Army falls to Navy in 20-13 Star Series Battle

Friday, February 12

West Point, N.Y.

6 PM

Army West Point

Navy

Army falls to Navy in 20-13 Star Series Battle

February 12, 2021 | Wrestling

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Black Knights and the Midshipmen battled to the final bout on Friday night in pursuit of the coveted star series victory. Despite a strong comeback effort and a battle to the 157lb matchup, Army picked up a 20-13 loss in their final dual match of the year.

Prior to the match, Army hosted its annual senior day festivities where the Black Knights honored their 13 senior wrestlers for their hard work and dedication to this program over the last four years. Army's senior class included Taylor Brown, Eldon Davis-Picou, Sean Fitzsimons, Beau Guffey, Bobby Heald, Ryan Hetrick, Gunnar Larson, Will Lucie, Nico Manzonelli, Bennett Paulson, Lane Peters, Jimmy Saylor and Jed Smith.

The Black Knights saw two great victories from underclassman today, much of which allowed them to keep a close distance with the Mids. Ben Pasiuk opened things up for Army with a dominant 12-3 major decision victory over Dean Caravela in the 174lb bout, his second straight win of the year.

Freshman Mark Montgomery has proven to be a staple for the Black Knights at 133lbs as well, powering to a 6-3 decision that moved Army back within three points heading into the final three matches.

Army's veteran wrestlers made their presence on known at 149lbs and 197lbs, securing the other two victories for the Black Knights. J.T. Brown and P.J. Ogunsanya each grabbed a win in their respective bouts, JT taking a 9-4 decision from Jacob Koser and PJ moving to an 8-4 decision over Casey Cobb.

How It Happened –

165 | Will Lucie vs. No. 14 Tanner Skidgel, (L) 11-2 Major Decision, 4-0 Navy

174 | Ben Pasiuk vs. Dean Caravela, (W) 12-3 Major Decision, 4-4

184 | Taylor Brown vs. David Key, (L) 5-2 Decision, 7-4 Navy

197 | J.T. Brown vs. Jacob Koser, (W) 9-4 Decision, 7-7

285 | Bobby Heald vs. Jonathan Birchmeier, (L) 6-4 Decision, 10-7 Navy

125 | Ryan Chauvin vs. Logan Treaster, (L) 6-2 Decision, 13-7 Navy

133 | Mark Montgomery vs. Jacob Allen, (W) 6-3 Decision, 13-10 Navy

141 | Lane Peters vs. Cody Trybus, (L) 5-1 Decision, 16-10 Navy

149 | P.J. Ogunsanya vs. Casey Cobb, (W) 8-4 Decision, 16-13 Navy

157 | Christian Hunt vs. Andrew Cerniglia, (L) 14-3 Major Decision, 20-13

Coach Ward's Thoughts:
"That was a hard fought dual meet. I'm disappointed in the result but so proud of our guys for the way they fought. We gave ourselves a chance to win the dual meet when not many people outside of our program thought we had a chance. If we closed out a couple of those third periods we would be celebrating right now, the margins are that thin.

But as much as this stings, it's a performance we will grow from. We had some performances that can propel us to bigger things and this time of year you want to believe you're capable of more and start reaching for it."

Up Next: The Black Knights have a quick break before returning to action at the conference tournament in Manheim, PA on February 26^th.