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Saturday, January 20
Mission Possible: L-S gets pins in final 3 match to Tie Wayland - 1.20.05
By Rick Smith - Metro West News Sports Writer
Thursday, January 20, 2005
WAYLAND -- On the surface, the situation was one notch above impossible. Just wasn't going to happen.
The visiting Lincoln-Sudbury wrestling team trailed Wayland by 18 points with just three weight classes remaining. The quick math tells you the only hope the blue-clad Warriors had for merely a tie was three consecutive pins. Well, L-S did exactly that as Tim Leggett (125), Eliot Gibbs (130) and Nick Antico (135) each put their Wayland opponent on his back and the visitors went home with a 33-33 tie.
"I had my three big guns coming up so I knew we had a shot to tie," said L-S coach Harry Coffin. "But asking someone to go out there and pin his opponent is tough. It's a lot to ask. But the guys at the back end of our lineup made me proud."
"I guess the fans got their money's worth," said Wayland coach Gary Chase. "I kinda knew this was going to happen when we got down to those three matches. I was hoping we'd win 34-30. When we were up by 18, I was hoping for a tech fall. I was cautiously optimistic, but the middle weights had to stay off their backs and they couldn't."
Ties in wrestling certainly don't grow on trees.
"There are so many ways to score that ties just don't happen that often," said Chase, who is in his eighth year as the head man at Wayland. "This is only the third one I've had here."
It might be hard to imagine that the Warriors, who wear orange, held a comfortable 23-3 lead after six matches. Greg Bergman (140), Russell Lyons (145) and Chris Lyons (189) all won by decision, with Chris Lyons' of the major variety. Bergman decisioned John MacKinnon 17-8; Russell Lyons, only a sophomore, got the better of Nick Rahall 6-5; and Chris Lyons bested Darren Zambruno 17-5.
Nate Howell (160) and Joe Manley (171) recorded pins for Wayland. Howell pinned Brian Bruce at 5:16 and Manley put Nico Von Stackleberg on his back at 1:33. The only reason for L-S joy during that span was a win by decision by Dan Braun at 152. He topped Andrew Ogletree 2-1.
It didn't seem that big at the time, but L-S's Willie Anderson received a forfeit win at 215, good for six points. Jason Orlando got another six for L-S with a pin at 275. It came against Andy Sakowich at 1:57.
But Wayland appeared to regain control of the match when Jon Kim (103), Jarod Doyan (112) and Max Mitnik (119) all recorded decisions. Kim topped Jeff Stein 4-2, Doyan defeated Dave Ciampa in overtime 4-2 and Mitnik earned a major decision, besting Sam Bores 10-0. At any rate, the hometown Warriors held a 33-15 lead and only three matches remained.
Mission impossible?
Leggett put Ty Herstine on his back with 27 seconds remaining in the second period. 33-21. Gibbs did the same to Chris Donalds at 3:25 and suddenly the L-S part of the big crowd went wild. 33-27. Antico sent L-S rooters home walking on clouds when he nailed Max Lewin with a pin with 38 seconds left in the third period. 33-33.
Coffin was asked if tying was like kissing his sister. "I don't have a sister and if I did I wouldn't kiss her," he said with a smile. "But a tie is better than losing. You're happy you tied, but wished you'd won."
The tie raised Wayland's overall record to 7-4-1. Those Warriors will host Durfee, Cohasset and Hamilton-Wenham in a quad meet Saturday, starting at 10 a.m.
The visiting Warriors (15-4-1) will host Franklin on Saturday (10 a.m.).
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