By MIKE BEACOM
of The Gazette
The Stevens Point Pacelli wrestling lineup read more like a casualty list than a roster Tuesday night. Four of 13 weight classes were vacant due to injury and illness. And to make matters worse for the Cardinals, their opponent for the evening was no slouch.
An energetic Tomahawk squad entered the match coming off an impressive fourth-place finish at the 40-team Oshkosh on the Water holiday tournament, bumping the team to sixth in the most recent Division II rankings.
Yet, amidst all the adversity, Pacelli head coach Jay Yenter felt his team was capable of putting up a respectable score and could realistically take several matches. The Hatchets proved to be too physically and mentally strong, though, as Yenter and his young squad fell victim to a 70-0 onslaught.
The Cardinals first four matches resulted in first period pins and with forfeits at 112 and 125 pounds, Tomahawk jumped out to a 36-0 lead.
The Cardinals hopes of claiming a win were high in the 145 pound match. Sophomore Simon Hesch rode his opponent for the duration of the second period, and scored a reversal early in the third to take a 4-2 lead. But with 13 seconds left, Hesch was warned for stalling, enabling Tomahawk's Tony Lechleitner an opportunity to regroup. Lechleitner scored a reversal and three-point near fall for a 7-4 win.
"Simon goes so hard, he just makes mistakes sometimes," said Yenter. "He's had some tough breaks."
Senior Greg Snow looked like he might earn the night's first win for Stevens Point, but again, the Cardinals came up empty handed.
The 152 pounder avoided trouble early on and clung to a 4-3 advantage entering the third period. But, forced to start the period from the up position, Snow lost his lead and the match midway through when Tomahawk senior Ben Daigle scored a reversal. Snow was not able to escape Daigle's control in the period's final minute, suffering the 5-4 loss.
"We're down on the bottom with a minute left on the clock. (In that situation), you've got to get the escape," commented Yenter.
Tomahawk received two additional pins and forfeits to close out the night.
Yenter makes no excuses for his team's performance and is adamant about his squad not using its ailments as an excuse either.
"Against a team like this, you've got to wrestle the full six minutes," said Yenter. "I told our guys, 'We can't bring back wrestlers we've lost. We can't use (injury and illness) as an excuse.' We need to start correcting our mistakes."