At one low point in last Wednesday’s Salt City Athletic Conference Metro division opener, the Baldwinsville wrestling team had dropped six consecutive bouts.
Yet when it really mattered, the Bees stepped up with a big comeback that delivered a 45-37 victory over the Wildcats.
Three bouts remained on the night and WG led 37-27, and any points gained in the remaining contests would mean a Wildcats victory.
But Naseim Perez turned it around at 285 pounds when he pinned Derek Dishaw in 1:42. Then Jarred McMonagle claimed a forfeit at 99 pounds.
So it all hinged on the 106-pound finale between B’ville’s Keagan Hayes and WG’s Jack Wade. Seven seconds before the first period ended, Hayes pinned Wade, and the Bees had a team victory.
Much earlier, B’ville had opened with three straight wins. Aiden Cali, at 113 pounds, pinned Anthony Orendorf in 2:30, with Mason Clark (120 pounds) pinning Sam Snyder in 1:46 and Max Naples (126 pounds) fighting past Dylan Pitonza in a 7-2 decision.
That 15-0 advantage vanished when WG won the next six bouts, four of them pins, the only close one at 132 pounds where Brandon Levin fell 4-0 to Gavin O’Neill.
Not until 182 pounds did the Bees get another victory, Fred Pickard pinning Joe Comny in 3:48, followed by Dennis Kral (195 pounds) getting a second-period fall over Peter Dwinell to set up the late drama.
From there, B’ville went to Phoenix for the Firebirds’ round-robin tournament on Saturday, where out of 17 teams the Bees did quite well, taking fifth place with 112.5 points.
Cali was victorious at 106, getting to the championship round and then pinning Holland Patent’s Carter Williams in just 29 seconds to claim the title.
No other B’ville wrestler reached the finals, but Clark got third place at 113, beating Syracuse’s Sidali Mohammed 6-1 for that spot as Naples, at 120, pinned Mexico’s George Smith for third.
Also third, Mike Kral (182 pounds) pinned Phoenix’s Isaiah Scruton in 66 seconds in his consolation bracket final. Perez got fourth place at 285, with Jarred McMonagle fifth at 99 pounds and Jaden Prince sixth at 138 pounds.
B’ville has a big meet against a Liverpool side fresh off winning last Saturday’s Brett Dixon Memorial Duals at Central Square, and then goes to Corning Saturday for the Greg Partridge Memorial Duals.
