Friday evening at Goldfarb Gymnasium turned into one of the strongest victories in Hopkins Wrestling history. With an impressive adversary in 16th-ranked Messiah, the Blue Jays were more than aware of the type of team effort it would take to take down the Falcons.
Hopkins began the evening strongly Paul Bewak’s victory over Kurt Rodriguez. Bewak, currently ranked second in the nation, scored a technical fall factory over Rodriguez. The 125 weight class, sophomore Bewak dominated his opponent yet again to give the Blue Jays a 5-0 early lead.
In the 133 pound weight class, Hopkins’ Ray Yagloski edged out his opponent in an intense 6-4 victory. Yagloski redeemed himself from a 4-2 deficit after the first period to give Hopkins a 8-0 lead. Yagloski commented, “Our victory against Messiah was huge for our team. The win provides the team with confidence and momentum moving forward.”
Hopkins continued its early dominance with a Paul Marcello victory by injury default over Kaleb Loht, who entered Friday as the fifth ranked wrestler in the nation.
Henry Stauber and Christian Salera also accounted for two strong wins, building the Blue Jays’ lead to 20-0.
The Falcons nearly matched the Blue Jays’ 20 point lead, but came up short, leaving the final score 20-19. This home victory for the Blue Jays became the University’s first victory over a nationally ranked opponent since Jan 9. 2010, when Hopkins upset 30th-ranked Oneonta. Yagloski later added, ”We haven’t beaten a ranked team in a couple years, so it’s very exciting to be a part of that.”
The team did not have long to celebrate Friday’s victory as they returned to the mat on Saturday afternoon again at Goldfarb Gymnasium.
The momentum kept rolling for the Blue Jays as they battled two conference opponents in Merchant Marine Academy and Muhlenberg.
Paul Bewak and Paul Marcello continued to beat up on their opponents as they both won their respective matches by major decision over Merchant Marine Academy.
The two have propelled the teams’ success this season with consistent victories.
Ray Yagloski also defeated his opponent to contribute to a 14-0 early lead over the Mariners.
“You train hours and hours to get positive results, and when you end up falling short, you question yourself,” Yagloski commented. “How you bounce back from your negative results can reveal your true character.”
With key wins by Christian Ostrowski, Henry Strauber, and Kyle Spangler, the Blue Jays were able to defeat the Mariners, 20-13. This Hopkins victory played a huge role for the team as the Mariners served as determined competition in preparation for the Centennial Conference Championship.
The second Blue Jays victory of the day was not quite as competitive. Muhlenburg, working with a short-handed roster, only had six wrestlers competing. However, even when Muhlenberg had athletes in play, they caused no issues for the Blue Jays.
While four of the Blue Jays’ victories were a result of forfeit, the other six were primarily won by complete domination. Hopkins’ Paul Marcello defeated Che Chensupanimit by major decision. Jody Gowen continued the teams’ supremacy with another major decision win over the Mules’ Kyle Fox. Ray Yagloski completed his phenomenal weekend by pinning Pat Freuling.
“The wins we had this weekend have given us a positive spark. With the regular season wrapping up here shortly, we are looking forward to wrestling at home one more time at the Centennial Conference Championships and repeating as Centennial Conference Championships,” Yagloski added.
The Blue Jays ended the day with a 49-0 triumph over the out-matched Mules. The weekend Centennial sweep by the Jays serves as a sign of what could come in the Centennial Conference finale on Saturday at Goldfarb Gymnasium.
“As a team, our coaches have been preaching to us to finish strong whether it is finishing practice, match, or the season in a couple of weeks,” Yagloski said. “At the conference, regional, and national championships, we are looking to finish strong.”
Hopkins has a Centennial Conference title to defend. With all of the recent success, the future shines bright for the team as the regular season shortly comes to a close.
