Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
Six Flames wresters place at Fall Brawl near Philadelphia
11/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Wrestling
Senior 174-pounder Josh Ferenczy overpowered his opponents on his way to an individual title and Liberty University's wrestling team added one runner-up showing, three consolation champions, and one fourth-place finisher at Saturday's annual Fall Brawl, hosted by Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa., near Philadelphia.
No team scores were kept in the tournament that featured mostly Division III schools, but the Flames were pleased with their performances.
"We're showing pretty drastic improvement since this time last season so we're really happy with what we're seeing so far," Liberty Assistant Coach Chris Williamson said. "They showed they were competitive with some of the best guys in the country and showed they wanted to wrestle.
"They wrestled with tenacity, and willed their way through some of these matches," he added. "Sometimes it takes better skill, sometimes better technique, sometimes you just have to want it more than the other guy and our guys showed that."
Ferenczy finished 5-0, pinning his first two opponents from Delaware Valley and John's Hopkins, before scoring technical falls for 15-point victories in his quarterfinal and semifinal matches, one against Gettysburg.
"He was probably our most dominant wrestler on the day," Williamson said.
In his final match, Ferenczy scored a 6-3 decision over Dan Kilroy from The College of New Jersey, an opponent he had lost to in last year's championship bout.
"He was much, much better at using his counter offense and very stingy when it came to letting up any points," Williamson said. "He pressured the guy into making a lot of mistakes."
Liberty sophomore 149-pounder Brandon Robinson went 5-1 in a deep and talented weight class, scoring a 6-5 decision over Western New England College's Giancarlo Crivelli in the consolation final.
Robinson's only defeat came in a quarterfinal match against Navy Prep School's Jack Stanton.
"Minus that loss, which Brandon could have won, his technique was better than everyone and he was physically stronger than everyone," Williamson said. "He was dominant the whole time."
At 165 pounds, Flames senior Patrick Scarborough went 4-1 to finish runner-up to The College of New Jersey's Nick Herring, who won a 3-2 decision in the championship bout.
Liberty had a head-to-head clash in the 184-pound, where sophomore Taylor Westlake shut out freshman Vinny Levin, 3-0, in an aggressive showdown in the consolation final.
At heavyweight, in the last match of the tournament, Flames sophomore Dominick Johnson avenged a first-round loss to Elizabethtown's Eric Eckstein with a 2-1 triumph in double overtime in the consolation final. He escaped in the first overtime before preventing his opponent from escaping to tie in the 30-second extra overtime to win for the first time in three meetings with Eckstein this season.
"They were different styles," Williamson said, noting Johnson won his last five matches to take third. "Eckstein was quicker and more athletic, so Dominick had to use his defense to shut him down. He knew what the kid was going to do, but he had to not only match his athleticism, but outlast him physically with his endurance for the duration of the match. (In the second overtime), he got on top and got a leg on him to ride him out."
For the second time in three weeks, the Flames will compete with split squads next weekend. They will send their top 10-12 wrestlers to St. Louis to compete in the Joe Parisi Open, where they will be one of only a few club teams in a field rich in NCAA DI, DII, and DIII schools. Liberty's remaining 20 wrestlers will participate in the Star City Open, hosted by Ferrum College in Roanoke.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
