Batavia tips St. Charles E. on 2nd tiebreaker
The Batavia wrestling team has a composition as anomalous as its win over St. Charles East on Thursday night was monumental in determining the River Division champion of the Upstate Eight Conference.
Without a senior in the program and starting 10 underclassmen in the 14 weight classes, the Bulldogs knocked the Saints from the previously-undefeated ranks in divisional dual meets by winning on the second tiebreaker after the squads deadlocked at 30-30 in St. Charles.
By virtue of its falls from Joey Shump (120 pounds), Connor McKeehan (220) and freshman heavyweight Mitchell Krusz, the three Batavia pins were one greater than St. Charles East could muster to win on the second criteria.
The second tiebreaker was necessitated after the squads split the total number of matches won with seven each.
Batavia (6-9, 5-0) can clinch a division championship with a win over archrival Geneva next week; St. Charles East fell to 11-4 overall, 5-1 in the River.
“It always comes down to bonus points,” Batavia coach Ben Morris said of the determining factor in close duals. “We knew it was going to be very tight (coming in).”
There were epic swings and tense battles throughout the night as Ramon Lopez, the Saints’ promising 138-pound freshman, secured a major decision to initiate the two tiebreakers.
But the Bulldogs’ improbable victory had its genesis with their back-to-back pins at 220 pounds and heavyweight.
With the teams deadlocked at 12-12 after the opening six matches, McKeehan and Krusz took entirely different routes in securing 6-point wins for the Bulldogs.
McKeehan outlasted the Saints’ Peter Banks 78 seconds into the third round after both athletes had their foe in compromised positions.
“I think it was luck,” the sophomore McKeehan said. “I really wasn’t wrestling that well. I caught him at the right point and hoped for the best.”
Krusz, meanwhile, needed less than 90 seconds to double the Bulldogs’ lead to 24-12 with his first-period fall.
St. Charles East would respond with an 8-0 run, including a 12-0 whitewash from state contender Ryan Rubino at 113 pounds.
But the Bulldogs’ Shump, coming off a major holiday invite win at Glenbrook South, restored the Batavia double-digit lead with another first-period pin.
“I didn’t think we had more pins (than the Saints),” Shump said of his initial reaction to the Bulldogs’ triumph.
Nick Giovenco and Nick Ruffino had simple and major decisions, respectively, to bring the Saints within 30-26.
Knowing he had to have a technical fall or conventional pin to overcome the Batavia lead, Lopez had three near-falls in the second period alone.
But Batavia sophomore Marc Goodin enabled Batavia to escape by keeping the match within 8 points.
“We knew it was going to be very tight,” St. Charles East coach Steve Smerz said. “They (Batavia) have a full lineup.”
Brad Kearbey (152 pounds) and Cameron Carlson (160) recorded the Saints’ pair of pins.