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HERSHEY--Following a tough loss to a solid Berks Catholic team on Thursday night, the Canton Warriors were seeking revenge. The Warriors came out with the right mentality, winning the opening two bouts of their match with the Burrell Buccaneers.
But Burrell used a late comeback to overcome the Warriors early lead and win the opening round consolation match, 33-27.
The Warriors got off to a great start. Hudson Ward and Brenan Taylor picked up a pin and won by decision, respectively, to give the Warriors an early edge. Riley Parker, Michael Davis and Mason Nelson even picked up three victories in a row that gave the Warriors a much-needed advantage.
But down the stretch, four wins in a row by Burrell--including three close decisions and one pin--gave the Buccaneers enough leverage to tie the team score and win the final bout of the morning.
"I'm proud of them, they scratched and clawed," Canton coach Lyle Wesneski said regarding his team's performance. "We got some young kids that were in key situations. We had some ninth graders out there battling so they learned a lot and we didn't embarrass ourselves. I'm proud of them as a team."
The Warriors started off the consolation round with a 9-0 start. After losing the next bout, Canton's Riley Parker picked up a 3-2 decision victory to boost Canton's lead to 12-6. The Warriors won the next two matches when Michael Davis went ahead early with some early takedowns and rode out a 3-0 lead to an eventual pin.
In Mason Nelson's match, he earned a takedown that set the precedence for his match. Nelson was able to earn a pin in 3:43 after he locked up his opponent and denied any leverage. Nelson's match was able to give the Warriors a 21-6 lead.
"We started right where we wanted to," coach Wesneski said. "We knew when it came down to it they had some studs down low and we had to weather the storm. We had to win one of those matches and we just didn't."
Canton looked good after a few early matches, but then the tide started to turn a little bit. Burrell's forfeit victory cut Canton's lead to 21-12 and gave the Buccaneers enough hope to rally for a comeback.
"Hats off to them, they picked up the wins when they had to," coach Wesneski added.
Despite the loss, Canton wrestled a hard-fought match as a team. Despite losing Friday consolation match by one bout, coach Wesneski and his staff feel the entire team contributed to where they've gotten to this point.
Whether a wrestler wins his match, doesn't get pinned or earns points, the coaches are proud from top-to-bottom.
"Everybody's done something to help us," coach Wesneski said. "And that's important to us because that's what this is all about--(it's) bigger than me."
For a team that concluded their season with a 17-5 overall record, including nine wins in their conference without a loss, Canton heads back to the drawing board. With room to improve, the Warriors still have sectionals ahead to prepare for and focus on.
"I said to enjoy the moment, being down here together," coach Wesneski concluded. "It might not ever happen again. I told them we're going to get some rest, focus on our individual goals and get ready to go next Saturday."
Burrell 33, Canton 27
152 – Hudson Ward pinned Anthony Barbieri, 4:20 (0-6); 160 – Brenen Taylor dec. Nico Zanella, 3-1 SV (0-9); 172 – Isaac Lacinski pinned Hunter Wesneski, 1:31 (6-9); 189 – Riley Parker dec. Cameron Martin, 3-2 (6-12); 215 – Micheal Davis dec. Luke Boylan, 3-0 (6-15); 285 – Mason Nelson pinned Ian Quinn, 2:43 (6-21); 107 – Cameron Baker won by forfeit (12-21); 114 – Julian Bertucci dec. Lyle Vermilya, 7-4 (15-21); 121 – Calio Zanella dec. Cohen Landis, 5-1 (18-21); 127 – Jacob Stewart dec. Carson Rockwell, 3-2 (21-21); 133 – Cooper Hornack pinned Holden Ward, 2:10 (27-21); 139 – Hayden Ward pinned Brady Valovchik, 0:37 (27-27); 145 – Niko Ferra pinned Ryland Sakers, 4:11 (33-27).