By Kenny Varner

WINGATE – Rivalry at its best!

The Bald Eagle Area wrestling team hosted rival Bellefonte to open up the 2024-25 wrestling season.

The action was at a fever pitch for most of the evening seeing both teams hold the lead and the Eagles rally late to defeat the Red Raiders 38-26.

“I think overall as a team we had a lot of fight, a lot of grit in places where we probably no favored to win but they still battled and maybe didn’t give up a fall or got majored so that’s how you win dual meets,” said Bald Eagle Area Coach Ron Guenot. “We picked up some big falls when we needed to. They all stepped up and wrestled as a team.

The match started at 139 pounds,

Bald Eagle’s Easton Grimes  faced Jan Rojas. Grimes started the first taking down Rojas and was able to keep control for the rest of the period, heading into the second period leading 3-0.

Grimes started period two in the down position and was able to add to his lead as he broke Rojas grasp and escape.

Grimes went immediately for the takedown and was able to get Rojas down once again and was able to pinned Rojas, picking up the fall at 3:49.

In the second match of the night at 145, the Eagles Dawson Lomison was able to outlast Andrew Gall by a 4-3 decision.

Gall took the lead early in the first, taking down Lomison, making it a 3-0 lead. But Lomison was able to take control and roll Gall over to gain the top position, cutting the lead to 3-2.

Sitting in the down position, Lomison was held down for most of the second but like in the first, he was able to reverse it to go ahead 4-3.

In the third, Lomison was able to keep Gall in check holding onto the 4-3 decision, upping its lead to 9-0.

“Our line ups are going to be a work in progress. It’s one dual meet. It’s in December.So we just need to clean some things up. We got sloppy in positions and that cost us,” said Bellefonte coach Michael Maney. “At 121, it was a match that could have went either way. We had control and we got a little sloppy there and a couple other matches. You had that in the first matches.”

Bellefonte cut into the lead as they took the 152 – pound weight class as Ezra Swisher pinned Alex Surovec by fall at 4:41.

Gall opened the first with a takedown early on, leading 3-0 after one. He continued to add to his lead in the second, notching a take down and two back points to hold to an 8-0 advantage. He finished off Surovec in the final period, notching the pin and cutting the Eagles lead to 9-6.

Noah Weaver continued to add the Red Raider winning ways as he was able to pick up a tech fall at 3.23 at 160, 17-0.

Bellefonte added to its lead to 17-9 at 172. Jackson Long was able to hit a late third period pin against Brody Gardner by fall at 4:40.

At 189, Bellefonte continued to add to its lead as Luke Hockenberry manage to muscle out a 7-2 dec. over Kyle Watson, extending the visitors lead to 20-9.

Again, the Red Raiders posted a win to extend its lead. At 215, Jack McHail won by forfeit, upping the lead to 26-9.

In the heavyweight division, the Eagles started to retake the momentum it had early on. Gage Gardner took the 285-pound class with a decision over Logan Rarrick 10-3.

At 107, Bald Eagle added some bonus points as Logan Burns notched a forfeit.

Teammate 114-pounder Tyler Corey also added six easy points with a forfeit win of his own., cutting the Bellefonte lead to 26-24.

With the lead within their grasp Bald Eagle sent out 121 – pounder Liam Purcell to the mats. He was cool under pressure as he pinned Noah Weaver at 2:50. With the win, Bald Eagle Area took back the lead 30-26.

In the most pressure filled match of the night, 127 – pounder Tanner Guenot and Wyatt Long found themselves in a dogfight. The action was a nail biter as Guenot would take the 2-1 victory to clinch the win for the home team.

With the match out of reach for Bellefonte at 133, Caden Judice defeated  Red Raider Jacob Horn 19-4 on a tech. fall at 1:12. making the final score 38-26 in favor of the Eagles.

Bald Eagle Area 38, Bellefonte 26

139 – Easton Grimes (BEA) pinned Jan Rojas (BEL) (fall 3:49)

145 – Dawson Lomison (BEA) dec. Andrew Gall (BEL), 4-3.

152 – Ezra Swisher (BEL) pinned Alex Surovec (BEA), (fall 4:41)

160 – Noah Weaver tech. Fall over Chayce Kellander (BEA), 3:23.

172 – Jackson Long (BEL)   Brody Gardner (BEA), (fall 4:40).

189 – Luke Hockenberry (BEL) dec. over Kyle Watson (BEA). 7-2.

215 – Jack McHail (Bell) won by forfeit

285- Gage Gardner (BEA) dec. over Logan Rarrick (BEL) 10-3.

107 – Logan Burns (BEA) forfiet

114- Tyler Corey (BEA) forfeit

121 – Liam Purcell (BEA) pinned Noah Weaver (BEL) (2:50)

127 – Tanner Gunot (BEA) defeated Wyatt Long (BEL), 2-1.

133 – Caden Judice (Bell) Jacob Horn (BEL) 19-4 tech. 1:12