BOONE, N.C. — With victories in five of the first six matches, the Black team led by assistant coach
Ryan LeBlanc held off a late push from the Gold team and won 20-15 in Appalachian State's Black and Gold wrestling exhibition on Wednesday night.
A large crowd gathered inside Varsity Gym to watch the intrasquad match between LeBlanc's team and a team coached by assistant
Josh Roosa.
The Mountaineers have five starters returning from a 13-3 team that won the Southern Conference championship last season, and only three of them competed Wednesday as head coach
JohnMark Bentley got a closer look at many of his young wrestlers.
"It's a good thing to have this match because it gives me a little bit more of an indication of where we're at," Bentley said. "You can watch them in practice every day and watch the training, but until you see them in a pressure situation, in front of a crowd, with an official, it's hard to know where they're at."
The Black team built a 20-3 lead, with
Alan Clothier opening the event with an 8-3 decision at 184 pounds.
Cary Miller recorded a pin at 3:45 of the second period in the heavyweight division, and
De'Andre Swinson-Barr delivered an 11-5 decision at 125 pounds for the Gold team.
The lead for the Black squad increased from five points to 17 with an 18-3 technical fall from
Codi Russell at 133 pounds, a 10-2 major decision from
Irvin Enriquez at 141 and a 4-2 decision from
Gavin Londoff at 149. He used an early two-point takedown to establish an advantage against
Bailey Thomas, who had a third-period escape to cut the deficit to 3-2 before Londoff received a point for riding time.
The Gold team won the final three matches, with
Laken Cook picking up an 11-1 major decision at 157 pounds and
Thomas Flitz recording a 7-3 decision in a tight match with
Joe Accousti at 165. Flitz used a two-point takedown in the closing seconds to gain some separation from Accousti. The Gold team trailed 20-10 before
Forrest Przybysz amassed five points with a 17-2 technical fall at 174 pounds.
The Mountaineers begin the regular season with the Hokie Open in Roanoke, Va., on Sunday.
RESULTS:
184: Alan Clothier (Black) def.
Taylor Jackson (Gold), 8-3 dec.
HWT: Cary Miller (Black) def.
Demazio Samuel (Gold), pin 3:45 in 2nd
125: De'Andre Swinson-Barr (Gold) def.
Gavin Hutchens (Black), 11-5 dec.
133: Codi Russell (Black) def.
Miles Grier (Gold), 18-3 tech. fall
141: Irvin Enriquez (Black) def.
Bradley Irwin (Gold), 10-2 major dec.
149: Gavin Londoff (Black) def.
Bailey Thomas (Gold), 4-2 dec.
157: Laken Cook (Gold) def.
Carl Guess (Black), 11-1 major dec.
165: Thomas Flitz (Gold) def.
Joe Accousti (Black), 7-3 dec.
174: Forrest Przybysz (Gold) def.
Garrett Church (Black), 17-2 tech. fall
