GRANTHAM, Pa. (Nov. 22) – Heading into the eight-team Messiah College duals, the Waynesburg wrestling team hadn't won a dual match since January 4 of the 2006-2007 season.
Under the guidance of first-year head coach Ron Headlee, who is not only a former wrestler at Messiah, but a member of their sports hall of fame, the Yellow Jackets made a big statement as they knocked off a pair of teams ranked in the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III Top 25, while going a perfect 3-0 at the event.
The Jackets ended their losing streak by taking down the 20th-ranked host Falcons by the final of 26-19. Waynesburg jumped out to a 10-0 lead, before allowing a point to Messiah in the match. However, the Falcons battled back, and cut the lead to 22-19 heading into the final bout of the match at 125 pounds.
Waynesburg freshman Rico Borz, pictured above during an earlier match, earned his first dual win of his young collegiate career by dominating fellow freshman Andrew Rentzel to the tune of an 11-3 major decision to seal the win.
Next up for the Jackets was a 27-15 win over Elizabethtown.
Sophomore 133-pound standout Nick Garber picked up his fourth first-period pin of the year when he stuck sophomore Marty Harnish to his back in just 1:17. Also recording falls against the Blue Jays were freshmen Corbin Semple (197) and Jesse Byerly (149), along with junior heavyweight Melvin Warrick.
Standing between the Jackets and a perfect day at Messiah was 22nd-ranked York, who gave Waynesburg all they could handle. However, the Jackets were able to hold on and pick up an 18-16 win. Again, it was Borz getting the chance to play hero.
With his team trailing the Spartans 16-15, Borz earned his second match-clinching win of the day by gritting out a thrilling 7-6 decision victory over senior Sean Hightman to seal up the victory.
The other big win of the match came courtesy of Garber, who started the match by controlling senior Kyle Flickinger to the tune of a 10-3 decision win. Flickinger is ranked 10th in the NWCA Division III individual rankings.
Byerly also earned a victory by pin fall against the Spartans.
Overall, four different Jackets finished the Messiah Duals with perfect 3-0 records. Along with Garber, Byerly and Semple, sophomore Pat McCabe accomplished the feat at 141 pounds.
After the huge day, Headlee could barely contain his excitement and pride in his team.
“We as coaches were really happy with how things went,” Headlee said. “The guys wrestled really well. The competition was so tough, that we could have gone 0-3 or 3-0. It was exciting and it definitely makes Thanksgiving a lot sweeter for the guys.”
The only other team to finish 3-0 at the Messiah College Duals was Division II Shippensburg, whom Waynesburg will face later this season.
After enjoying their Thanksgiving break, the Yellow Jackets return to the mats on Dec. 6, when they take a long road trip to the state of New York to take part in the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Invitational.
For complete results from the Messiah Duals, click here.
