Nov. 2, 2010

ANNAPOLIS, Md. —  The Navy Gold squad won six of 10 matches, including four of the first five, to earn a 19-15 victory over the Navy Blue team at the annual Blue-Gold Wrestling Challenge Match held over the weekend at Halsey Field House.  The Blue-Gold Match is held annually as a preview to Navy wrestling fans as the program kicks of the 2010-11 campaign this Saturday at the Eastern Michigan Open in Ypsilanti, Mich.

“The Blue-Gold Match gives us a good starting point to see exactly where we are at heading into the season,” said 11th-year Navy head coach Bruce Burnett.  “I was definitely pleased with the effort our guys gave and where we are at going into Eastern Michigan this weekend.

“What happens in a seven-minute match is different than a 30-40 minute training session, so it’s always good to see how our wrestlers react.  I think Bryce made two mistakes in his match that made it close.  I know and he knows that he can’t make those mistakes, but it gave us an opportunity to go back and talk about it and correct those mistakes before he goes out and wrestlers a couple of ranked guys this weekend.”

Returning NCAA qualifier Aaron Kalil (Salem, N.H.) scored the night’s only pin, as he put rookie 125-pounder Sam Warne (Dent, Minn.) to the mat early in the second period to give the Navy Blue team a quick 6-0 advantage.  Kalil nearly ended Warne’s night in the first period when he was awarded a takedown, followed by a 3-point nearfall before Warne was able to escape the clutches of Kalil’s grip.  However, before the end of the period, Kalil would take a 7-1 lead with his second takedown.  Kalil began the second period in the down position, quickly escaping and scoring yet another takedown before winning the match with a pin at 3:37.  Four of Kalil’s matches were decided by fall a year ago with him posting a 3-1 mark in those matches.

Senior Allen Stein (Portland, Maine), who fans remember a year ago bumping up a weight class to not only wrestle in the Army match but defeating Travis Coffey in an emotional match, provided the Navy Gold team with the momentum it would need to win the next four matches.  Stein traditionally wrestles at 125, but again moved into the 133 spot to face sophomore Ben Levin (Reisterstown, Md.).  After a scoreless opening period, Stein would score the match’s first point with an escape in the second period.  Moving into the third period, Levin knotted the match with an escape of his own, but not before Stein mustered enough riding time, 1:13 to be exact, to score the extra point he needed to earn the 2-1 victory.

Freshman Joe Locksmith (Kissimmee, Fla.) put together a tough third period to knock off junior Dustin Haislip (Inwood, W.Va.) at 141 pounds to tie up the team scoring at six apiece.  Locksmith and Haislip headed into the third period deadlocked a 2-2, but Locksmith pushed ahead with an escape followed by a takedown in the third period.  Although Haislip would find his way out of Locksmith’s hold, Locksmith was awarded a final escape to secure a 6-3 victory for the Gold team.

Navy Gold took a 9-6 advantage following the 149-pound match with Elkridge, Md., native Eric Filipowicz scoring a 3-0 victory over sophomore Zach Basich (Wheeling, W.Va.).  With both wrestlers in apprentice mode a year ago with team captain Glenn Shober fulfilling the starting role, it was an opportunity for each of them to show some leverage.  Filipowicz took down Basich at the end of the opening period and scored an escape to open the third period, but Basich was unable to take advantage of any openings in the match.

Capping the four-match run for the Gold squad was 2010-11 team captain Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.), a three-time NCAA qualifier and 2009 All-American.  Saddoris, who remains at the 157-pound weight class this season, was locked up with sophomore Matt Jackson (Rising Sun, Md.) who did not see any action a year ago, but gave Saddoris all he wanted in the match.  Jackson made the first move with a takedown in the first period, but Saddoris got out of the hold and went back at Jackson with a takedown of his own to take a 3-2 advantage.  Saddoris began the second period down where he quickly escaped and then took Jackson down to the mat.  Jackson would eventually get out, but not before Saddoris held a 6-3 advantage heading into the final period.  Jackson started the period down and after Saddoris was called for stalling, Jackson was able to salvage a reversal to get to within 1 at 6-5.  Saddoris willed his way out of the hold for the escape and secured the 8-5 win with 1:18 in riding time.

Sophomore Bobby Barnhisel (River Forest, Ill.) was finally able to get the Blue squad some points by way of a 7-2 victory over Mason Bailey (Fairmont, W.Va.) at 165 pounds.  Bailey made the first move with a takedown in the first period, but it would be the lone points of the match he would score.  Barnhisel earned the one point for an escape after the first to trail 2-1 going into the second.  After another escape to open the second period, Barnhisel would get Bailey to the mat for the takedown and a three-point nearfall to trim the Navy Gold lead to 12-9 through six matches.

The Blue team continued to rally its way back into the match when senior Matt DeMichiel (Whitesboro, N.Y.) returned to the mat for the first time since suffering a leg fracture against NC State last January.  DeMichiel built a 3-0 advantage over freshman 174-pounder James Mannier (Troy, Ohio) after two periods with Mannier managing only an escape against the more experienced DeMichiel.  DeMichiel, meanwhile, tacked on an extra point for riding time to earn the 4-1 win and knotted up the team scoring at 12-12.

Junior Luke Rebertus (Elkton, Md.) rescued his Navy Gold squad by pummeling senior teammate Greg Prioleau (Poway, Calif.) at 184 pounds.  After missing the spring season, Rebertus returned to the mat where he looked hungry.  He scored five takedowns in the match, two in each of the first two periods, and earned more than a minute-and-a-half in riding time to earn a 12-3 major decision and give Navy Gold a 16-12 lead.

The Navy blue team, however, fought back, riding the back of sophomore 197-pounder Andrew Buck (Carson, Wash.).  Buck led the entire match and limited sophomore Chance Rauscher (Glasgow, Mont.) to a trio of escapes en route to a 7-3 victory that included 1:45 in riding time.  The win trimmed the Gold team’s advantage to just one point, 16-15, going into the final match of the night.

In one of the best matches of the night, senior Mike Landis (Hershey, Pa.), sporting a freshly broken nose, and sophomore Dan Miller (Berlin, Md.)r would battle one another not only for bragging rights within the heavyweights, but also for their respective team and title.  Ironically, the two met a year ago with Miller squeezing out the 5-3 victory.

Following a scoreless first period, Miller opened the second period down.  He would get free and follow with a takedown, but Landis, too, would escape Miller’s grasp as Miller led 3-1 through two.  A flurry of action ensued in the final period that began with a Landis escape.  Miller countered with a takedown to take a 5-2 advantage, but Landis rallied with an escape and a takedown to even the score at 5-5.  Miller fought off Landis to get free and then took him to the mat for the takedown and a 8-5 lead.  Landis got out of his grasp, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Miller’s 8-6 lead.

“We had some quality performances out of some youngs wrestlers and I’m anxious to see what they can do against outside competition,” added Burnett.  “We’ve been focused on the technical side of things and we’ll see if that pays off this weekend.”

Navy officially opens its season on Saturday at the Eastern Michigan Open where last year one wrestler claimed an individual title and six finished among the top four.

2010 Blue-Gold Challenge Matches:                             B-G
125    Aaron Kalil (B) fall Sam Warne (G), 3:37                  6-0
133    Allen Stein (G) dec Ben Levin (B), 6-3                      6-3
141    Joe Locksmith (G) dec Dustin Haislip (B), 6-3           6-6
149    Eric Filipowicz (G) dec Zach Basich (B), 3-0              6-9
157    Bryce Saddoris (G) dec Matt Jackson (B), 8-5          6-12
165    Bobby Barnhisel (B) dec Mason Bailey (G), 7-2        9-12   
174    Matt DeMichiel (B) dec James Mannier (G), 4-1      12-12
184    Luke Rebertus (G) major Greg Prioleau (B), 12-3   12-16
197    Andrew Buck (B) dec Chance Rauscher (G), 7-3     15-16
Hwt    Dan Miller (G) dec Mike Landis (B), 8-6                 15-19


### Go Navy ###