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January 30, 2012

CCS wrestles with the ‘Big Dogs’

BY GREG KLEIN

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Cooperstown’s wrestling revival got a reality check on Saturday in the form of visiting Dolgeville. Both teams came in undefeated in the Center State Conference, but only the Blue Devils left that way after a 64-10 win over the Redskins. “Dolgeville is definitely a tough team. Top to bottom, they really don’t have any weak spots on their roster,” Cooperstown coach Micaiah Abts said.

“I emphasized to our guys before the match that wrestling tough kids is a great way to get a read on how we are progressing,” he said.

“Beating an opponent from an average team often says more about the opponent than it does about us; any success we earn against a tough team, though, we know we have earned. Our job now is to work to close the gap,” Abts continued.

J.P. Gertz’s 57-second pin of Austin Burton at 285 pounds and Jacob Miller’s 18-4 major decision over Ian Nagle at 138 pounds were the wins for Cooperstown.

“Any success we can earn against a tough team like Dolgeville helps build our confidence in our program and the technique we’re using,” Abts said. “Jacob has been enjoying a very solid junior campaign; he has become much better at being able to score points in bunches, as he demonstrated in the third period of his match. He turned a somewhat close match into a blowout.”

Gertz was kept out of competition last weekend due to illness, according to Abts.

“It was great to see him return to the mat with so much confidence and aggressiveness,” he said. “Despite being a freshman, he has picked up some of the nuances of heavyweight wrestling quickly, and he is in a position to place at the year-end tournaments,” Abts said. In the most competitive matches of the day, the Redskins lost both bouts narrowly.

At 113 pounds, in the meet’s opening contest, Mikey Boyle got a rematch against Blue Devil Ben Nastovski. Nastovski won the Central New York tournament last weekend, beating Boyle by three points in the semi-finals. This weekend, Boyle trailed 6-2 midway through thematch, but scored escape points at the end of the second period and start of the third period to close the gap to 6-4. Needing a take down to tie the match in the final minute, Boyle was the aggressor, shooting in on Nastovski several times. However, he was unable to get the points, and in the final seconds, Nastovski got one final takedown to win the match 8-4.

At 195 pounds, the match was even closer as Kevin Segit faced Dolgeville’s Travis Kopet. The match went back and forth with both wrestlers leading on points, and each having a shot at a pinfall.

In the decisive third period, Segit started in down position, and got a reversal to take a 9-7 lead. Kopet was close to being turned over, but Segit got out of position trying for the pin, and Kopet got a reversal to tie the score at 9-9. In the waning seconds, Segit tried for an escape to win the match, and got to his feet, but Kopet slammed him to the mat hard and turned Segit just before the buzzer to get a near fall and win the match 11-9.

“Kevin’s match showed how much progress he has made,” Abts said.

“Kevin has wrestled Kopet on a couple of occasions, never making it to the third period. We know we can go toe-to-toe with Kopet now, and we’re optimistic that we’ll get another chance to wrestle him at the CSC tourney.”

The meet, the second and final home meet of the season, was senior day for the Redskins, which have just one senior in William Murphy. Although Murphy lost his match at 170 pounds to Ricky Lyon, Abts said his contributions to the program have been big.

“Will has been an instrumental part of building the program,” Abts said. “While Will has won his share of matches, he has been more valuable to the program in helping the team as a whole improve. The work that Will has put in during practices has helped our younger wrestlers progress more quickly, and has helped push our other veterans to keep improving as well.”

Cooperstown, which went 3-1 in conference dual meets, will compete in the Center State Conference Championships at 9 a.m. Saturday at Adirondack.

DOLGEVILLE 64, COOPERSTOWN 10

at Cooperstown; Match started at 113

99 _ Noah Handy (D) major dec. Jacob Russell, 13- 0; 106 _ Daniel Fox

(D) pinned Nate Miller, 2:32; 113 _ Ben Nastovski (D) dec. Mikey

Boyle, 8-4; 120 _ Josh Gross (D) forfeit; 126 _ Stephen Gross (D)

forfeit; 132 _ Triston Engle (D) pinned T.J. Fay, :19; 138 _ Jacob

Miller (C) major dec. Ian Nagle, 18-4; 145 _ Jimmy Doolittle (D)

forfeit; 152 _ Kaleb Smith (D) forfeit; 160 _ Jason Krester (D)

forfeit; 170 _ Ricky Lyon (D) pinned Will Murphy, 3:26; 182 _ Kasey

Foster (D) pinned Cullen Rathbone, 1:28; 195 _ Travis Kopet (D) dec.

Kevin Segit, 11-9; 220 _ no match; 285 _ J.P.

Gertz (C) pinned Austin Burton, :57

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