By:
BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor bmorgan.eph@lnpnews.com
, Staff Writer
Photos by Stan Hallâ?©Warwick junior Jake Kempinski (top) grinds out a win over Cedar Crestâ??s Mark Laurel in the 132-pound bout on Monday night. Kempinski eventually won by fall in a time of 5:01.
With Cedar Crest expected to forfeit in the 160-pound weight class, Warwick’s Eric Esbenshade thought he’d get the night off.
But then things changed.
The Falcons actually forfeited at 152 and bumped Jared Hockley up to face Esbenshade.
Fortunately for Warwick, he was ready.
Trailing 4-1 in the second, the Warrior junior turned the tables, scoring a reversal and then a fall in 3:49 for his first-ever varsity win.
It also gave the Warwick matmen a lead they never relinquished, as they took nine of 14 bouts and cruised to a 48-23 Section One win over Cedar Crest in Lititz.
"That was a momentum changer for us," Warwick coach Ned Bushong said of Esbenshade’s win. "(Hockley) got high and he caught him."
The victory improved the Warriors record to 2-2 in the Section standings (8-5 overall) heading into a match against Penn Manor last night (Wednesday).
"If we wrestle the way we did tonight, we’ll be in the match," Bushong said. "Overall, the boys wrestled well tonight."
Esbenshade, in particular.
With the team score tied at 6-all after a 39-second pin by Crest’s Gerardo Franco over Alex Tshudy at 145, followed by a forfeit to Warwick’s Peter Harris at 152, Esbenshade and Hockley squared off.
The Falcons’ junior extended his lead to 4-1 with a takedown in the second period and appeared to have the match under control. But with :18 left in the stanza, Esbenshade, who is normally a JV wrestler, reversed Hockley to his back and brought the Warwick fans to their feet with a fall in 3:49.
"I put him in there because I knew he was going to give me everything he has," Bushong said. "He caught him. Wrestling is a very unforgiving sport. You make a mistake and it’s all over. That kid (Hockley) made a mistake and Eric capitalized on it."
The Warriors’ 12-6 advantage became 18-6 when Tyler Melhorn received a forfeit at 170.
Robert Beard got the Falcons back on the scoreboard at 182, although Warwick’s Avery Quinn battled tough to keep it to a 9-0 major, and then Adam Gilson capitalized on a first-period takedown and second-period escape to hold off Carson Snavely 3-0 at 195, narrowing the Falcons’ deficit to 18-13.
They would get no closer, however.
Thanks to five straight wins between 220 and 120, the Warriors broke it open.
David Brubaker started the run, scoring all of his points in the second period in a 4-0 win over Anthony Fernandez, and then Austin Maguire won by forfeit at 285 to make it 27-13.
After Brock Lieberman flattened Grant Neuman in 1:06 in the 106-pound bout, Devin Schnupp bumped up to 113 to face a tough foe in Trevor Leonard. Two first-period takedowns, sandwiched around a Leonard reversal, put Schnupp in front 5-2 after one.
Leonard then pulled even with an escape and a takedown midway through the second, but Schnupp answered with a reversal at the 23-second mark and held on for a 7-5 win.
"Devin had a real good match," Bushong said. "I knew (Leonard) was good, I think he was 19-3 coming into the match. We’ll take a win anywhere we can get it. We were up a weight class and he’s a good wrestler. I think you’ll see something from him in the Leagues. I think he’ll be one of the top (wrestlers) in the League."
Josh Charles had no problems with Isiah Candelaria at 120, securing a fall in 1:14 to push the Warriors’ lead to 42-13.
Crest came back with Austin Butts, who scored four points in the third period and claimed an 8-0 major over Ben Hershey at 126.
Next Warwick’s Jake Kempinski overcame a 4-2 first-period deficit against Mark Laural at 132, taking a 7-5 lead after two on a four-point takedown and then eventually pinning the Falcons’ wrestler in 5:01.
In the final match of the night, Logan Stroh moved up a weight to face Crest star Barry Breidegan at 138. The Warwick senior was still within striking distance at 5-3 following a reversal with 1:50 to go in the third. But Breidegan clinched it with a takedown with :21 left, eventually winning by fall in 5:47.
"(Logan) was doing a great job and in the last 15 seconds, he went to win the match, he was out of position and it didn’t work," Bushong said. "Breidegan’s real tough."
On this night, the Warriors as a team were real tough, which made Bushong happy following their lackluster 55-20 loss to cross-town rival Manheim Township last Thursday.
"Everybody wrestled well (against Crest)," Bushong remarked. "We didn’t give up a lot of bonus points and we got some points where I didn’t really expect to get them and it ended up being a good match."
Last Thursday, the Blue Streaks took home the Whisler-McDonald Trophy with a convincing 55-20 Section One win over Warwick in Neffsville.
The matched started out well for Warwick, with Lieberman earning a 13-0 major decision over Jose Perez at 106, followed by forfeit wins to Schnupp and Charles in the next two bouts, making it 16-0.
But it was all Township from there. Victor Kenderdine (2:33), Colby Kenderdine (5:29), David Graves (3:29), Chris Xakellis (1:36, Nick Hershey (1:30) and Cortlandt Schuyler (:31) all recorded falls, highlighting a run in which the Blue Streaks won 10 straight.
Maguire completed the scoring for Warwick with a 10-2 major at heavyweight.
Warwick 48, Cedar Crest 23
145-G. Franco, CC, p. A. Tshudy, :39 (0-6).
152-P. Harris, W, by forfeit (6-6).
160-E. Esbenshade, W, p. J. Hockley, 3:49 (12-6).
170-T. Melhorn, W, by forfeit (18-6).
182-R. Beard, CC, m.d. A. Quinn, 9-0 (18-10).
195-A. Gilson, CC, d. C. Snavely, 3-0 (18-13).
220-D. Brubaker, W, d. T. Fernandez, 4-0 (21-13).
285-A. Maguire, W, by forfeit (27-13).
106-B. Lieberman, W, p. G. Neuman, 1:06 (33-13).
113-D. Schnupp, W, d. T. Leonard, 7-5 (36-13).
120-J. Charles, W, p. I. Candaleria, 1:14 (42-13).
126-A. Butts, CC, m.d. B. Hershey, 8-0 (42-17).
132-J. Kempinski, W, p. M. Laurel, 5:01 (48-17).
138-B. Breidegan, CC, p. L. Stroh, 5:47 (48-23).
106-B. Lieberman, W, m.d. Perez, 13-0 (0-4).
113-D. Scnupp, W, by forfeit (0-10).
120-J. Charles, W, by forfeit (0-16).
126-V. Kenderdine, MT, p. Tout, 2:33 (6-16).
132-C. Kenderdine, MT, p. Stroh, 5:29 (12-16).
138-Graves, MT, p. J. Kempinski, 3:29 (18-16).
145-Grossmann, MT, by forfeit (24-16).
152-C. Schuyler, MT, by forfeit (30-16).
160-Xakellis, MT, p. T. Melhorn, 1:36 (36-16).
170-Hershey, MT, p. Flurry, 1:30 (42-16).
182-C. Schuyler, MT, p. A. Quinn, :31 (48-16).
195-McKnight, MT, d. C. Snavely, 9-4 (51-16).
220-Schultz, MT, m.d. D. Brubaker, 8-0 (55-16).
285-A. Maguire, W, m.d. O’Hara, 13-2 (55-20).
More WHS MATMEN, page B-6