Absegami Wrestling Team Bounces Back From Tough Loss With Win Over District Rival

It had been just two days since the Absegami High School wrestling team let a 13-point lead evaporate into a 24-point loss to Cherry Hill East. The Braves had a 12-point lead on district rival Oakcrest after pin fall victories in the first two bouts.

This time, there was no looking back for Absegami, who went on to a 54-23 win in the Cape-Atlantic League match Wednesday night, Jan. 9. The Braves secured five pins in the win.

“It’s always rough with the schedule we have,” said junior heavyweight Roman Rudisill, who pinned the Falcons’ Connor Dindak with one minute, 42 seconds left in the third period of a scoreless bout. “We battled on Monday and we lost. It can be difficult to come back from that, but we showed spirit.”

“Rudisill’s tough for us,” Absegami coach Shawn Scannell said. “He weathered a storm. He’s tough when he’s on top. When he gets on top, he’s tough to stop.”

Rudisill picked up the second win of the night. The first came from 220-pounder Tiger Kirvay, who pinned Trevor Tunney with two seconds left in the first period of the night’s first varsity bout.

“Me and Tiger focus on being strong in the upper weights and getting 12 points early,” Rudisill said.

While upperclassmen such as Rudisill, senior 152-pounder Jack Willette (pinned Justin Mitchell), senior 170-pounder Alvin Mears (8-2 win over Liam Barry) and junior Andrew Gabros (pinned Chrisopher Heitzer at 160 pounds) picked up big wins, the younger wrestlers also shined on Wednesday night.

Freshman Yanni Patsaros continued his strong season with a 12-2 victory over Oakcrest sophomore Miles Townsend at 120 pounds to give the Braves a 22-6 lead. Patsaros picked up his eighth win of the season after a slow start. He started the season at 113 pounds, Scannell said.

“He lives and breathes wrestling all year. He learns quickly and he has a big future,” Scannell said. “He’s picked up our system and he’s improving each match. We’re excited to work with him for four years.”

Sophomore Robert Mears trailed Matthew Tull for a large portion of their 145-pound match, but made his two-point deficit null and void when he put Tull on the mat for the win with 1:24 left in the bout.

“He works hard every day, and he deserves it,” Scannell said.

Sophomore Chris Harvey picked up a 17-6 win over Najsir McCoy at 126 pounds.

“We have a lot of young guys, but wins builds confidence,” Scannell said. “Chris Harvey gets better every match. He works hard on things, and for him to get this win is a step in the right direction.”

“The younger guys just need more experience,” Rudisill said. “We hope they continue to develop. At the end of the season, they could compete in districts.”

Rudisill is 12-5 this season, and is aiming for a 25-win campaign and a place in districts. He placed in districts at the junior varsity level last year.

Absegami improved to 4-7 for the season Oakcrest dropped to 3-5.