Springbrook bedevils Blazers

DEC. 17, NELSON H. KOBREN MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM—

Just four days after successfully placing fourth at Magruder's "Mad Mats" tournament, Blair's varsity wrestling team officially opened its season with a disappointing 30-40 loss against Springbrook, dropping its record to 0-1.

The Blazers began the match with a strong winning streak, defeating the Blue Devils in four of the first five matches. Though Springbrook scored six points off a pin in the first match of the night, a forfeit in the 189 lb. division quickly evened out the score. Blair then went on sweep the next four matches. Seniors Muamba Muanankese (215) and sophomores Patrick Lao (103) and Josh Osorto (112) each added six points to Blair's score with successful pin-falls, while senior Herb Morsha-Taylor (275) defeated his opponent with several takedowns and escapes. The victories brought the score to 27-6 in Blair's favor, giving Blair a comfortable lead as the match neared its halfway mark.

After the string of victories, however, the Blazers seemed to run out of steam, allowing Springbrook to claim victory in nearly all of the subsequent matches. Senior Cesar Sosa (125) scored three more points for Blair with three takedowns and two escapes, but none of the six other Blazers were able to score. By the end of the second-to-last match, Springbrook had gained a one-point lead over Blair; a forfeit in the 160 lb. weight class and a 2-5 loss in the last match of the night gave the Blue Devils an additional nine points, cementing its lead over the Blazers.

Despite Blair's loss, Head Coach Jake Scott says that he believes the team can refine its technique and improve on its weaknesses to gain more success in future matches. "We wrestled with heart," Scott says, "but our biggest problem was that we didn't always capitalize on our opponents' mistakes, and that really hurt us."

The Blazers will be competing in the Damascus Holiday Tournament on Friday, Dec. 19 and Saturday, Dec. 20. Its next regular-season match will be held at home against Kennedy on Tuesday, Dec. 23.