The Unionville wrestling team got off to a strong start against Octorara as standout sophomore Tyler Mousaw won by major decision at 195 pounds and Wyatt Maguire scored a pinfall victory at 220 pounds, but the young Indians squad couldn’t come up with a win when it needed one, ultimately falling to the Braves, 43-28, during the Jan. 3 match in Unionville.

Mousaw delivered his 16th victory of the season in impressive fashion, scoring a 17-5 major decision over Octorara’s Brandon Jackson. Mousaw carried a 2-0 lead into the second period and very nearly scored a pin with 1:20 left in that period. He built a 10-1 lead. Jackson proved his toughness by rallying in the third period, but Mousaw pushed his lead to 17-5 and helped his team take a 4-0 lead in the match.

Maguire, a junior, scored a pinfall in the closing seconds of the first period against Colby Wrigley to increase the lead to 10-0 for Unionville.

In the 285-pound weight class, Unionville’s Elijah Lyons accepted a win by forfeit. When his teammate, John Luzzi, did the same at 106 pounds, Unionville’s lead was up to 22-0.

Octorara’s Tyler Thompson accepted a win by forfeit at 113 pounds. Next, in one of the more entertaining and evenly matched contests of the night, Octorara’s Seth Hoopes scored a 7-3 decision over Dominic Chaclas in the 120-pound match.

At 126 pounds, Unionville’s Jacob Lehman took on Octorara’s Liam Babauta. Lehman took an early 5-3 lead, but Babauta was in control for most of the second period. The Octorara grappler took a 7-6 edge and did a nice job of finishing off the victory in the third period. The decision cut Unionville’s lead to 22-12.

Sam Elsen, a freshman, scored a victory for Unionville at 132 pounds, pinning Frank Leslie in the closing seconds of the first period. That made it 28-12.

Octorara’s Ryan Kernan took a 2-0 lead in the first period and then pinned Logan Walker 34 seconds into the second period, earning 6 points for Octorara in the 138-pound match.

At 145 pounds, Troy Sharpless continued Octorara’s rally. He built up a 4-2 lead early against Alex Dornak, and continued to build momentum in the second period. He scored a major decision, winning 13-3. That cut Unionville’s lead to 28-22. Moments later, in the 152-pound contest, Caden Dalton scored a pinfall victory over Chase Devitto with about 30 seconds left in the first period. That tied the match at 28-28.

Octorara accepted a win by forfeit at 160 pounds, setting the stage for a very good match between Unionville’s Matt Julier and Octorara’s Gavin Camerote at 170 pounds. The two battled through a scoreless first period. Julier nearly scored a takedown in the first 20 seconds of the second, but the Octorara grappler was able to hold him off and take a 2-0 lead. In the third period, Julier worked hard to score, but Camerote was able to hold him off, maintaining a 3-0 lead for the win. That gave Octorara a 37-28 lead, and it assured the visiting Braves of a victory in the match.

At 182 pounds, Jacob Eckman managed a pinfall victory over Noah Stillman with about 43 seconds left in the first period. That gave Octorara its final margin of victory of 43-28.

This was Senior Night for the Unionville wrestling team. Gavin Grim, who competes at 182 pounds or 195 pounds, was honored before the match. He is a two-time district qualifier and has been wrestling for six years. He is the only senior on the wrestling squad. Angela Demarco, the team manager, was also honored during the Senior Night celebration. She has served as team manager for the last four years.