Meca's Overtime Bout Highlights Wrestling at Fairmont State
Fairmont, W. Va. – The Wheeling University Wrestling team (0-3) took the mat for their final tune-up before the MEC Championships when they battled Fairmont State Wednesday night. Wheeling fought hard throughout the night, but in the end, forfeits got the best of them as they fell to the Falcons 42-6.
The Cardinals only got to participate in two matches during the night, with the other eight decided by a forfeit one way or the other. Christian Zickefoose benefited from a forfeit win in the 125-pound weight class, and Wheeling was out to a 6-0 lead. There was no 133-pound match and then the first actual match of the day came in the 141-pound weight class. Chase Montgomery took on Fairmont's Digger Denison in his first match since the team wrestled against Notre Dame. However, Montgomery would end up falling in a 12-5 decision, and Fairmont State took the lead at 12-6.
The next six matches of the night followed a pattern as Wheeling was forced to forfeit all six of them. The forfeits came for different reasons whether it be medical or otherwise. As the night went on, the match everyone was waiting for came at the 285-pound weight class. Clarouly Meca took the mat for Wheeling with a record of 6-4 on the season, and four of those wins coming via pinfall. On the other side, Fairmont State sent TJ Boyd to the mat, who has also had success this season. It was a match that didn't disappoint as both wrestlers battled throughout the match.
Through the first two rounds of the match, Meca was the only one who scored thanks to an escape, and led 1-0. Boyd would tie things up at the start of the third with an escape point of his own and the match was tied 1-1. That is where the score would stay as the third round clock ran out and the match would go to extra time. However, with :41 seconds remaining on the extra time clock, Boyd would score a takedown and defeated Meca by a 3-1 decision. It was a strong fight by Meca, but in the end Wheeling would fall in the team score 42-6, and ended their night.
The Wheeling University Wrestling team returns to action on Saturday, January 29th, when they compete at the 2022 MEC Wrestling Championships.