WAYNESBORO – Whenever Waynesboro and Shippensburg get together on the mat, it’s usually competitive – even when it looks like it’s not when you look at the final score.
Case in point: Waynesboro led 30-12 going into the final three bouts. What looked like a safe lead could have quickly turned into a tie if the Greyhounds secured six points in all three. Well, Shippensburg got 12 points.
Waynesboro 285-pounder Cort Myers, who along with 15 others on Senior Night was honored prior to a Mid-Penn Colonial Division contest on Wednesday, Jan. 17, put an abrupt end to the suspense when he pinned Wyatt Holderman in 2:49. The six-point win gave Waynesoro a 36-12 lead and clinched the win. The Greyhounds closed the gap to the final score of 36-24.
“Cort hit him in a hip roll and turned it into a half(nelson),” said Waynesboro head coach David Swink, who is calling it quits after six seasons as the top coach of the varsity team. Swink coached the middle school team before that. Both of his sons (Isaac and Elliott) wrestled on the varsity team. “He’s really doing well. Cort is having a good season.”
It was Waynesboro’s third straight dual meet victory. The Indians end the dual meet portion of the schedule on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at West Perry.
The night began with a forfeit awarded to Waynesboro’s Steven Howard.
Senior Colin Young won by decision (5-2) in the 133-pound bout, and Jayden Rooney won by forfeit at 139 pounds to give Waynesboro a 15-0 lead.
“That was a nice win by Colin,” Swink said. “He works hard. He had a nice takedown there in the third period that made it 5-2. He was holding on to a one-point lead.”
But the Greyhounds came roaring back with three straight wins. Ayden Estep pinned Calvin Myers in 1:49 at 145 pounds; Isaiah Alcantara decisioned Wyatt Lowans, 6-3, in the 152-pound match; and Eddie Alcantara outlasted Tyler Rooney in sudden victory, 11-9 at 160 pounds.
Waynesboro entered the 172-pound contest with a tenuous 15-12 lead and needed some points.
Swink uttered the words, “We need six” as Logan Lowans took to the mat against Brayden Home. Lowans must have heard him, because the senior went on to dominate Home before securing a pin in 3:43. Lowans led 5-0 after the first period after getting a takedown and turning it into a half-nelson. Lowans led 7-1 at the time of the fall.
“We needed that match,” Swink said. “We kind of needed that to turn the tempo. I knew we had Titus (Mong), Caden (Shockey) and Cort coming up.”
Lowans turned up the heat on Shippensburg and Mong made things even hotter with a first-period fall against Marcus Shoemaker at 189 pounds. Shockey followed up with a 7-3 decision at 215 pounds, setting up Myers for the meet-clinching pin.