WAYNESBORO – The Waynesboro varsity wrestling team had the advantage in numbers, but head coach David Swink knew at the outset how important bonus points were going to be when the Indians hosted the Shippensburg Greyhounds Thursday in a Mid-Penn Colonial Division matchup on Senior Night.
It turns out that the bonus points registered by Jayden Rooney, Bodie Rouzer and Kaden Rouzer were very important. Rooney worked for a 16-1 technical fall in the 120-pound bout, while Bodie Rouzer recorded a first-period pin at 138 pounds and Kaden Rouzer wrestled to a 18-1 technical fall at 145 pounds to help lead Waynesboro to a 37-24 victory.
“We did OK, we really did,” Swink said after the meet. “Shippensburg has a good team; they don’t have a big team, but they have a strong team. We came out and did what we needed to do, got the bonus points when we needed them.
“Kudos to Shippensburg, because they came to wrestle.”
Waynesboro recognized seniors Bodie Rouzer, Kaden Rouzer, Colby Bittorie and Joaquin Perez-Duenas.
Rooney started things off with a technical fall. Waynesboro’s Calvin Myers (126) and Garrett Price (132) both received forfeits, setting up Bodie Rouzer’s 25-second fall at 138 pounds. Kaden Rouzer followed with another five-point win to give the Indians a 28-0 lead.
But instead of piling on even more points, Waynesboro back-pedaled as Shippensburg chipped away.
Returning state place winner Dominic Frantino notched a first-period pin in the 152-pound match for the Greyhounds first points of the night.
Waynesboro’s Colby Bittorie interrupted Shippensburg’s comeback with a 13-8 decision at 160 pounds. Bittorie fell behind 5-0 but responded with a five-point move to tie things up after the first period. Bittorie then won the second period 5-1 and held on for the win with a late reversal.
The Greyhounds won the next three bouts to get to within 31-18 but it wasn’t enough.
