             | Titusville, lacking lightweight wrestlers started the match down 12-0 before Sawyer Wolkeil took the mat at 121 against Van Ward. Two very good and equal wrestlers. Wolfkiel got an escape in the second period and that was the difference as each wrestler managed to wrestle error free until the final whistle. The tough win puts him one win away from his 100th career victory. Wolfkiel's win helped propel the Rockets to an eventual 39-23 victory over Union City under their new more dramatic lighting, Courtesy of Poppy's Place equipment rentals. It was a forfeit riddled match with several wrestlers from each team having their arms raised in victory without breaking a sweat. But the matches that did take place, the Rockets managed to get the better of the Bears overall. Andrew Donaldson didn’t take long to dispense of Ahveanna McElroy with a first period pin. The win put Titusville in the lead. Union City retook the lead at 139 pounds when Joshua Mitchum dominated Logan Riddle for a 19-4 decision in three periods. A double forfeit at 145 led to a Parker Miller dominating performance at 152 pinning Gerald Jansen in short order giving Titusville the lead for good. Coleman Huck followed with a pin. A dramatic match, one that matched the new lighting, took place next between Brock Middleton and Kane Gregor. Gregor started bleeding and it took basically mummifying his head to get him through the match. He used up nearly every second of the five minute injury timeout limit, but held on for a contentious win. “We knew that was going to be a tough match,” Burns said. “I thought (Middleton) wrestled really well, a couple little things we’d like to have back, I think he got the short end of the stick on a couple calls. But you can’t blame anything on the referee. They don’t see it the same way I do sometimes and I’m sure they would agree, I don’t see it the same they do. But kudos to both those boys, they wrestled really, really hard. It was a fun match to watch.” Coy Campbell then stepped up with a pin to put the match in the Rockets’ pocket. He pinned Joe Green in the second period to put them up 33- 20 with only one contest match to go. In the final match Union City’s Hunter Michael won a 7-1 decision over Teegan Perrin. Bryce Watkins, who is putting together a fine season won by forfeit. The Rockets have won both duels and they were 3-2 at the Hampton duels despite giving up 18 points to forfeits. Coach Burns is seeing very positive things so far this year. “Since the season started, we’ve been rolling,” he said about the busy first couple weeks. “The kids are working hard.” Two of his top wrestlers Wolkfiel and Isaac Roberts are wrestling up from previous years and are finding their way though they didn’t medal at the Top Hat tournament. “At 21 and 27 those brackets are just loaded. Nothing to be ashamed of there, they wrestled really hard. Everybody wrestled really well. That is a tough tournament early in the year. A lot of really tough matches. There’s never been a goal that was met in early December.” At this point in the early season Burns is moving some people around to better compete. “We’ve done some moving around, we’re fortunate to have Parker (Miller) and Coleman (Huck) with the abilities they have and we can pop those guys up with their weight and help us cover that forfeit at (160 ponds). It’s nice to have those guys at those weights." Last week at the Hampton Duals, Brock Middleton went 5-0, Bryce Watkins took a fourth-place at the Top Hat and went undefeated at the Hampton duals. And Miller took a fourth at the Top Hat and also went undefeated at the Hampton duals. “We walked out of the duals really happy.” Burns said. “They are working hard and we are getting to see the results.” |
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