Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Boston University
Black Knights Fall To Boston University, 29-12
January 29, 2011 | Wrestling
WEST POINT, N.Y. - The Army wrestling team concluded a busy day of dual matches by dropping a 29-12 decision to Boston University in a non-conference matchup Saturday afternoon at Gillis Field House.
Boston University, which defeated Army for the first time since 2002, improves to 7-5-1 on the season. The Black Knights, who beat Brown (28-13) and fell to Harvard (21-12) earlier in the day, see their record dip to 7-6 on the year.
BU got off to a fast start as Bubba McGinley secured a 9-1 major decision against Army freshman David White in the 125-pound matchup and Fred Santaite authored a 12-2 major decision opposite Black Knight sophomore Jordan Thome at 133 pounds.
McGinley posted three takedowns in the first period and cruised to his win, while Santaite recorded two takedowns and a pair of near falls in his victory.
Senior Casey Thome put Army on the scoreboard as the Troy, Ohio, native pinned Jordan Frease in the 141-pound bout. Thome took Frease to the mat early in the second period, earning the pin in 3 minutes, 23 seconds. The win by fall pulled the Black Knights to within two points of the Terriers (8-6).
Thome, who has won seven straight matches dating back to the New York State Championships, was happy to end the day with a pin.
"I couldn't get my turns going in the first period, and I want to score points," said Thome, who led 2-0 after the opening frame. "Coach told me to cut him in the second period when he chose down and I just went after it. There was an opening and I was able to stick the kid. It was nice.
"I feel blessed to be able to come out here and wrestle and stay healthy and get three more wins under my belt," said Thome. "I definitely feel like I have some momentum going as we head into the next couple of weeks, when it really matters the most."
BU extended its advantage to 11-6 as Nestor Taffur defeated Army senior Nicholas Bundy, 9-3, in the 149-pound matchup.
Army responded by winning the next two bouts to move in front 12-11. Junior Jimmy Rafferty picked up a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Nick Tourville at 157 pounds, bringing the Black Knights to within 11-9 at the halfway point of the match. Rafferty earned a takedown midway through the third period to break a 1-1 tie and he was able to hold on for the victory.
Freshman Alex Smith then took a 6-2 decision from Kyle Czarnecki in the 165-pound bout, giving Army its first lead of the contest.
The Black Knights' advantage was short lived, however, as Hunter Meys pinned Army junior Michael Gorman in the 174-pound matchup. Meys needed just 1:37 to earn the pin, which put BU in front for good, 17-12. The Terriers won the final three matchups to round out the scoring.
BU's Brock Mantella blanked Army sophomore Robert Doyle, 6-0, at 184 pounds, John Hall took a 6-0 decision from Black Knight junior Daniel Mills in the 197-pound clash and Kevin Innis earned a win by medical forfeit opposite Army senior Jacob Bohn in the heavyweight bout.
"Every match that we wrestle, because of the dynamics within the team, is going to come down to finding a way to win individual matches. Today, we only did that one out of three times. It all comes down to how we execute out on the mat. It was a tough day because two of the three matches have an 'L' attached to the end of them, and none of us want that and none of us are happy with that."
Heskett was pleased with the way Casey Thome and Smith performed over the course of the busy day.
"It's not the best I've seen Casey wrestle all year, but he wrestled pretty well," said Heskett. "It was a great weekend for him. It was tough competition and it was nice for him to go 3-0. He's a captain and a senior leader, and that's the type of effort we expect to see from him.
"Alex Smith is still growing into the weight class and for him to go 3-0 was excellent, considering that two weeks ago he was a 149-pounder. That consistency is exactly what we need to see heading into the end of the season. He's going to be a staple in this program for the next three years, so that was huge."
Heskett is looking forward to seeing how his young team can perform at next weekend's All-Academy Championships as the Black Knights look to build off of today's effort.
"It's going to be a great competition (next weekend). We're going to see Navy and Air Force, and it will be an opportunity to showcase how far we've come in six months. This sport is all about growth, experience and confidence, so I think today was a good learning day for Army wrestling. Unfortunately, we didn't come out on top in two of the three matches."
Army returns to the tournament circuit on Sunday, Feb. 6, when the Black Knights travel to Charleston, S.C., to compete in the Academy Championships.
Match Notes: Army is now 5-4 all-time versus Boston University ... Casey Thome and Alex Smith were the only Army wrestlers to post a perfect 3-0 records on the day ... Casey Thome moves into a tie with his younger brother Jordan Thome for the team lead in wins (21) ... Casey Thome's 11-2 record in dual matches leads the team ... Casey Thome's seven pins are also tied for most on the team ... after beginning the day in ninth place, Casey Thome now stands in sole possession of seventh place on Army's all-time wins list (104) ... Alex Smith leads all Army freshmen with 18 wins this season.
Boston University 29, Army 12
125: Bubba McGinley (B) maj. dec. David White, 9-1
133: Fred Santaite (B) maj. dec. Jordan Thome, 12-2
141: Casey Thome (A) pinned Jordan Frease, 3:23
149: Nestor Taffur (B) dec. Nicholas Bundy, 9-3
157: Jimmy Rafferty (A) dec. Nick Tourville, 3-2
165: Alex Smith (A) dec. Kyle Czarnecki, 6-2
174: Hunter Meys (B) pinned Michael Gorman, 1:37
184: Brock Mantella (B) dec. Robert Doyle, 6-0
197: John Hall (B) dec. Daniel Mills, 6-0
285: Kevin Innis (B) med. forfeit Jacob Bohn, 3:14
Players Mentioned
