Wrestlers loose close match to a strong Mason squad

    At Mason last night the wrestlers were down, 21-3, before Trent Hullett's upset major decision of Rylen Deroscha. This win gave the team a renewed energy, as  Deroscha was ranked 8th in the state and Hullett dominated the match from start to finish on his way to a 10-1 victory.
    Tanner Jewell had Western's only win in the first five weight classes.
    "When Blayne Kerstetter and Tyler Ebersole lost I didn't think we could win the meet.  I thought we needed both of those wins from two of my better wrestlers, " Coach Hoffman said.
    Brady Hoffman kept things going in the right direction with a pin at 215 pounds.
    Western was down 33-13 after the 285 pound match but stormed back with pins from Spencer Plate and Brock Hoffman at 102 and 112 pounds, respectively.
    Freshman Noah Burk had a huge 11-8 win at 119 pounds to put the Panthers within striking distance.    
    Down 28-33 with two weight classes left the Panthers went 6-6 and lost 34-39 to Mason. The preseason favorite to win the CAAC, Mason was ranked 7th in the state.
    Afterwards, Coach Hoffman put the loss in perspective, saying his team is "on the right track. They felt good about being in the match, but know that we let it slip away.  They're disappointed with the loss and that's a good thing," Hoffman said.
    JV winners for Western were Colton Parker, Ben Marshall, Cade Shushok, Roman Withrow, David Gazlay, Patrick Harris, Steven Stokely, and Devin Welter.