Wrestling | 12/3/2023 11:30:00 PM

LANCASTER, Pa. – The Bloomsburg wrestling team went 2-2 on Sunday at the Franklin & Marshall Duals. The Huskies defeated VMI (27-12) and Presbyterian (38-8), before falling to Michigan State (49-0) and host F&M (27-12).
 
Graduate student Bronson Garber (Millersburg, Pa./Upper Dauphin) got the Huskies off on the right foot with a 5-2 decision over Anthony Burke of VMI. He controlled the match from the beginning with an early first period takedown and only allowed two escape points during the 125-pound match.
 
After two wins for VMI at 133 and 141, Cade Balestrini (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy) got the Huskies back on a track with a pin in the 149-pound match over Eric Doran. Balestrini built a sizable lead with four takedowns and an escape to lead 13-3 before his final takedown pushed his lead to 16-3. That takedown led to Balestrini's pin at 6:23 to tie the match 9-9.
 
William Morrow (Harleysville, Pa./North Penn) gave the Huskies 12-9 lead with a 8-4 decision over Josh Yost at 157-pounds after getting a pair of takedowns late and sealed the match with a late third-period takedown. Caden Dobbins (Dallastown, Pa./Dallastown) kept it going for the Huskies at 165-pounds with a 6-0 decision over Luke Hart. Dobbins got a takedown in the first period and collected a stall point, an escape and the riding point for the 6-0 win.
 
Josh Bonomo (Sweet Valley, Pa./Lake-Lehman) pushed the Huskies' match lead to 18-9 with a 4-0 decision at 174-pounds over Riley Finck. Bonomo got a takedown in the second period to take a 3-0 lead before earning the riding time point for the 4-0 win. Tanner Culver (Hartland, Mich./Hartland) quickly gave the Huskies a 24-9 lead with an early first period pin at 184-pounds. After scoring a takedown over Braxton Lewis he got his pin at 0:52.
 
VMI halted the Huskies' run with a 8-5 sudden victory win at 197-pounds before Tyler McCatharn (Washington, N.J./Warren Hills) closed out the match with a 6-2 decision over Brian Jackson at 285-pounds. McCatharn held Jackson to just two defensive points and had a takedown early in the first, a reversal, and earned the riding time point.
 
The Huskies dominated Presbyterian with four pins and two major decisions for the 38-8 win. Garber and Michael Cassidy (New Cumberland, Pa./Cedar Cliff) started the match with back-to-back pins for Bloomsburg. Garber battled Trent Dominguez through most of the match at 125-pounds before getting his fall at 5:22. Cassidy followed with a fast pin at 133 pounds over Brayden Adams. Cassidy had an early first period takedown and a four-count nearfall before completing the pin at 2:48.
 
Presbyterian got on the board with a tech fall at 141-pounds but the Huskies strung together six-straight wins to break open the match. Balestrini got a major decision over Trent Donahue at 149-pounds with four takedowns, two reversals, and the riding time point for the 17-5 win. Morrow followed with a 15-6 major decision of his own over Elijah Holiday at 157-pounds. Holiday got out to an early 3-1 lead but Morrow got a stall warning point late in the second before an escape tied the match 3-3. Morrow finished out the match with four takedowns and allowed just three points on escapes in the second and third period.
 
Dobbins picked up his second decision of the day with a 12-7 win over Michael Ramirez at 165-pounds before Bonomo scored a pin at 174-pounds. He wasted little time for the pin as he got a take down early in the first and got the fall at 0:25. Culver followed suit with a pin at just 0:27 over Caleb Roe at 184-pounds.
 
Kolby Flank (Easton, Pa./Wilson Area) pulled out the Huskies final win of the match with a 4-2 decision over Connor Garren at 197-pounds. After a scoreless first period, Garren scored first with an escape in the second period before Flank got a takedown to lead 3-1. The two grapplers traded escape points as Flank held on for the 4-2 win.

Presbyterian closed out the match with a 5-2 decision at 285 but Bloomsburg had the match locked up long before the final bout.
 
After getting shutout by Michigan State, the Huskies rebounded against F&M in the last match of the day. Franklin & Marshall won the first three matches, a decision at 125 and two medical forfeits before Balestrini got on the board with his third win of the afternoon. He edged out Bryce Kresho at 149-pounds with a 10-9 decision. The two battled back and forth before Kresho lead 8-6 late in the third. Balestrini got a takedown late to take a 9-8 lead. Kresho got the escape to tie the match but Balestrini held the riding time point for the win.
 
Morrow followed with an 11-8 sudden victory overtime win at 157-pounds. The match ended 8-8 in regulation before Morrow got his takedown early in the overtime period for the win.
 
Dobbins earned a major decision over Josh Palmucci with an 8-0 shutout at 165-pounds to cut the F&M lead to 15-9 midway through the match. The Huskies lost one team point due to an unsportsmanlike conduct call.
 
F&M won the next three matches to take a 27-9 lead going into the final bout. Shane Noonan (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton Area) won his first and only match of the day with a 5-3 decision over Harrison Shapiro at 285-pounds. Noonan got an early takedown and after a reversal, got the escape to lead 4-2 after the first period. Shapiro had an escape in the second and third and Noonan had an escape in the third to win 5-3.
 
The Huskies return to action on Saturday when they travel to LIU for a 12:00 p.m. match in Brooklyn, N.Y.