Cumberland Wrestling Pushes No. 4 Patriots but Comes Up Short on the Road

WILLIAMSBURG, Ky.--The Cumberland Phoenix wrestling team fell short in a hard-fought match against the fourth-ranked Cumberlands Patriots, losing 23-14 on the road. The Phoenix battled tough, securing three victories over nationally-ranked opponents and gave themselves a chance to win late, but fell just short.

The Patriots jumped out to an early lead, taking the first two bouts with bonus-point victories. At 125 pounds, No. 16 Matteo Vargo defeated Bentley Ellison by major decision, 13-4, followed by Adonis Boyd, wrestling up as the seventh-ranked wrestler at 125, with a 12-1 major decision over Justin Bradford at 133 pounds.

Sammy Shires sparked momentum for the Phoenix in his second match of the season at 141 pounds, earning a decisive 9-5 victory over eighth-ranked Gage Hudson. The team tied the dual at 8-8 when 14th-ranked Elijah Griffin dominated No. 17 Ty Lehman at 149 pounds, securing a 16-1 technical fall as the clock expired in the third period.

The Patriots made a big move in the middle weights regained control, with Marc Le Gaspe narrowly edging Ellis Otting, 6-4, at 157 pounds, and No. 6 Turner Black squeaking by Eli Clemmons with a 2-1 decision at 165 pounds. In a tightly contested bout at 174 pounds, 10th-ranked Dylan Preston defeated No. 19 Anthony Pyron, 2-0, extending the Patriots' lead to 17-8.

The Phoenix rallied late, starting with No. 21 Rocco Horvath's thrilling 6-4 upset over No. 6 Thomas Ketchen-Carter at 184 pounds. At 197 pounds, the Phoenix picked up their second-straight upset win as No. 23 Tyler Rowland followed with a clutch 7-5 victory over No. 19 Greyson Stevens, bringing the team within striking distance at 17-14.

The match came down to the heavyweight bout as a win for either team would have secured the dual. No. 13 Austin Silva of the Patriots earned a decisive victory with a pinfall at the 6:00 minute mark over Evan Dixon, finishing the match with a 23-14 team score.

Cumberland will be back in action at the Missouri Valley Invite this upcoming weekend before returning to duals action on January 31 inside the Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena against the 10th-ranked Campbellsville Tigers.

#4 Cumberlands 23, RV Cumberland 14

Weight		Patriots	Phoenix
125	#16 Matteo Vargo (UC) over Bentley Ellison (CU) (MD 13-4)	4	0
133	#7 (125) Adonis Boyd (UC) over Justin Bradford (CU) (MD 12-1)	8	0
141	Sammy Shires (CU) over #8 Gage Hudson (UC) (Dec. 9-5)	8	3
149	#14 Elijah Griffin (CU) over #17 Ty Lehman (UC) (TF 16-1 7:00)	8	8
157	Marc Le Gaspe (UC) over Ellis Otting (CU) (Dec. 6-4)	11	8
165	#6 Turner Black (UC) over Eli Clemmons (CU) (Dec. 2-1)	14	8
174	#10 Dylan Preston (UC) over #19 Anthony Pyron (CU) (Dec. 2-0)	17	8
184	#21 Rocco Horvath (CU) over #6 Thomas Ketchen-Carter (UC)(Dec. 6-4)	17	11
197	#23 Tyler Rowland (CU) over #19 Greyson Stevens (UC) (Dec. 7-5)	17	14
285	#13 Austin Silva (UC) over Evan Dixon (CU) (Fall 6:00)	23	14
Team Score:		23	14