Marriotts Ridge wrestling entered Tuesday night’s tri-meet at Reservoir with momentum after a strong showing at a tournament in Aberdeen over the weekend. The Mustangs kept it going, first defeating Hammond, 40-25, then taking down the host Gators, 40-28.
Each match varied in style, but the Mustangs relied on one another to close out a pair of victories.
“We’ve got really strong juniors and seniors all the way through,” Marriotts Ridge coach Vincent Muscato said. “These guys knew that they had a job to do and we knew it was going to come down to bonus points. So, every point counted and then these guys were ready. We did a great job at the Aberdeen tournament this weekend and we knew we were going to keep the ball rolling from there.”
The Mustangs jumped out of the gates fast against the Golden Bears with a 19-6 lead through five weight classes. Rocky Alabbadi (113 pounds) and Jamie Kraft (132) earned victories by pins, while Brady Eldridge (120) and Boden Pistorio (126) each gutted out tough wins to increase the lead.
Pistorio’s narrow victory epitomized Marriotts Ridge’s effectiveness in finding bonus points. However, Hammond mounted a strong response with victories in three of the next four weight classes to take a 22-21 lead. Trailing for the first time, the Mustangs immediately responded with three straight victories from CJ Nyorkor (165), Jonah Obitz (175) and Preston Hwang (190) to regain the advantage. Nyorkor earned a quick takedown in overtime to preserve his victory, while both Obitz and Hwang jumped out to early leads and won by major decision and pinfall, respectively.
Hwang was wrestling up in weight, but didn’t allow that to derail his confidence.
“Wrestling up, I was a little nervous before coming into this these matches, but I knew I had a job to do,” He said. “Before the matches I really had to lock in and I just went out there trying to get the first takedown, which always settles my mind. I did my job. I just grit through it.
Two weight classes later, Akbar Mudasiru (285) put the finishing touches on the Mustangs’ first win of the night with a pin. Muscato and the Mustangs didn’t wait long for the second match to begin, looking to keep the momentum rolling.
Reservoir began with the match with the strength of their lineup. Aaron Aquino (120), Andrew Dolezel (126), Sam Vissers (132) and Roy Jones Jr. (138) earned four straight wins after a forfeit, giving the Gators a 16-6 lead. Like the opening match, Marriotts Ridge didn’t flinch and bounced back in a big way, winning four of the next five bouts. Trip Bennett (144) catalyzed the rally with a late second-period pin, but that was just the beginning.
Mekaal Ali (150) and Nyorkor (165) each delivered victories by decision. Then Obitz, one of the Mustangs’ three team captains, earned a pin 1:08 into the opening period, putting Marriotts Ridge back on top, 25-22. They never relinquished the lead the rest of the way as Hwang followed with his second pin of the evening.
“Obviously we take a lot of pride in it,” Obitz said of flipping back momentum. “It’s a team effort, everyone did their job today. It wasn’t just us. We came in in that clutch situation, but it could’ve been anyone.”
However, the match wasn’t over with two weight classes remaining. Ja’kaylen Love (215) had an opportunity to close out the match, while Jose Vasquez looked to keep the Gators alive. In one of the tightest matches of the night, both wrestlers continued to exchange takedowns, setting up a 7-7 tie after six minutes.
Vasquez struck first in overtime with an escape but Love quickly answered back with one of his own. In the third overtime period, Love executed one final escape for the 9-8 win, clinching the match and tri-meet victory for the Mustangs.
“It feels great, but it doesn’t translate to anything further,” Obitz said. “We have to keep the same mindset, keep the same vicious mentality for the rest of our matches that the team we’re facing is the best team no matter who they are.”