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By Todd Irwin
sports@altoonamirror.com
BELLWOOD -- Glendale's Suds Dubler was only on the Bellwood-Antis mat for 27 seconds, but it was a momentous time in his four-year wrestling career.
Dubler pinned Carter Rettig --in Rettig's varsity debut -- at 172 pounds for his 100th career win.
It was one of three pins by the 6-3 Vikings, including falls by Zeke Dubler (160) and Brock Smeal (285). The Vikings also had a decision and five forfeit wins in their 51-18 win over the 0-11 Blue Devils in an 18-minute match.
"It feels nice," Dubler said. "It's a new milestone accomplished. I was planning on getting it my junior year, but it didn't happen because of COVID.
"It just happened to be this year. I'm just happy that I got it, though, because I didn't know if we were going to have a season because of COVID and everything else. It's all so scary."
After B-A's Julius Diossa won by forfeit at 152 to open the meet, junior Zeke Dubler, who has 61 career wins, pinned Xander Shank in only 34 seconds at 160.
Suds took Rettig down quickly, put him on his back and referee Jeff Beach slapped the mat in 27 seconds. It was his 55th career fall.
"That's special," Glendale coach Brian Storm said. "I've been watching Suds wrestle since he was in kindergarten. He's a special wrestler. He's one of my favorite wrestlers to watch wrestle. He's just a great athlete. He has that athleticism that's fun to watch."
"Good for him," first-year Bellwood-Antis coach Kyle Fink said. "To get 100 wins in high school is definitely hard. You have to have success across all four years. Congrats to him. (The Dublers) are both very good. What do you tell your own kid at that point?"
What did he tell Rettig beforehand?
"I told him to go out there and send it. 'Do what you've got to do,'" Fink said.
Almost immediately, Dubler's family and fans gave him a standing ovation and held up 100-wins signs and a huge 100-win gold balloon. The public address announcer recognized the feat before Dubler posed for photos at the edge of the mat.
"I'm not much of a picture guy," he said, "but we've always done that. It's just a big thing for (Glendale) when someone gets 100 wins."
The same thing happened when Glendale three-time state champion Brock McMillen earned his 100th victory at B-A his junior year. Dubler is the sixth Viking to reach the milestone, and the fifth since the 2019-20 season.
Glendale's Britton Spangle and B-A's Ethan Norris were in the most competitive bout of the night at 215. Norris was winning 1-0 when he was called for stalling for the second time with 1:19 remaining, tying the score.
With the bout still tied in the final second, Spangle stood and broke free for an escape with 4 seconds left to win, 2-1.
"We knew that was going to be close," Storm said. "That was a great match. Those two are so close. It didn't disappoint. I would have liked to have seen Britton get a takedown, but he wrestled smart and defended well. He finally did stand up and get that escape."
"It was competitive, but I definitely think Ethan should have wrestled better," Fink said. "If he would have wrestled better, he would have won. He'll probably see him two or three times before the end of the year. It should have gone into overtime. That stalling call was questionable at best."
At 285, Smeal was up 5-0 on Aaron Laird when he put Laird on his back and pinned him in 1:54.
"Brock was on concussion protocol there for awhile, so I think he was chomping at the bit to get back out there and wrestle," Storm said. "He showed it. He was ready."
After neither team fielded a 106-pounder, Glendale's Ryder Krise (113), Sam Cherry (120), Nate Storm (126), George Campbell (132) and Dayton Johnson (138) won by forfeit. Bellwood's Elias Alley won by fall in 1:03 to close the meet.
"Obviously tonight isn't the best example, but the last few matches we've gone out and our kids are winning," Fink said, "and that's all that matters."
152--Diossa, BA, won by forfeit; 160--Z. Dubler, G, pinned Shank, :34; 172--S. Dubler, G, pinned Rettig, :27; 189--Foor, BA, won by forfeit; 215--Spangle, G, dec. Norris, 2-1; 285--Smeal, G, pinned Laird, 1:54; 106--No doubt
113--Krise, G, won by forfeit; 120--Cherry, G, won by forfeit; 126--Storm, G, won by forfeit; 132--Campbell, G, won by forfeit; 138--Johnson, G, won by forfeit; 145--Alley, BA, pinned Richards, 1:03.
Records: Glendale (6-3); Bellwood-Antis (0-11)
Referee: Jeff Beach
Time of Match: 18 minutes