Going into the 132 weight class match, the Blue Devils were trailing Cranford by a 44-point deficit, 9-53. As senior quad-captain Joshua Semler walked onto the mat, he held nothing but determination and confidence. With a major decision win 14-1, Semler’s victory increased the team’s score to 13-53. Unfortunately, this was not enough to provide Westfield with the victory, as the match closed out with a final Cougar win in the 138 weight class division and the final team score being 9-56.
“We went in not thinking we were going to beat them,” head coach Glen Kurz explained, “but we sure wanted to compete.” Cranford, with the first spot in the Watchung Union County Conference division and a record of 13-4, the Cougars have been on a four match winning streak following their victory against Westfield. Every year, Cranford has been a strong opponent, taking the first spot in the division the past four seasons. The Blue Devils now hold the fifth position in the division, with a record of 7-13.
Senior quad-captain Daniel Berardi said the team was excited going into this match. He said, “Cranford’s always a rivalry, but we could have won some closer matches. There were a couple of guys who were only down one or two points and only needed to push a little harder to win their match, but that didn’t happen. But, our guys wrestle hard.”
Along with Semler’s win in the 132 weight class, the Blue Devils took two more victories from the match. Senior Lukas Surgent won by decision in the 157 weight class, 7-3, and Daniel Berardi won the 106 weight class due to a forfeit by Cranford.
There were four forfeits on Wednesday night, three from Westfield and one from Cranford. Westfield forfeited because of injuries and a lack of wrestlers, and had to give up 18 points to the Cougars. Berardi did not have to wrestle as Cranford’s 106-weight class wrestler forfeited.
Senior quad-captain Luke Sluberski’s match against Cranford’s Ryder Connors at the 138-weight class was the most anticipated match of the night. This match carried tremendous weight toward region seeding, but Sluberski was unsuccessful and lost to Connors by decision, 5-6. Despite the one-point loss, fans were on their feet and cheering throughout the close match.
The Blue Devils look to bounce back for their final match of the regular season away versus Plainfield at 6 p.m. on Friday. “ We have to wrestle like how we wrestle in the room and do what we are taught,” Semler said. “Instead of shying away from fundamentals, we have to stick with what we know.”
