VMI (3-3) rallied for a second match after topping Franklin & Marshall College 24-19 in the Keydets’ last match on Dec. 12. The Keydets had nearly a month off between action and took their home mat for the first time this season.
Sacred Heart (0-5) picked up a surprise win at 125 pounds as Patrick Skinner pinned VMI’s Dalton Henderson at the tailend of the first period to take a 6-0 lead. But VMI took the lead for the first time after Hunter Starner and Emmitt Kelly logged a decision and major decision, respectively. Starner won his bout 9-4 over Tim Johnson while Kelly collected an 11-3 win over Jay Oakes at 141 pounds.
But the Pioneers wrested the lead back from VMI as Brendan Goldup and Casey Mitchell won by fall at 149 and 157 pounds respectively.
Down but not out, VMI would get a spark at 165 pounds from Shabaka Johns. The sophomore Keydet trailed 4-0 at the end of the first period before cutting John Vrasidas’ lead in half, 4-2, with a takedown. Johns gave up an escape early in the third period, trailing 5-2 before scoring a takedown with 52 seconds left. Vrasidas nabbed a 6-4 advantage with an escape with 44 seconds to go, but Johns snared a takedown in the final five seconds to force sudden victory. After the grapplers remained neutral for nearly the entire minute of extra time, Johns drove Vrasidas to the mat near the boundary line to earn the 8-6 victory.
VMI continued its rally during the second-ever meeting with Sacred Heart as Mark Darr won 5-3 over Conan Schuster. After a scoreless first period, Darr escaped 14 seconds into the second stanza before being taken to the mat with just over a minute left in the period. No more points were scored in the second but Schuster was hit with two cautions, while Darr was tagged with one as well. The Keydet got hit with a second caution to start the third, meaning neither wrestler could jump early without surrendering a point to his opponent. Schuster escaped six seconds into the third, going up 3-1 on Darr, but the junior scored a takedown and two near fall points, which needed review to confirm, to secure a 5-3 win over Schuster and keep the Keydets’ hopes alive.
The 184 pound bout was another nailbiter as Derek Thurman scored three points in the third period to squeak past Elliot Antler 4-3. Antler went up 2-1 in the first and extended his lead with an escape in the second. But Thurman chose bottom in the third, escaped 25 seconds in, trailing 3-2 but hitting a takedown with 11 seconds on the clock and riding out Antler for the win, pulling VMI within striking distance of the lead, down just 18-16.
Sparked by his teammates close bouts, 197 pounder Urayoan Garcia vaulted VMI past Sacred Heart with an 11-3 major decision, thanks to over three minutes of riding time. The second period was good to Garcia, who scored six of his points in the middle stanza. With his riding time secured, Garcia logged a takedown with 50 seconds left to get the major decision over Sasha Oliinyk and four points on the board for VMI, taking the lead for the first time since the 141 pound match at 20-18.
With the win not yet secured and Sacred Heart within a decision of stealing a win, VMI got a win by fall at 285 pounds as Juan Adams nearly pinned his foe, Dan Hayden in the first period, but the Pioneer stayed off his back to end the period. Adams did not require much time in the second, sticking Hayden 47 seconds into the second to secure the 26-18 win for VMI.
After nearly a month off, VMI will need to recover quickly as the Keydets head to Washington, D.C. for a pair of duals on Sunday. VMI opens action in the capital with Harvard University at 11 a.m., followed by a 1 p.m. dual with host American University. Both matches will be contested in the Eagles’ Bender Arena.
Results:
125: Patrick Skinner (Sacred Heart) WBF Dalton Henderson (VMI) 2:48 (0-6)
133: Hunter Starner (VMI) DEC Timothy Johnson (Sacred Heart) 9-4 (3-6)
141: Emmitt Kelly (VMI) MAJ DEC Jay Oakes (Sacred Heart) 11-3 (7-6)
149: Brendan Goldup (Sacred Heart) WBF Jack Krall (VMI) 2:31 (7-12)
157: Casey Mitchell (Sacred Heart) WBF Samuel Paulay (VMI) 2:00 (7-18)
165: Shabaka Johns (VMI) DEC SV-1 John Vrasidas (Sacred Heart) 8-6 (10-18)
174: Mark Darr (VMI) DEC Conan Schuster (Sacred Heart) 5-3 (13-18)
184: Derek Thurman (VMI) DEC Elliot Antler (Sacred Heart) 4-3 (16-18)
197: Urayoan Garcia (VMI) MAJ DEC Sasha Oliinyk (Sacred Heart) 11-3 (20-18)
285: Juan Adams (VMI) WBF Dan Hayden (Sacred Heart) 3:47 (26-18)
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