MatDogs fall in opener to Defiance

CELINA - A young Celina wrestling team opened its season on Tuesday by taking on perennial Western Buckeye League power Defiance at Celina High School.

The more-experienced Defiance squad showed why it is a contender for the league title in beating the MatDogs 55-15.

Celina coach James Miracle shifted some spots in the weight classes to try and get some advantages, but Defiance was able to dominant with four straight wins via pinfall from 152 to 182 pounds and won seven of the nine contested bouts via pin.

"It kind of went the way I thought it would go," Miracle said. "(Defiance is) physical. They wrestle year-round. We're young and inexperienced."

The only win in a competitive bout - Celina's other points came with Defiance not fielding wrestlers at 106 and 126 pounds - came at 195 pounds as Brandon Roark faced Emiliano Gonzalez. Gonzalez recorded the initial takedown of the match, something Defiance did in nine of the 10 contested bouts, but Roark benefited from Gonzalez being called for three passivity, or stalling, violations, resulting in two one-point penalties and a two-point penalty. Roark took a 6-4 lead in the third period on the two-point stalling call and then recorded a one-point escape to take the match 7-4.

MatDog Aaron Crites had a close bout in the opening match against Kohle Clellan at 145 pounds. Clellan scored the the opening takedown and was up 4-0 after two periods. Crites earned two points when Clellan was penalized twice for stalling, but he could not come up with a takedown late to tie the bout and lost 4-2.

The only other match to go the full six minutes was at 120 pounds as Celina's Jacob Whitaker, moving up from 113 pounds for the night, faced Danny Assaf, last year's WBL runner-up at 106 pounds. Assaf led 4-2 after the first two-minute period and then scored a takedown and three-point near-fall in the second period to lead 9-3 before winning via a 14-4 major decision.

"We had a few kids we thought would be a little more competitive, but it is what it is," Miracle said. "We have a lot to improve on. (Defiance) already wrestled this year and this was our first match. We tried to bump our lineup up (in weight classes) to get some kids in there. It backfired. It was my mistake and I should have left the kids where they were."

Celina is back in action on Saturday at the Sielski Duals at Coldwater starting at 9 a.m.