Wrestling pinned against 24th-ranked Messiah

After back-to-back victories
against Washington
and Lee and Gettysburg,
the Hopkins wrestling
team fell short of nationally
ranked Messiah last
Friday night in Grantham,
PA, 22-16. Coming off of
the two previous victories,
the Blue Jays looked to continue
their momentum and
take down the Falcons and
make a statement.
Despite the loss, the
Blue Jays hung with the
Falcons until the last match
and had the victory within
reach. This performance
against the nation's 24th
best squad should give
Hopkins the confidence
needed to finish out the
rest of the season strong.
On Friday, the Jays took
an early lead, wining the
first four out of five matches.
This resulted in an
early 13-6 advantage over
the Falcons. Leading the
initial charge were Hopkins
co-captain and junior
Paul Marcello, sophomore
Henry Stauber and freshman
Paul Bewak, with decisions
at 141, 149 and 125,
respectively.
Stauber's 10-2 major
gave the Blue Jays and
early 10-6 lead. However,
despite their early dominance,
Hopkins could not
sustain the advantage. The
Blue Jays fell behind after
the midway point, but
made another push, led by
co-captain and junior Reid
Mosquera in 197-pound
weight class.
The captain stepped up
with a hard fought win for
the Jays to hold the deficit
to 19-16. This put the Blue
Jays in a good spot going
into the final match. With
everything riding on the
final matches, the Falcons
ultimately proved victorious.
Messiah's Russell
Jones secured the victory
with a decisive win at 285.
Although the Blue Jays
lost the match, the residual
effects could prove far
more important and beneficial
for the squad. The Blue
Jays proved that they could
wrestle with anyone and
perform to a high level.
Freshman standout Paul
Bewak has been outstanding
all season with an
overall record of 20-7 and
a Centennial Conference
record of 4-0, and his performance
against a nationally
ranked opponent only
bolstered his confidence.
Bewak has learned quickly
what it takes to be a collegiate
wrestler.
"The biggest adjustment
for me was that in college
there are no easy points,"
the Greensberg, PA native
said. "You have to be ready
to give 100 percent every
time in every position to
even have a chance at scoring."
Coming up against
his biggest challenge so
far at JHU, a nationally
ranked opponent in Messiah,
Bewak was forced to
hone the mentality he has
taken in the past matches
and go beyond.
"It felt really good beating
a nationally ranked
team because it shows me
that I'm ready and able to
compete at the higher levels
of my sport," he said.
The Blue Jays' light
weights (125, 141, 149, 157)
all stepped up during the
match and provided the
driving spark needed to
hang with the 24th-ranked
Falcons. This confidence has
echoed throughout the team
and with Centennial Conference
Championships just
two weeks away, the timing
could not be better.
Marcello, a veteran on
the young Jays who advanced
to the NCAA Tournament
in 2010-2011, has
high hopes for the team
with the Centennial Conference
Championships
just a few weeks away.
"This is the year to win
conferences, and this is the
team to do it," Marcello said.
The Blue Jays have yet to
win a Centennial Conference
Championship, but
the team has shown their
resilience and toughness in
their recent matches and is
looking to make history.
To finish out the regular
season, the Blue Jays will
face the Merchant Marine
Academy and Stevens Tech
on Sunday, February 12th
and will then face New
York University the following
week. If the Blue Jays
can build off of their momentum
gained from the
battle with Messiah, then
Hopkins should storm into
Conferences ready to take
the title.