Defending the title
WBL champs rally back to beat Defiance in opener
It was a nice way to congratulate Larry Gruber to start his 50th year.
The St. Marys wrestling coach was quickly honored in the beginning of Thursday’s Western Buckeye League and season opener against Defiance with 50 years coaching at St. Marys.
And his players gave him a gift with a 44- 30 victory in front of a home crowd at Memorial High School.
Trailing 30-29 with three weight classes left, the defending WBL champion Roughriders rallied for wins in those final three matches — including an exclamation point from senior Logan Knous at heavyweight.
After the Roughriders jumped out to a 17- 0 lead, Thursday’s match featured six lead changes between the 138 and 195-pound weight classes.
Defiance began to chip away at the Roughriders’ (1- 0 WBL) lead when Toby Miller (126) got pinned by Gavino Martinez in 1:32, followed by a Carmela Castaneda pin in 1:03 of Carson Engel (126) to pull the Bulldogs within five, 17-12. A void at 138 gave Defiance its first lead, 18- 17, but Isaac Torsell’s pin 38 into the second round gave the Riders the lead again, 23-18.
Defiance took its second lead of the game when on wins in the next two matches when Alex Francis pinned Quincy Tracy (152) in 56 seconds and Garret Donovan’s (160) match, once trailing 4-3 heading into the third round, dropped his match 11- 4.
St. Marys regained the lead when senior Mason Saeler (170) earned a much-needed pin Reece Frederick in 3:34 to go up 29-27, but the match’s fifth lead
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change came one class late when Jace Schaefer’s (182) late rally in the third period fell short for a 3-2 defeat to Alex Hoeffel.
But the Roughriders’ experience at the heavyweight classes shined to seal the match.
Stash Patterson (182) collected a pair of takedowns and a near fall in the third period to win his match 6- 0 against Spencer Thompson and Carter Sharpe (220) gave the Roughriders the win on a forfeit.
Knous — who missed all of last season with a torn ACL — ended the evening with a pin with 38 seconds left in the match at the time when the match was tied at 2-2.
The Riders lead early on a Defiance forfeit at 106 pounds and back-to-back wins by Tyler and Trevor Hisey as St. Marys led 17- 0.
Thursday’s win marked the sixth consecutive dual win dating back to last season.
The Roughriders also won the junior varsity match 12- 0 on back-to-back pins by Keegan and Kayden Sharpe. The junior high team fell 42-28.
St. Marys will be back in action Saturday at the Benjamin Logan Invitational and will play next Thursday at Wapakoneta.