Wade Shafer-less Zebras also win 7 matches by fall
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
Alex Deming and Brady Beck are freshmen on the Rochester wrestling team, but they showed they can handle older, more accomplished opponents in a home dual against Northfield at the RHS gym Wednesday.
Both Deming and Beck won by decision, and the Zebras also recorded seven falls on their way to a 64-12 win.
Tyler Wolfe (106), Ethan Holloway (113), Aaron Swango (126), Mitchell Shafer (138), Greyson
Gard (145), Noah Swango (160) and Marshall Fishback (HWT) won by fall.
Kaleb Shaffer earned a major decision win at 170.
Jadyn Geller (120) and Nathaniel Beck (132) won by forfeit.
The Zebras won despite not having 152-pounder and 2020 semistate qualifier Wade Shafer, who is in quarantine after being cited in a contact trace. Wade Shafer wrestled an opponent from South Bend Riley who later tested positive for the coronavirus in a tournament at Elkhart Saturday.
Wolfe, Holloway, Aaron Swango, Mitchell Shafer, Noah Swango all needed less than a minute to stick their opponents. Fishback’s match didn’t see a second period either.
Deming (182) beat Jayden Goshert 4-0. He gained a penalty point, an escape and then a takedown in the second period. He then rode out Goshert for the entire third period.
Goshert, a junior, was a regional qualifier last year. Deming said he weighed 173 at weigh-in after shedding some water weight during the day. Goshert weighed 179.
“I just have to be quicker than him, and I definitely have more endurance,” Deming said. “I try to run during the week and just hard practice. I can’t thank my coach enough for just giving hard practice, running and all that.”
Deming said he thought Goshert got tired during the match. He said he can tell when an opponent gets tired because their technique becomes “sloppier” and the opponent becomes weaker.
“Conditioning is key,” Deming said. “Conditioning will probably win most of my matches this year definitely.”
Deming has been wrestling since he was a fifth-grader. He joked that he loves “beating on kids.”
“I just like the mental mindset about it,” a more reflective Deming added. “Like trying to break kids. … You can see your hard work pay off.”
Beck was paired with Micah Higgins, the Three Rivers Conference runner-up and regional qualifier from last year who went 15-5. Beck gave up a third period escape but hung on for a 2-1 win.
If Beck was an anonymous freshman before, those days appear to be ending.
“I guess it depends on how you look at it,” Gard said when asked about Beck’s accomplished opponent. “Brady’s been wrestling since he was 5, so he’s pretty accomplished himself. And most kids just don't know that. He wrestled well against a kid who’s obviously done some winning. … Brady’s tough. Brady’s solid. … They don’t understand the amount of mat time he has. That will probably change here in the next couple weeks now that they know who they’re up against. It’s going to take a pretty good wrestler to outwrestle Brady.”
Shaffer gave up first takedown against Tristan Barlow but got a near fall out of a cradle in the second period and four more back points in the third period as he earned a 15-5 win. Shaffer is coming off an injury-marred football season.
“His big thing is his conditioning right now,” coach Gard said. “He’s just not in very good shape, and that’s just because of his injuries and his limited practice time. Last week was really the first full week that he went I think and being consistent. The biggest thing is just keeping him in the practice room and keeping him on the mat and just consistent practices. Matches like that will help him, where he’s going the distance and has to wrestle hard to get a win. That’s going to help his conditioning. It’s kind of the long game for Kaleb.”
Rochester notes
Rochester will host the Rochester John McKee Memorial Invitational Saturday. The tournament is expected to include 15 teams and take place in both the auxiliary and main gyms. No fans will be allowed to attend/
Rochester will host Peru in a dual at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
Rochester will host North White, Plymouth and South Adams in a four-team dual at 1 p.m. Wednesday. Wade Shafer is expected back for this event.
Rochester 64, Northfield 12
(match started at 113)
106 – Tyler Wolfe (RHS) def. Bethnei Hay (NF), fall, 0:25
113 – Ethan Holloway (RHS) def. Spencer Burnsworth (NF), fall, 0:12
120 – Jadyn Goshert (RHS) won by forfeit.
126 – Aaron Swango (RHS) def. Mathew Snowberger (NF), fall, 0:32
132 – Nathan Beck (RHS) won by forfeit.
138 – Mitchell Shafer (RHS) def. Ben Snyder (NF), fall, 0:43
145 – Greyson Gard (RHS) def. Dylan Osborn (NF), fall, 3:37
152 – Ethan Galbraith (NF) def. Parker Wallace (RHS), fall, 1:07
160 – Noah Swango (RHS) def. Alexis Gates (NF), fall, 0:13
170 – Kaleb Shaffer (RHS) def. Tristan Barlow (NF), 15-5
182 – Alex Deming (RHS) def. Jayden Goshert (NF), 4-0
195 – Logan Cox (NF) def. Eli Swango (RHS), fall, 3:33
220 – Brady Beck (RHS) def. Micah Higgins (NF), 2-1
HWT – Marshall Fishback (RHS) def. Mason Osborn (NF), 1:36
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