Red Devil Wrestlers Lose to Dover Despite Strong Effort

The Red Devils came out energetic and determined on Saturday against the Dover Tigers, but failed to take back a team win due to lack of depth and forfeitures in multiple weight classes, losing 45-24.

The Devils seemed to take each loss in stride though, staying focused through the very last match.  Each member of the team remained supportive of struggling teammates and continued to demonstrate good sportsmanship throughout the meet.

After they won the coin toss, the team came out strong yet faced difficulties throughout the match. Dominant performances by their top wrestlers—senior Alex Braunstein and sophomore Zack Bond—were unfortunately not enough to offset others' difficulties and the Devils lack of a full lineup.

The initial match in the 103 pound weight class went well in the beginning, with an early takedown by Tony Fata contributing to a six point total for Ridge at the end of the first match.

In the 119 pound weight class, Shane Gong engaged his opponent aggressively in a series of encounters, sending his opponent's head piece flying at one point. Despite putting up a good fight, the match ended in Shane being pinned.  The score was 6-9 Tigers.

The third match was at 125 pounds, which started in an early lead for the Devils.  Unfortunately, the Tigers took control of the match after that with the Devils narrowly avoiding a pin.  The final score for the round was 6-15 Tigers.

The 135 pound weight class was a similar story, with the Devils losing in a pin.  This increased their deficit to 6-21.

The 140 pound class proved to be a highlight for Ridge, but started with no points early on.  However, Zack Bond was able to secure the win with a takedown and overall control of the latter part of the match, pulling Ridge back into the match, down 12-21.

Unfortunately for the Devils, they had to forfeit the next two matches at the 145 and 152 pound weight classes.  This has been a continuing problem for the  overall competitiveness of the team throughout the season.  These forfeitures brought the score to 12-33 Tigers.

The next competition was in the 160 pound weight class.  As at 140 pounds, there were no early points scored.  Unfortunately, the end result was not the same.  The Devils lost the match in a pin, bringing the score to 12-39 in favor of the Tigers.  The Devils lost again in the 171 pound class, though not in a pin.  This brought the score to 12-45.

Alex Braunstein came out strong in the 189 pound weight division, though he normally competes in the 171. Demonstrating his experience, he scored an early two points and maintained decisive control throughout the match.

The win brought the score up to 18-45 for the Devils.  The next round at the 215 pound weight division again went to the Devils, due to forfeit.  This brought the score to 24-45, which would be the final score of the day.

The Tigers controlled the final exhibition match, winning it 15-0.  Though they lost, the Devils came out strong and competed, despite having a smaller and more inexperienced team. 

After the meet, Coach Hendershot said, "We didn't have a full lineup, we tried to be competitive, but as usual some wrestlers stepped up and some need to work on their fundamentals."