Sweet Home grapplers lose exciting season opener

Sweet Home wrestling opened its dual meet season last Wednesday with a tough 38-33 home loss to Jamestown.

Returning Section VI finalist Nic Stella started things out for the Panthers at 140 pounds with a pin of Cody Kane in 2:48.

Matt Danwin (119), Zach Fumerelle (125), Dan Balson (160) and Archie Owrey (215) all recorded pins. Senior Ryan Murray lost a wild 26-18 match at 152.

Freshman Gates Batesman had the best match of the night, beating Max Murray, 7-2.

Sweet Home was winning 33-26 with two matches remaining but had to forfeit at 135 and at 130, Jamestown’s Jon Bernard pinned the Panthers’ Cory Mitchum at one-minute of the first period.

“It was exciting,” said Sweet Home coach Chris Nadeau. “A lot of people came to me after the

meet and said they hadn’t had that type of energy around here in a while.”

The Panthers placed three at the 14th Attica Blue Devils Tournament.

Stella went 4-0 to win at 140. Owrey was 4-1 for third place at 215. Murray had to bow out with a back injury to finish sixth at 152.

Stella beat Brockport’s Phil Bellomino, 17-2 in 4:39, pinned Letchworth’s Evan Sylor in 1:57, defeated

Iroquois’ Forest Hawk, 16-1, and Brockport’s Josh Oyer, 19-4, in the finals. Stella finished sixth last year at the tournament.

Owrey beat Hornell’s Mike Perry, 15-0, in 3:54 then lost to Attica’s Dan Manko. In wrestlebacks, Owrey pinned Attica’s Justin Schwab in 2:15 and Roy-Hart’s Dan Henley in 1:33, beat Pal-Mac’s Pat Krenz, 11-1, and defeated Manko, 9-3, for third. Murray beat Greece-Olympia’s

John Reyes, 12-1, to make his first career semifinal where he lost to Maryvale’s Mike Tworkowski. In wrestlebacks, he beat Brockport’s Eric Cramer, 4-1, then lost by medical forfeit to Iroquois’ Seth Ramsdell.

Sweet Home finished 11th out of 18 teams with 73 points.

Sweet Home wrestles at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Orchard Park.

(Patrick J. Nagy contributed to this article)