Bounce-back Barons
B-CC wrestling defeats Panthers 31-28
With the Bethesda-Chevy Chase wrestling team tied with Paint Branch at 28, the Barons sent their best wrestler to the mat. Former state qualifier, 171-pounder Noah Joseph, answered the bell and he defeated Greg Smith, 12-6, to give the Barons a 31-28 comeback victory.
"I hate going last," said Joseph, who normally wrestles at 160 pounds. "I wrestled kind of sloppy and I wanted the pin. I wanted some back points and to tilt him, but that wasn't working because the weight just gets to you. I knew I had to get the win because my teammates tied it up, I had to finish."
Added B-CC head coach Nick Arnone: "I was real happy when we pulled 189 [to start the match] because we had the luxury of having Noah go there. But it wasn't him that won the match. He obviously did his job, but the other kids stepped up."
Trailing 28-19 with three matches remaining, the Barons (4-1 overall, 3-1 Division I) were able to rally for three consecutive wins.
"I am real happy right now with the way they just kept going," said Arnone. "That's what coach [Josh] Singer and myself have been trying to tell them: Don't back down and just keep fighting and things are going to happen for you.' This is the first time all year we did that."
After Paint Branch's (8-4, 2-2) Garrett Hoover (145) pinned Zack Saraf in 1 minute, 43 seconds, the outcome looked bleak for the Barons.
However, B-CC's Lance Ingram (152) cut the Panthers lead to three, 28-25 with a fall. Ingram was able to use a textbook power half-nelson to turn Chase Hunt in 1:18.
At 160 pounds B-CC's David Kunsberg won by decision, 7-6, over Davon Whitaker to tie the match. Kunsberg trailed 6-4 heading into the third period, but Whitaker decided concede a point and start neutral.
With 1:15 left in the third Kunsberg was able to secure the deciding takedown.
"In the end, it was conditioning," said Kunsberg. "That's what really paid off for me. … I don't know if he lost his balance or tried to take a re-shot, but that was when I saw I had a real gap to come around and get two."
Collins Nitcheu (189), Ethan Ebinger (112), Adam Pereira (119), Jonah Goldman (130) and James Roach (140) were victorious for the Barons.
Ian Danson (215), Win Mensah (285), Danny Scher (125) and Michael Roberts (135) won for the Panthers, while Viraj Shah received a forfeit victory at 103.
"I knew it would be a tight match," said Paint Branch head coach Rick Smith. "We had some opportunities and we didn't take advantage of them and it came back to bite us."