Tyrone Wins Backyard Brawl Pinfest

By Ally Jones, Staff Writer|February 5, 2020

The Tyrone Golden Eagle wrestling team took home a close 36-33 Backyard Brawl win against rival Bellwood-Antis on January 4th. Both teams combined for a total of 10 pins in the match.

However, one of the biggest wins of the night for Tyrone was not a pin, but a scrappy close win by sophomore Dominick Maloney over Bellwood’s Landon Bungo at 145 to seal the victory for the Golden Eagles.

“

[My match] was pretty important because it was one of the last ones of the night and we needed it to get the lead. I think everyone wrestled hard and left it all on the mat.

— Dominick Maloney

Maloney got a two-point takedown but was given a warning for stalling shortly after. Bungo got a two-point reversal but Maloney quickly escaped. Maloney was able to take Bungo down one last time before the period was over, making the score 5-2. At the beginning of the second period, Maloney deferred and Bungo chose down. Bungo escaped right away but Maloney countered with another takedown. Maloney started the third period on the bottom and was able to hold Bungo to a two-point near-fall, making the final score of the match 7-5.

“[My match] was pretty important because it was one of the last ones of the night and we needed it to get the lead,” said Maloney. “I think everyone wrestled hard and left it all on the mat.”

The night began at 170 where Tyrone’s Dean Grassi fought hard to keep Bellwood’s Jason Pluebell to a regular decision. Grassi only gave up one takedown in the first period. At the start of the second period, Pluebell deferred and Grassi chose down. Pluebell received one point from a stall call against Grassi but otherwise didn’t score during the second period. Pluebell chose down to start the third period and quickly got a reversal and eventually received another point form a stall call on Grassi, making the final score 6-0.

At 182, Tyrone sophomore Zack Lash had the fastest pin of the night, pinning the Blue Devil’s Zach Cunningham in just 15 seconds.

Bellwood’s Dominic Caracciolo answered right away by pinning Luke Hite in 31 seconds, making the team score 6-9 Bellwood.

Tyrone’s Jason Barr match with Nate Jennings at 220 went scoreless in the first period. Barr chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped. He then took Jennings down and earned a three-point near-fall. Barr let Jennings up in the last seconds of the period, making the score 6-1. Jennings chose down at the beginning of the third period but Barr pinned him at the 4:34 mark. At 285, Parker Allen got pinned in 54 seconds by Bellwood’s Evan Pellegrine.

Freshman Korry Walls wrestled Nathan Rabensteins at 106 and earned a pin. K. Walls got a takedown right away and earned two sets of three-point near-falls in the first period. Walls deferred at the start of the second period and Rabensteins chose top. K. Walls got a two-point reversal and then pinned Rabensteins at 3:00.

There was no match at 113, but Hunter Walk followed at 120 by pinning Bellwood’s Ryan Malone in 1:17.

Tyrone sophomore Ashton Sipes then wrestled Nick Kost at 126 and pinned him in 38 seconds, making the team score 30-15 Tyrone.

At 132, senior Mason Walls faced Xander Shank. M. Walls was the only one to score in the first period when he took down Shank. Walls chose down at the beginning of the second period and quickly escaped. Shank began the third period on the bottom, but M. Walls took him down again and earned a two-point near-fall. Shank was able to escape but M. Walls got another two-point takedown before he let Shank up for an escape. Shank got a stall warning, but the match ended with the final score of 9-3, making the team score 33-15 Tyrone.

Tyrone’s Gavin Frazell lost to Ty Noonan at 138. Noonan took Frazell down and received a two-point near-fall before Frazell was awarded with a penalty point, making the score 4-1 going into the second period. Noonan chose to start neutral and quickly took Frazell down and pinned him in 2:20.

At 152, Tyrone’s Jermaine Myers was pinned in 1:56 by Aiden Taylor from Bellwood.

Sophomore Jordan Snyder faced Alex Taylor at 160. Al. Taylor took Snyder down three times and earned a two-point near-fall before the first period was over, making the score 8-2. Snyder chose to start on top for the second period, but Al. Taylor got the two-point reversal. Snyder escaped but Al. Taylor took him straight into a pin at the 2:20 mark, making the final team score 36-33 Tyrone.

The Golden Eagles match tonight against the Central Dragons at home has been postponed due to the weather. It has been rescheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, February 6.

BOX SCORE

170–Plubell, BA, dec. Grassi, 6-0; 182–Lash, T, pinned Cunningham, :15; 195–Caracciolo, BA, pinned Hite, :37; 220–Barr, T, pinned Jennings, 4:34; 285–Pellegrine, BA, pinned Allen, :54; 106–K. Walls, T, pinned Rabenstein, 3:00; 113–No bout.

120–Walk, T, pinned Malone, 1:17; 126–Sipes, T, pinned Kost, :38; 132–M. Walls, T, dec. Shank, 9-3; 138–Noonan, BA, pinned Frazell, 2:20; 145–Maloney, T, dec. Bungo, 7-5; 152–Ai. Taylor, BA, pinned Myers, 1:56; 160–Al. Taylor, BA, pinned Snyder, 2:20.

Records: Tyrone (6-8), Bellwood-Antis (11-6)