Weathering the storm

Pennsville braves the weather, beats Pitman to avenge last year’s one-point loss

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Neither wind nor rain nor gloom of night will keep the Pennsville wrestlers from their appointed round with victory.

While three other Salem County wrestling teams with matches scheduled Tuesday – Penns Grove, Woodstown, Schalick/Cumberland – canceled out of an abundance of caution for the heavy weather expected in during the evening, the Eagles soldiered on with postal service like dedication and turned back Pitman 51-24.

“We really don’t want to miss a match,” Eagles junior Connor Ayars said. “Especially since this is a conference match, so this was a good match for us, especially since we got the win. We really wanted to wrestle this one. They beat us last year by one.”

On the surface it looked like the Eagles were headed for an easy seventh dual win. Pitman had six open weights on the lineup card giving the Eagles a 36-point lead. 

They appeared to have clinched it when Sky Eppes stopped Pitman’s mid-match momentum with an overtime decision over Robert Graves at 150. But when Pennsville unexpectedly forfeited at 165, the Panthers were back in it. 

The Eagles finally clinched it when Ayars, wrestling up at 190, got a late takedown and took down Dominic Saffioti 3-1. The decision gave the Eagles an 18-point lead with two bouts remaining.

“I didn’t expect (to wrestle) especially when I checked that they didn’t have a 175; I didn’t think I was going to wrestle,” Ayars said. “Earlier this week I asked my coach if I could bump up to 190 and he said we’ll see how it works out, but I really wasn’t expecting it. But it did.”

He was giving up about 15 pounds and muscle mass to his opponent, but the bout was scoreless through two periods. Then Saffioti made the decision that played into Ayars’ hands. He gave up a point to start the period in neutral. Ayers shot the legs and scored a takedown and rode out the rest of the time for the win.

“With the weight defense plans in place and the newer rules in today’s wrestling it’s harder to kind of dance around and shuffle a lineup; you’re more restricted,” Pennsville coach John Starcevich said. “Pennsville teams of old were notorious for bumping and griding and doing what we’ve got to do to get the best matchups to ultimately win matches.

“But with Connor, especially tonight, he had been wrestling well. He got a late start to the season, but every time he stepped on the map he is just getting more confident, he’s getting better, and instead of getting his hand raised for a forfeit tonight we wanted him to compete. He gave up a little bit of weight but we were confident that he would have a good matchup and he executed on that and grinded out a win. He did a great job.”

With Ayars bumping up in class, Elias Lussi, their regular 190, bumped up to 215. He scored twice late in the third period and won a 5-1 decision. The Eagles won the final match at heavyweight by forfeit.

PENNSVILLE 51, PITMAN 24
106: Gina Haubrich (Pv) won by forfeit
113: Vincent Ciccantelli (Pv) won by forfeit
120: Christopher Daniels (Pv) won by forfeit
126: Adriano Platt (Pt) pinned Kameron Drummond, 5:25
132: Ayden Perez (Pv) pinned Ayden Employ, 5:04
138: Jacob Lawrence (Pt) pinned Travis Hagan, 3:27
144: Jonathan Bruno (Pt) pinned Joseph Maurer, 1:40
150: Sky Eppes (Pv) dec. Robert Graves, 4-2
157: Robert McDade (Pv) won by forfeit
165: Chase Rollins (Pt) won by forfeit
175: Justin Oldaker (Pv) won by forfeit
190: Connor Ayars (Pv) dec. Dominic Saffioti, 3-1
215: Elias Lussi (Pv) dec. Aiden Milward, 5-1
285: Trevor Waddington (Pv) won by forfeit
Records: Pitman 2-4, Pennsville 7-2.