Wrestling | 3/8/2024 7:09:00 PM
KENT, Ohio – The Bloomsburg wrestling team has a pair of wrestlers vying for the podium at the 2024 Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championship tournament as freshman
Caden Dobbins (Dallastown, Pa./Dallastown) and sophomore
William Morrow (Harleysville, Pa./North Penn) will take the mat on Saturday.
Dobbins won his first match of the day in the 165-pound bracket with a decisive 7-0 decision over Maxwell Kirby of Edinboro. The win over Kirby avenges Dobbins' loss earlier this season to the Fighting Scot as Kirby won 7-6 when they two met during the regular season. Dobbins controlled the match from the start and easily got his riding time point for the victory. Dobbins moved on to face Jake Silverstein of Rider for the first meeting between the two this season. Dobbins and Silverstein battled in an evenly match fight with each getting an escape their respective period when they started on the bottom. Dobbins got the benefit of a late third-period stall call against Silverstein to take the match, 2-1. The freshman faced the top-seed at 165 pounds in the tournament, Garrett Thompson of Ohio. Thompson used an escape, takedown, and the riding time to win 5-0 and send Dobbins to the wrestle back bracket. Dobbins wrestle for a spot in the third-place match to open the day on Saturday.
Morrow's path to Saturday started with a tough fall to the top-seeded Peyten Kellar of Ohio in the opening round of the 157-pound bracket. Morrow received a bye through to the consolation second round. In his win or go home match, Morrow took on Keegan Knapp of Kent State for the second time this season. Like Dobbins, Morrow used a 5-1 loss to Knapp in the regular season to fuel a revenge win as he won by a 4-2 decision. After the score was tied 1-1, Morrow got a takedown and Knapp got an escape, but Morrow kept him at bay for the victory. The sophomore will face Marcus Robinson of Cleveland State for a chance to advance in the consolation bracket and shot at the third-place match.
Junior
Cade Balestrini (Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy) had a strong championship tournament but finished the day 1-2. Balestrini won the first match of the day for the Huskies with a 5-1 decision over Douglas Terry, the No. 8 seed in the 149-pound bracket. The win matched Balestrini with Corbyn Munson, top-seeded wrestler out of Central Michigan. Balestrini put up a strong fight but Munson got the pin at 4:51. Balestrini faced Kyle Schickel from Clarion for the second time this season. Balestrini won the first meeting 15-13, but history did not repeat itself as Schickel out-lasted Balestrini in a back-and-forth affair, 17-15.
Bronson Garber (Millersburg, Pa./Upper Dauphin) fell in his first match of the 125-pound bracket, 16-4 to Davian Guanajuato of SIUE, and dropped his second match 8-1 to Adan Benavidez of Kent State.
Major Lewis (Camp Hill, Pa./Trinity) went 0-2 in the 133-pound bracket with a 20-3 tech fall to Richie Koehler of Rider and a 15-0 tech fall to Vincent Perez of Central Michigan.
Nolen Zeigler (Loysville, Pa./West Perry) was pinned at 2:36 by John Worthing of Clarion and dropped a 12-4 major decision to Paul Pierce of George Mason in the 174-pound bracket.
Anthony DeRosa (Milford, N.J./Bethlehem Catholic) dropped his first match 15-0 to Malachi DuVall of George Mason in the first round and bowed out of the 184-pound bracket with a 11-0 major decision loss to Adrien Cramer of Central Michigan.
Kolby Flank (Easton, Pa./Wilson Area) lost a tough 8-1 decision to Cameron Wood of Central Michigan in the first round and finished his tournament with a 7-3 loss to Jack Kilner of Edinboro.
Tyler McCatharn (Washington, N.J./Warren Hills) lost by a tech fall, 18-3, to Jacobi Jackson of Northern Illinois in the first round of the heavyweight bracket and finished his tournament with a tough 6-4 loss to Nicholas Lodato of Edinboro.
Dobbins and Morrow will represent Bloomsburg tomorrow in the final day of the 2024 MAC Wrestling Championships. The first matches get under way at 11:30 a.m. Mat assignments will be available tomorrow as well as links to live results and live streams.
