John Jay Pins Scarsdale 58-22

On Tuesday December 12, John Jay hosted Scarsdale, and first to take the mat for the Wolves was Emerson Flamm. He faced Luke Iasiello, and the Scarlett Knight muscled his way to a 10-1 lead. Then suddenly Flamm scored a reversal and two near falls to pull within one, and the subdued crowd switched gears. Iasiello did recover to a 17-12 victory, and the rosters playing out, there wasn’t nearly as much drama the rest of the way.

John Jay scored the next 24 points and won easily by a score of 58-22.

First David Corrales got an easy time of it with a forfeit at 101, and not apologizing for the free fall, Isaac Sullivan went to work at 108. He shot the takedown and ran a bar to a 4-0 first period lead.

Daisy Bennett did manage a reversal to start the second. But Sullivan countered with an escape, and another takedown/bar for a 9-2 lead. In command, Sullivan executed a roll in the third and scored the pin at 1:43.

A 12-4 score, John Aniello opened with the takedown, was reversed and turned the tables right back for a 4-2 first period lead. He earned an escape in the second and registered a third period pin with a minute remaining.

On a roll, Joe Gabriele came out steaming. The 131 pounder hit a single leg takedown and slid to a cross face cradle. Getting the near fall, Gabriele built a 5-0 lead, and in the second, he arched back and tossed Asher Millman over the top. The Scarlett Knight’s back exposed, the Wolf got the pin at 1:29.

The run did end when Jack Harrison pinned Wyatt Gierer at 138, but Deven Comstock made amends for the blip. He opened with a single leg takedown and did the same to start the second. Up 4-0, he doubled his pleasure in the third period by securing two legs on the takedown and went onto a 10-2 victory by continuing to dominate on his feet.

Now 28-10, Scarsdale got on the board again. Henry Sperling pinned Quincy Hadlock at 1:19 of the second, but the party obviously didn’t last.

At 152 Austin Omin got the lead on a single leg takedown and when Thomas Iasiello got to his feet, Omin’s counter resulted in the rise that counted. With the oohs and aahs hitting a crescendo in the crowd, Omin lifted his opponent off the mat and took him back down to Earth. “It’s a boost of adrenaline,” he said, and moments later, Omin ended Iasiello's night.

A second period pin, and next, it was Cameron Wierl’s turn. Making it to the states last year, two losses at the tournament has left him with no ambiguity. “The goal is clear,” said the senior, “to get there and get another shot.”

So onto the mat, Wierl was all business. Like he was on fire, the 170 pounder willed his way to a takedown, and in control, he manhandled from the top. He went for the turn and the match was stopped when his opponent defaulted due to injury. “It’s the sport of wrestling, people get hurt,” he said. “You can’t really control that.”

Unfortunately, James Dachik was not able to follow and was pinned in the first period. But no Scarsdale run was forthcoming.

Of course, by this time in most wrestling matches, attention spans start to wane - especially when the outcome is already known. “Everyone is usually like, let’s just go home,” said Craig Holm-Joergensen.

The 215 pounder is never among them. “I’m always like, I’m ready and excited for my match,” he said.

The dance that persisted the entire first period may not have looked that way, but Holm-Joergensen dismissed the misperception for all wrestlers at the end of the lineup. “It looks like we’re really slow and nothing is happening,” he said. “But it’s a lot of strength and pushing and pulling that kind of goes under the radar.”

His third period pin at 1:03 didn’t, though, and gave way to Joe Ferrer, who also knows how later matches can get overlooked. No complaints, he understands how to bring the crowd back in. “In order to be the biggest, you have to be the hardest worker,” said the sophomore, and he made good with a first period pin.

The heavyweight also didn’t make a fuss and helped his opponent off the mat in consolation. “No matter what, you always have to show kindness and be the better person,” said the wrestler.

The good sportsmanship finally ushered in Max Wasserman. The 190 pounder got a takedown in the first and set up his second period pin with an overarm whip. “I reached behind, I grabbed inside his armpit and tossed it over my head,” said Wasserman.

Getting in under the wire with 11.7 seconds left in the period, Wasserman’s six completed the tally and had Wierl feeling good going forward. “I’m excited about our team,” he concluded. “We have a lot of good wrestlers and young talent as we saw today.”