Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Navy
Army Falls To Navy In Star Match
February 20, 2011 | Wrestling
WEST POINT, N.Y. - The 55th installment of the Army-Navy wrestling rivalry was contested inside Christl Arena on Saturday evening with the Midshipmen winning seven of the 10 bouts en route to a 24-9 victory over the Black Knights.
Navy won the first three bouts to take an early 11-0 lead, but Army responded to win the next three matchups and trim the Mids' advantage to 11-9. Navy finished off the match by winning the final four contests to set the final margin.
Navy improves to 5-3 on the season, while Army slips to 7-8.
The match began at 197 pounds with Navy's Oscar Huntley scoring a 15-6 major decision victory opposite Army junior Orion Ross. Huntley was credited with six takedowns en route to the bonus-point win.
The Midshipmen won the next two bouts to extend their lead to 11-0. Dan Miller took an 11-4 decision from Black Knight junior Daniel Mills in the heavyweight bout, and Aaron Kalil followed by securing an 8-0 major decision against Army junior Travis Coffey in the 125-pound bout.
Army got on the scoreboard in the 133-pound matchup as junior Jordan Thome picked up a 7-2 decision versus Navy's Allen Stein. Thome recorded a takedown, reversal and near fall in order to pick up the victory.
The Black Knights' momentum carried into the 141-pount bout as senior Casey Thome took a 7-3 decision from Dustin Haislip. Thome, who nearly pinned Haislip late in the second period, accumulated approximately four minutes of riding time in the convincing win.
Junior Daniel Young made it three wins in a row for Army and cut the Black Knights' deficit to 11-9 as he blanked Joe Locksmith, 5-0, in the 149-pound matchup. The score was deadlocked at 0-0 heading to the third period, but Young escaped to start the stanza and added a takedown later in the frame. He picked up single points for stalling and riding time to round out the scoring.
Navy halted Army's string of victories at 157 pounds as Bryce Saddoris took an 8-4 decision from Army junior Jimmy Rafferty. Rafferty stayed close with one of the top wrestlers in the nation, but Saddoris was able to secure the win and extend Navy's lead to 14-9.
The Midshipmen won the three remaining bouts to secure the match. Mason Bailey scored a late takedown to rally for a 5-3 victory over Army freshman Alex Smith in the 165-pound bout, Matt DeMichiel edged Black Knight sophomore Collin Wittmeyer, 3-1, at 174 pounds and Luke Rebertus authored an 11-3 major decision opposite Army freshman Wil Brown.
"The bottom line is that we fought hard, but this is not a sport where you get an 'E' for effort," said first-year head coach Joe Heskett. "You've got to get the 'W' for win. I loved the effort that we put out, and going in I knew we would have some uphill battles in some of the individual matchups, but we put ourselves in position to win, especially at 165 and 174.
"Collin Wittmeyer's effort was phenomenal," said Heskett. "I think that's what he needs to have to hit the next level, because he's only a sophomore. Seeing that type of effort gives me a lot of comfort knowing that we have him for another two years. I think it was a great turning point for him.
"There were some bright spots in that we won the matches we were favored to win at 133, 141 and 149," added Heskett. "Other than that, there are not a lot of positives when you think about losing to Navy.
Army will close out the dual match portion of its 2010-11 schedule on Tuesday, Feb. 22, when the Black Knights travel to Hempstead, N.Y., to battle Hofstra in a non-league contest. The match was originally slated for Jan. 19, but was postponed due to a snowstorm that blanketed much of the Northeast that day.
Match Notes: Army falls to 5-45-5 all-time versus Navy ... the Midshipmen are 13-0-1 since the Black Knights' last series win in 1997 ... tonight's dual marked Army's only appearance at Christl Arena this season ... 777 spectators attended this evening's contest ... prior to the match, Army's seven seniors - Jacob Bohn, Nicholas Bundy, Rudy Chelednik, Kirk Landon, Patrick Smith, Casey Thome and Jake Vetter - were honored in a special Senior Day ceremony ... between the fifth and sixth bouts, dozens of Army wrestling alumni were formally recognized ... the group of wrestling alumni were seated together in a special area located right next to the mat ... Casey Thome improves to 26-9 on the season and 13-2 in dual matches ... both marks lead the team ... Thome has won 12 straight matches.
Navy 24, Army 9
125: Aaron Kalil (N) maj. dec. Travis Coffey, 8-0
133: Jordan Thome (A) dec. Allen Stein, 7-2
141: Casey Thome (A) dec. Dustin Haislip, 7-3
149: Daniel Young (A) dec. Joe Locksmith, 5-1
157: Bryce Saddoris (N) dec. Jimmy Rafferty, 8-4
165: Mason Bailey (N) dec. Alex Smith, 5-3
174: Matt DeMichiel (N) dec. Collin Wittmeyer, 3-1
184: Luke Rebertus (N) maj. dec. Wil Brown, 11-3
197: Oscar Huntley (N) maj. dec. Orion Ross, 15-6
285: Dan Miller (N) dec. Daniel Mills, 11-4
Note: The match began at 197 pounds
Players Mentioned
