WAYNESBORO — Waynesboro and West Perry went back and forth in true form and fashion on Wednesday night in a Mid-Penn Colonial Division wrestling meet.

The Indians trailed 17-3 but won four straight matches to take a 19-17 lead with eight bouts remaining. That's when the Mustangs used their strength to beat the Tribe's strength en route to a 38-29 victory.

Waynesboro had one team point deducted for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The tide turned West Perry's way beginning with the 145-pound contest and continued through the 160-pound bout as the Mustangs regained the lead at 32-18.

Waynesboro's Keegan Lohman made quick work of Adam Thoman in what could have been a swing match. Lohman took Thoman down and worked for a cradle resulting in a pin in 42 seconds to trim the deficit to 32-24 with two bouts left.

It looked like 182-pounder Hayden Reichard, one of 11 seniors recognized prior to the meet, would make the final match of the night for all the marbles. Reichard came out aggressively and scored on a takedown and two back points to lead Brad Morrison 4-0 after the first period.

However, in a contest of extremely strong upper bodies, Morrison simply had more holding power than Reichard. Morrison put Reichard in two headlocks that chewed up time in the second period. Somehow Reichard rolled out of one headlock and got Morrison in one. Morrison wiggled out of the hold and finally tightened the screws and pinned Reichard in 3:45 to up the lead to 38-24.

"They had a lot more in them than we've had this season," said Waynesboro coach David Swink of his lineup. "They were a lot more physical; they came to wrestle."

The Mustangs won three out of the first four bouts to lead 17-3. The lone win came from Xavier Rhyne, a first-year wrestler who earned a grueling 5-4 decision in the 285-pound contest.

Waynesboro's Bodie Rouzer was back on the mat after missing time due to injury. Rouzer had enough in the tank despite struggling through portions of his 120-pound match. He led 5-0 after the first period on the strength of a quick takedown and three nearfall points.

From there, it was sheer endurance, as Rouzer gave up a reversal in the second period but didn't allow a point the rest of the way en route to a 6-3 decision.

Kaden Rouzer dominated for the most part in the 126-pound weight class, working for a 7-2 decision. Rouzer picked up two points on a takedown in the first period, two for a reversal in the second period, and after escaping from the down position to start the third period, another takedown.

At 132 pounds, Waynesboro's Colby Bittore was down and out before pulling off a stunning reversal of fortune against Carter Nace. Nace was up 5-0 and on his way to pinning Bittore. Bittore fought his way off his back and parlayed a takedown into three back points. Nace ended the first period with a takedown to lead 7-5.

Nace made it 9-5 with a reversal to start the second period, but instead of fireworks, there was no further scoring and Nace was in control heading into the third period and Waynesboro trailing by eight. Nace scored on another takedown, but Bittore brought everyone to attention when he applied a headlock near his team's sitting area. Moments later, Bittore celebrated a pin after trailing 11-5. The pin took place 25 seconds into the third period.

Quinton Frampton followed with another impressive display of grit as he won the 138-pound match, 13-4. Frampton led 2-0 after the first period on a takedown. In the second period, he he had a quartet of takedowns and added another in the third period. He allowed four escape points in the decisive win.

Jakob Schorn closed out the meet with a 16-2 major decision at 195 pounds.
