Brearley knows how to make an entrance. As the Blue Devils moved off of the mat and geared up for what would no doubt be a close matchup, the lights in the gym went out. Music blared through the speakers as twenty Brearley wrestlers sprinted from their locker room on the mat, met with applause and a rallying cheerleading squad. As lineups were announced, the crowd in the Brearley gym only seemed to be gaining momentum.
Deafening silence only came in the fifth match of the night. Freshman Robert DeRick was down by five points in the 144 pound match. After struggling for two periods, it looked like he was going to lose his match not by points but with a pin. As the referee began the harrowing count to three DeRick pushed off the mat and in a split second flipped his opponent and pinned him with just six seconds left. As the Westfield bench erupted it became clear to the Brearley team that Westfield was going to compete the entire night. The Blue Devils would eventually come out with a 42-33 win.
Even though Westfield was able to take a win for the night, both the wrestlers and coaches alike knew that it could have looked like a completely different match. “We gave away a lot of points, and that match was a lot closer than it needed to be,” said head coach Glen Kurz. “We need to take advantage of places where we could have gotten a bonus. We lost some matches we should have won. We’ve been saying all along that things need to change in our practice room. I think we’re a better team than we showed tonight.”
While Westfield’s performance might not have been their best they made a strong showing, especially early in the night matching both their opponents physicality and energy. This started with two wins in a row for the Blue Devils from senior Max Rotter with a strong win by points followed by junior Luke Sluberski. Unfortunately, Westfield lost their next match by a pin giving Brearley six points and tying them up even after two resounding Westfield wins.
Dylan Sontz, a junior, was able to make a strong comeback with a win by pin in only the second period. Westfield retook the lead and showed the score would come down to the final matches. The Blue Devils were ready to fight until the end.
Then, with DeRick’s harrowing effort, Westfield took over before losing the next three matches in a row, all by pin. DeRick credits his coaches with giving him the confidence to finish his match, even when it seemed like there was no chance of a comeback. He said his success was due to “working hard in the practice room [and] my coach helping me out, especially having good practice partners helping me be the best I can.” Luckily, Westfield gained a few points back with a forfeit from Brearley in the 190 pound weight class.
Freshman Jake Conti and sophomore Daniel Berardi were the last two Westfield wrestlers to see that mat. At 106 and 113 pounds respectively, both of these wrestlers had been waiting the entire meet, keeping their energy up, knowing their matches would decide the rest of the Blue Devil season.
As Sontz explained, the last two matches were especially crucial. “We came into this match because we are trying to make the playoffs. The top eight seeds in the section make it and we are currently sitting at ninth, so those next few matches were really important.”
To keep the Blue Devils’ playoff hopes alive, Conti and Berardi needed wins to take the win against Brearley and move up in the section, hopefully securing a playoff seeding.
Both boys went onto the mat winning by pin and leaving no doubt in the final minutes that Westfield deserves a chance at a sectional title.
The Blue Devils will face off at 5:30 p.m. at home against St. Thomas Aquinas on Wednesday.
