BEEKMANTOWN — If Saturday’s Section VII Championships are as competitive and exciting as Wednesday’s Saranac/Beekmantown dual, area wrestling fans will be in for a treat.
Both the Spartans and Eagles battled it out until Colby Roesler’s win by pin at 126 pounds in the final match of the evening gave Saranac a 38-33 win and the outright Champlain Valley Athletic Conference title.
The Spartans finished with a 7-1 CVAC record to edge out defending champion Peru.
“I knew it would be close tonight,” Saranac coach Heath Smith said. “(Beekmantown coach) Lenny (Gadway) did a great job of moving his line-up around.”
“It was a great match,” Gadway said. “It was a very competitive match where the teams traded the lead back and forth.”
Wednesday’s match started out at 132 pounds, and Saranac eventually held a 32-30 lead going into the 118-pound match, the second to last of the night.
It was a hard-fought bout, with the Eagles’ Kelvin Monteleone outlasting the Spartans’ Andrew Sebastian 12-6 in double overtime. That gave Beekmantown a 33-32 lead.
“Sebastian went the distance and gave up just the three points,” Smith said.
That left Roesler needing a decision at 126 to win the match and title for the Spartans.
It was a confrontation between Roesler, who recently won his 100th career match, and the Eagles’ Mason Facteau, two of the best wrestlers on their teams.
The two have met a number of times in the past and are very familiar with one another. Roesler took a 7-3 lead in the bout before the pin at 4:15.
“Those two have had some real good matches in the past,” Smith said. “Colby has wrestled well for us and has been coming out on top in their recent matches.”
In addition to Roesler, Liam Smart (110), Teegan Smith (144) and Landen Gadway (190) won by fall for the Spartans.
Alexander Mehrman (157) and Luke Garrow (165) won with major decisions.
Chase Devins (132) and Ezra Lewandowski (138) recorded pins for the Eagles, while Monteleone, Tristan Manney (215) and Landon Lahart (285) won by decision.
“We were hoping for wins at 215 and 285 but weren’t able to get them,” Smith said.
There were three forfeits in the match. Mark Spooner (103) and Corey Johnson (150) were forfeit winners for the Eagles, along with Branigan Boulds (175) for the Spartans.
“We haven’t had a 103-pounder all season,” Smith said. “We’re always down 6-0, but the kids fight back. Even though the match started at 132 tonight, we got behind again.”
It went back and forth: Beekmantown holding an early 12-0 lead, Saranac a 26-18 advantage, Beekmantown a 30-26 lead and Saranac a 32-30 edge going into the bout at 118.
The Section VII Championships for the team winner and individual weight class winners will be held Saturday at Beekmantown.
The Eagles are the defending champions. Peru won this year’s Section VII Dual Meet Championship.
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Saranac 38, Beekmantown 33
132- Chase Devins (BCS) pinned Bradyn Turcotte, 3:15.
138- Ezra Lewandowski (BCS) pinned Bryson Potts, 3:09.
144- Teegan Smith (SCS) pinned Dean Imhoff, 1:59.
150- Corey Johnson (BCS) won by forfeit.
157- Alexander Mehrman (SCS) major dec. Nathan Rougier, 13-5.
165- Luke Garrow (SCS) major dec. Jose Susano Trujano, 9-0.
175- Branigan Boulds (SCS) won by forfeit.
190- Landen Gadway (SCS) pinned Mason Devins, :46.
215- Tristan Manney (BCS) dec. Haiden Bordeau, 9-5.
285- Landon Lahart (BCS) dec. Antoine Young, 6-3.
103- Mark Spooner (BCS) won by forfeit.
110- Liam Smart (SCS) pinned Mason Blazina, :25.
118- Kelvin Monteleone (BCS) dec. Andrew Sebastian, 12-6, double OT.
126- Colby Roesler (SCS) pinned Mason Facteau, 4:15.