When neighborhood bragging rights were on the line, it was the Marcellus wrestling team getting the better of West Genesee.
The two sides clashed Wednesday night, with the host Mustangs dropping the first two bouts, but winning the next nine in a row to build up an insurmountable margin on the way to defeating the Wildcats by a score of 53-27.
They started at 220 pounds, where WG’s Keisean Canery pinned Garret Furnia 23 seconds into the second period. The next bout at 285 pounds also went into the second period, but Ethan Coates finished off the Mustangs’ Alexsandr Popov in 3:38.
And that’s where Marcellus took over. Working at 99 pounds, Cahal Donovan took 2:23 to pin Nyeem Hameed, while Alex Czerniak won a tough 106-pound bout over Cole Wade 8-4.
Mark Santorello (113 pounds) claimed a forfeit, but Riley Donovan did wrestle at 120 pounds, pinning Christian Grome midway through the second period. Sam Rice (126 pounds) had a 53-second fall over Damon Lockett and Zach Ruggles (132 pounds) needed just 1:37 to pin Mike Linton.
Another forfeit, to Ben Hood (138 pounds), preceded two more Mustangs triumphs. Tristan Duger, at 145 pounds, got pushed to the third period before pinning Odae Badwan at the 47-second mark, with Nick DiStefano (152 pounds) pulling out a 5-1 decision over Victor Elias.
Finally, the Wildcats broke the string with Liam Kotas pinning 160-pound opponent Dan Tierney at the end of the first period. Dalton Elias (182 pounds) held off Kevin Morrissey 10-6, but the Mustangs’ Nate Long (170 pounds) blanked Shayne Middleton in a 15-0 technical fall.
All of this followed Marcellus smashing Jordan-Elbridge 84-3 a night earlier, the Eagles’ lone victory coming when Tyler Steves, at 152, beat Duger 8-4. Otherwise, it was all Mustangs, with eight forfeits, plus pins by Czerniak, Ruggles and Long.
Furnia earned a pin over J-E’s Sam Everett in 1:38, right before Popov pinned Lester Bozeat with 48 seconds left in their bout and Tierney pinned Gunnar Ferris midway through the final period.
Two days before Christmas, Marcellus will face Institute of Technology Central, while West Genesee is off until the Dec. 29-30 Brett Dixon Duals at Central Square.