gould),” said Gould.

In the 133-pound bout, the Golden Tide’s Dylan Deluccia bested Nick Motter with a 15-0 major decision in the second period.

At 139, Curwensville pinned the Chucks’ David Kunselman in the third period with 53 seconds left.

The visitors’ Nile Fegert pinned Brett Dean in the first period of the 145-pound bout, while Punxsy’s Zeke Bennett battled with Alex Murawski at 152. Murawski was up around 4-2 before pinning Bennett in the third period.

In the 160-pound bout, the Chucks’ Jared Meeks was pinned in the first period, while after taking a 5-0 advantage in the first period of the 172-pound bout, Punxsy’s Grant Miller pinned Jarett Anderson with four-seconds left in the period.

“Grant has been a leader for us for years,” said Gould. “He works hard in the room and it shows out on the mat.”

At 189, Punxsy’s Joel Mehalic battled until the second period before being pinned by Chase Irwin. “Joel is a guy that will never quit no matter what the score is,” said Gould. “Winning or losing, he will not quit, and he’s a very good asset to our team.”

At 215, Curwensville’s Trenton Guiher pinned Austin Fischer in the first period, while the Chucks went unopposed at 285 to finish out the evening.

Photos by Cody Powell/The Punxsutawney Spirit Pictured are Chucks wrestling seniors (top left photo) Jared Meeks, (top right photo) Joel Mehalic, (bottom left photo) Grant Miller and (bottom right photo) Zeke Bennett in action during Tuesday evening’s match against Curwensville.