Bulldogs bounce back after tough defeat
Sycamore came to Batavia on the wrong night.
One day after dropping a critical Western Sun Conference match to Yorkville on the fourth criteria for resolving a deadlock, the Bulldogs' wrestling squad exacted a measure of redemption against the Spartans.
Batavia had bookend falls in its meet with Sycamore on Thursday at home, using a series of other one-sided matches to upend the Spartans 48-19.
The Bulldogs improved to 7-6 overall, 3-1 in the league; Sycamore fell to 7-5, 1-2.
"That was a real heartache (Wednesday) night (at Yorkville, where the Foxes broke the 33-33 team score on the fourth tiebreaker)," said Batavia coach Tom Arlis. "That was our conference aspirations right there. We have to hope that someone else (in the league) does the dirty work and beats (Yorkville)."
The dual match began at 130 pounds, and Batavia junior Charlie Ryan needed only 38 seconds into the third period to secure the fall and give the Bulldogs a lead they would never surrender.
The Spartans' Sean Akins survived a double-overtime thriller with Rocco Wade to halve the Sycamore deficit, but the ensuing Batavia onrush made much of the rest of the night academic.
Billy Ayers' second-period fall at 140 pounds gave Batavia 6 quick points, and the Bulldogs received another maximum-point effort when Parker Adamski was awarded a forfeit at 145 pounds.
Andrew Rudd took the mat next for Batavia, and the junior sensation continues to add to his recent lore.
In his first varsity season, Rudd vanquished his opponent in a mere 52 seconds, his 11th fall of the still-young campaign.
"It's been exciting," Rudd said of his recent streak of pins that included three straight at the Downers Grove South invitational last weekend. "I try to look for opportunities. When I see one, I try to take it. A lot of (my success) has to do with wrestling Danny (Watson) in practice."
The Bulldogs' 160-pounder followed his sparing partner, using 4 takedowns, a pair of reversals and a 2-point near fall to win going away with an 18-4 verdict.
"I was going for that tech (fall, which occurs when the point differential is 15 points or more)," Watson said. "I just fell short."
With four resounding wins in a row, the Batavia lead swelled to 28-3.
Billy Byrd stopped the Sycamore bleeding with a first-period fall at 171 pounds, but Matt McCarter and Ethan Huggins solidified the Bulldogs' outlook with two more decisive wins at 189 and 215 pounds, respectively.
The Spartans' powerful heavyweight, senior Jason Schepler, had few problems in securing his 11th pin of the year.
But Logan Arlis took over the team lead in wins with No. 15 at 103 pounds, and Tyler Patton and Ryan Colby concluded the meet with a razor-tight win and fall, respectively, for Batavia.
"Their experience in the middle of the lineup really showed," Sycamore coach Chauncey Carrick said. "That's where they took command of the match."