NEWBERRY, S.C. - One of the most decorated athletes in Newberry history, Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) wrestled his way to yet another laurel as the senior became Newberry's career wins leader with a pin of No. 6 UNC Pembroke's Shiheem Bryant at the 1:12 mark of the 184 lbs. bout.
The historic victory was a part of a 36-6 walloping laid on the No. 6 UNC Pembroke Braves by No. 4 Newberry. The win marked the third triumph for the scarlet and gray over a top 10 squad this season and was the eighth time in 2010-11 that the Wolves have beaten a team by 30 points or more. More gaudy figures for the Wolves include an output of 636 total points for the pack this season, good for an average of 31.8 per dual. Newberry has held the competition to just 186 total points this season which averages out to a paltry 9.3 points per match.
After the Wolves were staked to an early lead thanks to Connor McDonald (Rehoboth, Del.) picking up a win after a forfeit in the 125 lbs. weight slot from UNCP, BJ Young (Jackson, N.J.) took the mat looking to gain his 26th victory of the season. Young and Timdarius Thurston battled through a scoreless first period of the 133 lbs. bout before Newberry's No. 5 grappler began to produce points. The freshman scored five points in the second and looked to be on his way to an easy victory before things nearly went sour in the third. Thurston scored a trio of takedowns in the final period, but Young tallied a pair of escape points and picked up a riding time point to fend off the upset bid of Thurston.
In a rematch of the 141 lbs. semifinal bout which occurred at the Midwest Classic nearly two months ago, Deral Brown (Elgin, S.C.) and Tyquan Easton took to the mat at the 141 lbs. level. Offense was hard to come by in the match, but Brown manufactured an escape point in the second and held the lead until the third period. Easton evened things up with a point of his own, and the match seemed to be headed for a one minute sudden victory round. Unfortunately, Easton was able to score a takedown with just one second remaining in the bout to take a 3-1 decision over Brown.
Still searching for the first dual victory of his young career, Seiji Borja (Charleston, S.C.) sauntered under the spotlight at the 149 lbs. weight class. Borja came out looking to end things early against Joe Figueroa, tallying nine points in the first frame alone. The freshman would put up six more points in the second before adding a takedown in the third and registering his first dual win of his career via an 18-1 technical fall.
Facing Sean Byrnes (Jackson, N.J.) has been a painful outing for many a grappler and Chris Foy found out why in the 157 lbs. wrestle. After a takedown just 13 seconds into the bout, Byrnes began his usual process of trying to inflict as much discomfort as possible to his opponent by twisting and bending Foy every which way around the mat, eliciting myriad cheers from the Newberry faithful. The No. 6 wrestler picked up his team leading 13th pin of the season at the 1:09 mark with a wicked chokehold.
In what looked like a sure victory on paper for the Braves, Blake Ridenour (Maryville, Tenn.) found himself with the tall task of trying to take down No. 1 Mike Williams in the 165 lbs. category. Ridenour found himself trailing 4-1 after one frame, but began to chip away in the second. The redshirt freshman evened the match at four after three second period scores, setting the scene for a chaotic third period. Ridenour took the fight to Williams, picking up a pair of takedowns and an escape point in the third, but the Brave would produce five points of his own and the bout would have to be settled in a sudden victory frame. Williams was able to produce a takedown late in the period for an 11-9 decision.
Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) was the competitor for the Wolves at 174 lbs. and had his way with Jordan Ford. Whitelock scored six points in the first period and added another four with a pair of two-point near falls in the second. Whitelock also accumulated over six minutes of riding time and picked up an 11-0 major decision.
In the highlight of the evening, Blanton never trailed against Bryant in the 184 lbs. battle. The two-time All-American opened up with five points thanks to a takedown and a three-point near fall. Bryant would respond with three points before a reversal from Blanton would give the defending national champion the lead for good. Six seconds later, Blanton put away Bryant for good with his 12th fall of the season and his 129th career victory.
Showing his penchant for overtime matches, Karl Reed (Mount Laurel, N.J.) found himself in another, this time with Shane Nolan. With the scoreboard reading 1-1, Reed scored a takedown 11 seconds into the sudden victory frame to walk away with his 10th dual victory of the season, 3-1.
Finishing things up for the Wolves was Jake Elkins (Trussville, Ala.). The senior was down after two periods but put six points on the board in the final frame to take the heavyweight bout from James De La Riva. Elkins first scored an escape point before scoring a takedown and a three-point near fall in the final ten seconds of the match for a 6-1 decision.
The scarlet and gray will enjoy a ten-day layoff before taking to the mats again when they host King (Tenn.) on February 11. The match is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.
