Parkside Ends Decatur Win Streak

BERLIN- Despite a fierce comeback attempt, Stephen Decatur’s varsity wrestling team fell to visiting Parkside, 39-29, in front of a standing-room only bi-partisan crowd on Wednesday, ending the Seahawks’ remarkable unbeaten streak in the Bayside Conference that dated back several years.

Something had to give when Decatur, 12-0 in conference matches this season, played host to Parkside, also 12-0 this year, on Wednesday. It was a match both teams had circled on their schedules back when the season began as a possible conference showdown and the match certainly lived up to the height.

The match began with Parkside’s Laury Louise-Jaques gaining a 5-3 decision over Decatur’s Adam Bargar in the 195-pound match for a quick 3-0 lead. At 220, Parkside’s Rotand Clark pinned Decatur’s Patrick Phillips with 17 seconds left in the first period to extend the Rams’ lead to 9-0. After Parkside’s Bremante Tull earned a 4-1 decision over Ryan Kail in the 285 match, the Rams led 12-0.

Decatur’s Nate Rosenblatt got the Seahawks on the board by pinning Parkside’s Grant Twiford in the 106 match. Twiford was saved from a pin by the buzzer at the end of the first period, but Rosenblatt finished him off just 14 seconds into the second.

In the 113 match, Decatur’s Ethan Mariner was pinned by Parkside’s Anthony Rivera in the third period as the Rams extended their lead to 18-6. Parkside pushed its lead to 24-6 after Lamont Brickous pinned Logan Smith in the 120 match and the gap continued to widen for the Rams.

Things started to turn around for Decatur when Alford Hardy won by forfeit at 126 to cut the Parkside lead to 24-12. In the next match, Decatur’s Dakota Roderick pinned Parkside’s Brandon Rodriguez to cut the lead to 24-18. Roderick pinned Rodriguez in the last second of the second period when the official’s hand hit the mat just as the buzzer sounded.

Parkside stopped the Seahawks’ run in the 138 match when Darren Streets scored a 9-2 decision over Alex Schiffer to extend the lead to 27-18. However, Decatur bounced right back with a 17-1 win by Kaelen Patterson over Parkside’s Steven Dowling to cut the lead to 27-23.

In the 152 match, Parkside’s Brennan McAllister scored a decision over Decatur’s Jermaine Purnell to push the lead to 32-23, but the match was far from over. At 160, Decatur’s Andrew Borradaille pinned Keith Elmore with 14 seconds left in the first period to cut the lead to 32-29. With two matches to go, Parkside’s led by just three points.

At 170, Parkside’s Mitch Conte scored a decision over Decatur’s Jeff Evans to extend the lead to 35-29. Trailing by six, Decatur’s Ethan Eibl would need to pin Erick Miranda to extend the match, but Miranda took care of business with a 15-3 decision as the Rams ended the Seahawks’ long conference win streak.