HINESBURG — Mount Abraham wrestlers made history on Dec. 20 when they traveled to Hinesburg for dual meets with host Champlain Valley and also with Otter Valley.
For the first time in many years Eagles wrestlers defeated CVU in a head-to-head dual, 54-24. A total of eight matches were contested, with the rest of the weight classes decided by forfeit. Mount Abe won five of the matches wrestled and CVU won three.
In other sports CVU is generally a Division I school whereas Mount Abe is generally D-II or D-III. This victory put Mount Abe in the top three squads in the state, coach Nick Mayer said, behind No. 1 Mount Anthony and No. 2 Essex.
Eagles who pinned their CVU opponents were John Bent at 145 pounds, Matt Cotta at 170, and Kevin Pearsall at 195.
Mount Abe wrestlers also prevailed over Otter Valley on Dec. 20; the score was 58-12.
A total of six matches were wrestled with the Eagles claiming four victories (scoring pins were Gary Conant at 138, Pearsall at 182 and Ryan Durfee at 285) and the Otters claiming two wins (Levi Cram at 113 and Josh Beayon at 170 both by pins).    EAGLE 126-POUNDER Ben Murray wrestles Otter David Williams in a triple dual at Champlain Valley Union on Dec. 20. Murray scored a 10-2 major decision and Mount Abe defeated Otter Valley, 58-12.
Photo credit: alfreyphotography.com
The Eagles’ match against Milton on Dec. 23 was snowed out. Some Mount Abe wrestlers will be competing at the Middlebury tournament on Dec. 28-29 and some will travel to Lowell, Mass., for a tournament on those dates.
In Mount Abe vs. CVU:
106   Izzy Emmons of Mt Abe received a forfeit.
113   Riley Brown of CVU pinned Darius Kodis of Mt Abe, 0:23.
120   Jacob Graveline of CVU pinned Parker Gero of Mt Abe, 4:59.
126   Ben Murray of Mt Abe received a forfeit.
132   Roman Mayer of Mt Abe received a forfeit.
138   Gary Conant of Mt Abe defeated Lucas Brown of CVU by minor decision, 9-2.
145   John Bent of Mt Abe pinned Nate Hoffman of CVU, 0:39.
152   Ulysses Suazo of Mt Abe received a forfeit.
160   Nate Lavoie of Mt Abe defeated Will Murphy of CVU by minor decision, 8-1.
170   Matt Cota of Mt Abe pinned Hunter Paquette of CVU, 1:28.
182   Nick Parker of CVU pinned Kyle Beatty of Mt Abe, 0:24.
195   Kevin Pearsall of Mt Abe pinned Jared Forsythe of CVU, 2:45.
220   Jayvon Whitlock received a forfeit.
285   Ryan Durfee of Mt Abe received a forfeit.
In Mount Abe vs. Otter Valley:
106   Izzy Emmons of Mt Abe received a forfeit.
113   Levi Cram of OV pinned Darius Kodis of Mt Abe, 1:07.
120   Parker Gero of Mt Abe received a forfeit.
126   Ben Murray of Mt Abe defeated David Williams of OV by major decision, 10-2.
132   Roman Mayer of Mt Abe received a forfeit.
138   Gary Conant of Mt Abe pinned Dan Whitney of OV, 1:35.
145   John Bent of Mt Abe received a forfeit.
152   Ulysses Suazo of Mt Abe received a forfeit.
160   Matt Cota of Mt Abe received a forfeit.
170   Josh Beayon of OV pinned Nate Lavoie of Mt Abe, 1:34.
182   Kevin Pearsall of Mt Abe pinned Gadge Paro of OV, 1:24.
195   Double forfeit.
220   Double forfeit.
285   Ryan Durfee of Mt Abe pinned Jared Denis, 1:24.     145-POUND MOUNT ABE sophomore John Bent pins CVU’s Nate Hoffman in 39 seconds. Photo by Madison Little