It’s not quite February yet, but Eisenhower wrestling coach Kris Black said it “felt like Groundhog’s Day,” following the Knights’ 52-21 loss to visiting Falconer (NY) Thursday.

Eisenhower was coming off a 50-25 loss to Corry Wednesday and the match against Falconer played out almost the exact same way. The Golden Falcons won eight matches via pinfall and picked up five straight from 152-195.

“We knew this was going to be a rough week,” Eisenhower coach Kris Black said. “We were wrestling two of the best teams, one in Pennsylvania, one in New York. I believe Falconer has a legit shot at winning a team state title and Corry is going to make some noise in the team tournament as well.”

The match opened at 152 and Falconer got right to work. Bryce Baglia pinned Alex Green, then Mac Mikula decked Benji Bower at 160. John Koslowski followed with a pinfall win over Mikael Beaver at 170, Hudson Johnson pinned Jeremyah Aiken at 182 and Brock Johnson closed the run with a pin over Josh Parker at 195.

“We gave up 30 bonus points in a row,” Black said. “But I’m not displeased. I thought Beaver had his guy pinned, then he gets pinned. That’s a 12-point swing. Aiken had a take down early, got reversed and tried for a big move that got him pinned. It happens, but we’ve got to keep working on that and get better in small areas.”

Cael Black got the Knights on the board with a 7-2 decision over Collin Biechner at 220.

“Cael was our Hertel & Brown Wrestler of the Match,” coach Black said. “He wrestled a tough kid and did a good job. They prepped that kid for a month to get ready for Cael. I’m happy with him.”

Falconer responded with a string of three more pinfall victories. Collin Mauer over Jesse Gourley at 285, Brayden Newman topped Anthony Rivera at 106 and Austin Chase decked Ethan Nizzi at 113.

“Nizzi wrestled that kid at the Falconer tournament and lost in a matter of seconds,” Black said. “Tonight he took him all the way to the late third period. He was fighting for all he was worth.”

Logan Jaquay picked up bonus points for the Knights with a 17-1 tech fall win over Carson DePasquale at 120. Joey Pilateri picked up Falconer’s final win of the match with a 14-2 major decision over Jake Williams at 126.

Eisenhower closed the match strong with Easton Hedman grabbing an 8-2 decision over Hunter Tebow at 132. Gannon Jaquay followed with a pinfall victory over Dalton Caldwell at 138 and Josh Bortz picked up an 8-0 major decision over Evan Fanko at 145.

“Easton, Gannon and Logan did what they should have done tonight,” Black said. “Josh Bortz is wrestling as well as I’ve ever seen. It seems like he’s getting better each time out.”

The Knights will have some time to rest before another big match next week. Eisenhower travels to Saegertown Wednesday with a chance to host a district wrestle-in on the line.

“That’s a big one too and they’re wrestling really well right now,” Black said. “We’ve just got to regroup a little and get ready for Saegertown.”

——

Falconer 52, Eisenhower 21

152: Bryce Baglia (F) pin Alex Green

160: Mac Mickula (F) pin Benji Bauer

170: John Koslowski (F) pin Mikael Beaver

182: Hudson Johnson (F) pin Jeremyah Aiken

195: Brock Johnson (F) pin Josh Parker

220: Cael Black (E) dec. Collin Biechner, 7-2

285: Collin Mauer (F) pin Jesse Gourley

106: Brayden Newman (F) pin Anthony Rivera

113: Austin Chase (F) pin Ethan Nizzi

120: Logan Jaquay (E) tech fall. Carson DePasquale, 17-1

126: Joey Pilateri (F) maj. dec. Jake Williams, 14-2

132: Easton Hedman (E) dec. Hunter Tebow, 8-2

138: Gannon Jaquay (E) pin Dalton Caldwell

145: Josh Bortz (E) maj. dec. Evan Fanko, 8-0