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MILTON -- Prior to Thursday's dual meet against Milton, Lewisburg head coach Jim Snyder told his team about the match within the match the Green Dragons needed to control.
From 106 through 120 pounds, the two teams were young, and it appeared to be a spot Milton could make the dual real close in a hurry. But Lewisburg accomplished just what Snyder was hoping for, winning two of the three bouts to help the Green Dragons to a 48-22 win over the Black Panthers.
With the dual starting in the heart of the strength of Lewisburg's lineup, the Green Dragons took a 22-3 lead, winning four of the first five bouts. But Justin Gessner (technical fall) and Gavin Sheriff (decision) all but put the dual away with wins at 113 and 120.
"We called it the Mice Olympics," Snyder said of the lightweight matches. "That was a mini match, we want to have more points than Milton in those three matches."
Sheriff, a freshman, drove a stake through Milton's collective heart with an unreal win at 120 pounds which put the Green Dragons up 30-7 with two forfeits following. He did it by fighting off takedowns four times in the third period and overtime on the edge of the mat.
He was able to gain new life after new life until, with one second left in the tie-break, Milton's Nick Deresky was called for locking hands around Sheriff's legs as Sheriff tried to kick away. The penalty point as time expired gave Sheriff a 7-6 win in a bout which was as much about guts as anything else.
"Win some, lose some," said Milton head coach Colin Nagy, who argued a couple of the non-takedown calls and the final locking hands call. "That's one I think could have gone our way, and maybe should have gone our way. But at the end of the day, it is what it is and it's part of the sport."
Sheriff took a 6-1 lead in the first period when he hit a four-point move and added a takedown. But Deresky battled back with a reversal and a cradle for two points to make it 6-5. Sheriff gave Deresky an escape point to start the third and tie the bout, and it's when Deresky went to work on his feet.
Four times it looked like the Milton junior had a takedown, only to be called out of bounds because he had just one foot in the circle. Deresky was close to getting an escape in the first 30-second tie-break period, but Sheriff rode him out. Sheriff got loose in the second 30-second tie-break, forcing Deresky to scramble and wrap up both ankles like a football player. But as Sheriff tried to kick away, it's when Deresky was called for locking hands to give Sheriff the win.
"(Sheriff) seemed real calm throughout that. A bunch of times he looked calm. I wasn't as calm," Snyder said. "It was good to get that win."
By the time Milton reached its big horses in Noah Stamm and Logan Bennett at 138 and 145 pounds, respectively, Lewisburg already had a 29-point lead and a win sewn up. Stamm needed just a minute to pick up a fall, and Bennett needed just 1:06 to earn a fall, the 101st win of his career.
Lewisburg improved to 13-4 and is closing in on a home match for the first round of the District 4 Duals tournament in two weeks. Milton (10-8) has also clinched a spot in the Duals.
"Our goal is to be back here in a few weeks. Our goals is always to be back here," Snyder said. "The match just started in a bad spot for (Milton) tonight, and it couldn't have started in a better spot for us."
170: Trey Delbaugh, L, maj. dec. Colton Aikey, 17-4. 182: Andrew Shedleski, L, won by forfeit. 195: Dakotah Snyder, L, pinned Brent Mitch, 1:22. 220: Brent Engleman, M, dec. Hunter Murphy, 3-2. 285: Lance Klinefelter, pinned Nevin Aeppli, 1:22. 106: Tanner Walter, M, maj. dec. Cole Temple, 8-0. 113: Justin Gessner, L, tech. fall Colton Taylor, 15-0, 4:54. 120: Gavin Sheriff, L, dec. Nick Deresky, 7-6, tb. 126: Rusty Schwartz, L, won by forfeit. 132: Broghan Persun, L, won by forfeit. 138: Noah Stamm, M, pinned Ronald Lentz, 1:00. 145: Logan Bennett, M, pinned Aaron Strosser, 1:06. 152: Chase Prutzman, L, pinned Haiden DeBerry, 1:44. 160: Bryan Smith, M, dec. Zane Yoder, 12-5.
Takedowns: Lewisburg 8, Milton 6.
Official: Mike Litzelman. Records: Lewisburg (13-4); Milton (10-8).