NEWBERRY — The Wolves had a strong start at home despite a close battle, handling Belmont Abbey (6-3, 2-0 South Atlantic Conference Carolinas) 23-20 in Newberry’s home opener Wednesday evening.
Newberry (1-2,1-0) kicked off their South Atlantic Conference Carolinas slate in style, after having an extended break due to a contest cancellation. The break did not impede on the Wolves as they battled through a close matchup, prevailing victorious. The Wolves swept the conference contest in the 2018-19 season, finishing the year 6-0 and returned with the same mentality. The match took a turning point in the latter half — the Wolves were down 9-7 within the first four matches of the evening.
ZeBrandon Gant had one of the strongest showings of the night at the 184 pound division and earned his team five crucial points that would contribute to the victory.
Junior veteran Austin Neal (133) wasted no time getting his team on the board, jumping on top of Lleyton Taylor early in the match. Neal gave the Wolves a spark after dropping the first contest of the night. Neal earned several crucial takedowns throughout the bout, prevailing victorious by major decision 16-3.
Junior Isiah Royal followed in his teammate’s footsteps as he defeated Justin Payne by decision 4-0. The Guyton, Ga. native is ranked No. 1 in the NWCA Division II polls at the 141 division for the third consecutive week.
The Crusaders were able to pick up the next match as Damian Penichet (149) fell to Josh Blatt by decision, 9-5.
The Wolves bounced back after Nick Giantono showed great endurance during the 157 match. Giantono battled during the three periods, getting the best of Tyler Gregor by major decision, 16-6.
Caleb Spears cashed in the fourth win for the Wolves at the 174 division by a score of 22-11 for the third major decision of the night. The victory gave the Wolves a boost after dropping six team points in the prior bout.
It was none other than the sophomore Gant who elevated the crowd noise in Eleazar Arena after multiple ferocious takedowns throughout the match. Gant kept the tempo high for the Wolves, rolling past Logan Branham by tech fall 28-8 in 7:00. The victory distanced the team score by five, giving the Wolves a five point lead going into the last two bouts of the day. The Springfield, Ga. native has been dominating his opponents, improving his overall record to 15-2 this season.
Sophomore Marcus Bisono (197) came through for Newberry by securing another three points to put the Crusaders out of reach. Off the whistle, Bisono hit the mat for an immediate takedown and kept the momentum going. Brian Girard was able to win some points back but Bisono stayed aggressive, defeating his opponent by a 15-11 decision.
Despite taking a loss in the final bout, the momentum and points generated by Bisono and Gant and a lost team point by Belmont Abbey were more than enough to secure the decisive win.
The Wolves will return to Eleazar Arena on Jan. 27 as they face conference runner up Limestone College at 7 p.m.