By By SCOTT NOVAK / Dowagiac Daily News
Dowagiac's varsity wrestling team wrapped up its regular season on Wednesday night against a pair of old Lakeland Conference foes.
The Chieftains hosted rival Lakeshore and Coloma as all three teams tried to tune up for this weekend's conference tournaments.
Dowagiac (19-12) split its matches, while the Lancers picked up a pair of wins.
Lakeshore knocked off Coloma, 63-13, in the opening match of the night before facing its long-time rival Chieftains in the second round.
Dowagiac was no match for Lakeshore, which posted a 44-19 victory. The Chieftains rebounded to edge Coloma, 40-31.
"Overall, I am pleased with our effort last night," Dowagiac coach John Green said. "We had two wins against Lakeshore that we didn't get a couple of weeks ago. Terry went two overtime matches with Humes this year. He finally opened it up and had a good one. Nate Behnke and Drew Staley both had solid performances."
Prior to the Lakeshore match, Dowagiac honored its seniors. Wrestling in their final home match were Nathan Cottrell, Richie Hutchinson and Nate Behnke. Mike Kasper, who has missed the season with a knee injury, was also honored.
Behnke was the lone senior to pick up a victory against the Lancers. The 189-pounder pinned Zach Kretchman in 3:05.
Also picking up victories for the Chieftains were Andrew Roden at 103-pounds, Terry Prowoznik at 145-pounds and Drew Staley at 215-pounds.
Staley's match was one of the most exciting of the night as it pitted him against Joe Spear in a rematch of the Southwest Michigan Invitational final.
Staley scored an early takedown and then held on for a 2-0 victory.
Roden pinned Ben Nowacki in 2:44, while Prowoznik picked up a 21-8 major decision over Mike Humes.
In the Coloma match, Dowagiac dropped the first bout, but rebounded with three consecutive victories to open up a 16-3 lead on the Comets.
After losing at 140-pounds, Prowoznik, Michael McNeil and DeShaun Baylock all won in a big way.
Prowoznik pinned Ryan Berry in 1:51, while McNeil won by major decision with his 14-2 victory over Brad Garrod. Baylock capped the mini-run by the Chieftains with a pin of Nick Mannino with one second left in the bout.
Coloma stopped the bleeding with a decision at 171-pounds, but the Chieftains got rolling again with three straight victories.
Behnke won by forfeit, while Staley pinned Justin Johnson in 25 seconds. Robert Wescott pinned Jordan Boven in 1:20 at heavyweight to cap the run.
Leading 34-6, Dowagiac had to hold on for dear life as the Comets came roaring back.
Coloma won five out of the last six bouts to make the final score more respectable.
The Chieftains actually forfeited the last weight class to account for the final score.
Dowagiac's John Morseau was the lone winner in that final stretch of bouts. Morseau pinned Jason Doolen in 3:58 at 125-pounds to complete the scoring for the Chieftains.
"John Morseau sealed the deal for us," Green said. "He was the hero."
The Chieftains are back in action on Saturday as they travel to Vicksburg for their first Wolverine Conference Tournament.
Lakeshore…44
Dowagiac…19
103: Andrew Roden (D) p. Ben Nowacki, 2:44
112: Jeff Schoenback (L) d. Nathan Cottrell, 7-0
119: Nick Humes (L) d. Bobby Price, 10-2
125: Tyler Humes (L) p. John Morseau, 3:31
130: Mike Davis (L) d. Justin Richter, 6-2
135: Alex Bolt (L) d. Richie Hutchinson, 10-0
140: Jake Skivers (L) d. Nathan Long, 8-2
145: Terry Prowoznik (D) d. Mike Humes, 21-8
152: Eric Shirley (L) p. Mike McNeil, 2:25
160: Tim Newman (L) p. DeShaun Baylock, 2:39
171: Dave Sirk (L) p. Andrew Hurrle, 3:38
189: Nate Behnke (D) p. Zach Kretchman, 3:05
215: Drew Staley (D) d. Joe Spear, 2-0
285: Josh Noffke (L) d. Robert Wescott, 3-2
Coloma…31
Dowagiac…40
103: John Tanner (C) p. Andrew Roden, 1:43
112: Luke Faltersack (C) d. Nathan Cottrell, 13-4
119: John Parrish (C) d. Bobby Price, 7-3
125: John Morseau (D) p. Jason Doolen, 3:58
130: Huston Harrison (C) p. Justin Richter, 5:43
135: Anthony Moore (C) won by forfeit
140: Matt Kiser (C) d. Nathan Long, 7-3
145: Terry Prowoznik (D) p. Ryan Berry, 1:51
152: Mike McNeil (D) d. Brad Garrod, 14-2
160: DeShaun Baylock (D) p Nick Mannino, 5:59
171: Randy Wells (C) d. Andrew Hurrle, 10-3
189: Nate Behnke (D) won by forfeit
215: Drew Staley (D) p. Justin Johnson, 0:25
285: Robert Wescott (D) p. Jordan Boven, 1:20