Falcon wrestlers rally past York for region win

The Nation Ford Falcons are still in the hunt for a playoff spot with a 39-29 win over York as it had to rally from behind to get the job done.

Down at one point 19-6, Nation Ford rattled off six wins in seven matches for the overall team win.

“We started off at 170 where we felt comfortable,” said Falcons’ head coach Leon Boulware. “We knew what we had down low. We are hard to beat. I feel like we can still make a run.”

The win boosted Nation Ford to 2-2 in Region III as it heads into a dual meet against rival Fort Mill and then finishes off the regular season at home against Clover before hosting the Region III tournament Saturday. Right now, the Falcons are in third in the region behind Fort Mill and Rock Hill.

The Falcons started off the meet at York at 170 pounds and got a win from Jake Gravely to go up 6-0. They then dropped five straight matches to trail 19-6.

The rally for Nation Ford started with a first period pin from Jeremy Kishbaugh at 113 pounds followed by a second period pin from TJ Giarratana at 120. That made the score 19-18.

York then won at 126 pounds, but Nation Ford won at 132 after a first period pin from Christian Trimble to make the score 24-23 in the Falcons’ favor. Dalen Byerley got the job done at 138 pounds, although it was a tough 4-2 overtime win.

Dylan Curtsinger won by pin at 145 pounds and Wesley Johnson clinched the win for Nation Ford with a third period pin at 152 pounds to put the meet out of reach for York.

This story was originally published January 25, 2016 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Falcon wrestlers rally past York for region win."