Highland wrestlers victorious in dual meet

By Susanna Granieri
Posted 12/19/19

The Highland High School varsity boys wrestling team returned to their home mat this past Thursday in a victorious dual-meet featuring Fallsburg and Rondout Valley.

The Huskies began the meet …

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Highland wrestlers victorious in dual meet

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The Highland High School varsity boys wrestling team returned to their home mat this past Thursday in a victorious dual-meet featuring Fallsburg and Rondout Valley.

The Huskies began the meet against non-league opponents, the Fallsburg Comets, defeating them 48-22. For both teams, both the 99 and 106 weight classes had no wrestlers, forcing a no contest. Fallsburg was forced to forfeit the 113, 120 and 126 classes. Before any wrestling took place, Highland was in the lead 18-0.

In the 132 class, Jason Aguilar fell to Highland’s Shawn Keeffe with a first period pin almost a minute in. The Comets once again were forced to forfeit the 138, 145 and 152 weight classes. The wrestling started up again in the 160 weight class where Luke Oefelein earned one of two wins for Fallsburg. Oefelien defeated Dan Rodriguez with a 38-second pin in the first period.

Rob Denman, Fallsburg second winner, defeated Logan Moore in the 170 weight class after a full-fleshed match. In the first period Denman came on strong, earning two back points. In the second period Denman earned a point against Moore’s stalling, followed by two sets of three points in the third period. Denman finished with the victory, 12-0. The scoreboard now read 42-10.

Highland had their third forfeit of the day in the 182 weight class, followed by no contest between the Comets and the Huskies for the 195 class and another Highland forfeit in 220. Fallsburg finished the meet in forfeit for the 285 match. Highland clinched the win, earning a total of 42 points off of Fallsburg’s forfeits.

Next up was league opponent Rondout Valley, but both teams began at 113 following no contests in 99 and 106 weight classes.

Peter Bender started it off for the Huskies with a win over Lucas Ospina during the 113 contest. Earning two sets of backpoints in the first period, Bender defeated Ospina 4-1. Following Bender’s victory, the Huskies forfeited the 120 match. Highland now trailed 6-3.

The only loss of the meet for the Huskies was from Keeffe, who battled three periods against Logan Erlwein in the 126 weight class match. In the first period Keeffe came out strong, but in the second Erlwein fought back, earning three back points. Slowing down the match and breaking Keeffe’s momentum, Erlwein called for blood time with only 30 seconds remaining in the match. Sadly for Keeffe, he almost earned two back points at the buzzer, but it was too late – he lost 4-2.

After a forfeit from Highland in the 132 weight class, the scoreboard now read 15-9. Ayden Bahr came in hot for the Huskies in the 138 match with a first period 36-second pin over Eric Oakley. Rondout forfeited the 145 weight class, upping the score 21-9. Both Highland and Rondout forfeited 145, and Rondout forfeited 152, 160 and 170 – the score was now 39-9.

“Forfeits make it hard to earn a dual-meet victory,” said Rondout Valley Head Coach Maxwell Stratton. “This was our third official dual-meet, and with five to six forfeits every time, we give away a lot of points.”

Stratton has been the assistant varsity wrestling coach for Rondout for the past five years, but this year he became head coach.

“This is our full squad so we have a lack of weight classes,” Stratton said. “Christian Custer, our only senior, is a natural born leader and role model, but is dealing with his weight problem and wasn’t in the lineup today.”

Both teams forfeited 182, but Ben Swart defeated the Ganders’ Robert Jansen in the 195 match with a first period 52-second pin. Highland was now leading 45-9. After another no contest for both teams in the 220 weight class, Shamar Gitters defeated Alec Bollin in the 285 class with a first period 26-second pin – the fastest of the meet. The Huskies were victorious, beating the Ganders 51-9.

Gitters practices two hours a day with the rest of the team, and has been in the 285 weight class since his sophomore year starting on varsity.

“I feel like I didn’t know if it would be a definite win,” Gitters said. “I put in the work and it was a much easier match than I thought.”

The boys are back at home on Jan. 11 against New Paltz for a tournament.