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TYRONE -- Northern Bedford, which is dealing with a small roster this season, had only nine wrestlers available for Thursday's match at Tyrone.
Seeking their first win, the Golden Eagles weren't about to pity the Black Panthers. They gladly accepted the four forfeits while recording a pin, two technical falls and a gut-check tiebreaker decision by John Eaken at 285 en route to a 43-27 win.
For the record, the Golden Eagles (1-4) held a 4-3 edge over the Black Panthers (1-4) in the seven bouts wrestled on the mat.
"Based on the last dual meet, I saw they didn't have a lot of people wrestling," Tyrone coach Quentin Wright said. "I was looking at the matchups and kind of matched up where we had holes, and we matched up where they had holes. It was like seven bouts, where you had to win those bouts."
"It's tough," Northern Bedford coach Brian Dutchcot said. "I call it a chess match -- seeing where you can go and do certain things with certain guys. It's hard to do, but you just try to put your team in the best spot they can to try to win the dual meet."
Tyrone got a jumpstart from its first two wrestlers -- Rhys Rawlings at 139 and Andrew Detwiler at 145. The tandem combined to outscore their opponents 34-2 in respective technical falls.
Rawlings hit a six-point throw of Carson Foor and a seven-point pancake in the first period for a 13-1 lead. Rawlings took Foor down 2 seconds into the second period to win, 16-1.
"It was a good win for Rawlings," Wright said. "He had his brother (Richard) here. He was in a bad accident recently. We're all super happy that he's healthy and his little brother is taking on his tradition of doing crazy things in matches."
Detwiler also built up a big first-period lead on Kace Clapper, getting a six-point move, two more nearfall points and a takedown for an 11-1 lead. Detwiler took Clapper down to his back in the second period to win, 18-1, in 2:36.
"Andrew has been pretty consistent this year," Wright said. "He had a really good match, wrestled solid and got a win."
Dutchcot shifted his lineup from 152 to 285, leaving Tyrone's Mason VanAllman with a forfeit win at 152. At 160, Northern's Jordan Free built a 9-1 lead on Tyler Connelly thanks to three takedowns. Connelly escaped with 20 seconds remaining, so Free won, 9-2.
Tyrone's Kyler Suhoney came out aggressively against Aidan Pittman (10-3), scoring takedown in the first period of their bout at 172. He was up 3-1 in the second, but Pittman took him down, hooked up a cradle and got the fall in 2:46.
"We bumped Pittman up to 172, and he wrestled well," Dutchcot said. "Aidan got taken down and didn't lose his cool. He did what he does when he gets on top. He did a nice job getting the fall."
Golden Eagles star Kyle Scott (11-0) received a forfeit at 189. Northern Bedford's Nolin Snider moved up to 215 and won by fall in 3:04.
After a scoreless first period, Eaken scored a takedown of Gavin Jessee in the second period and gave up an escape. Jessee countered Eaken's offense with a takedown of his own for a 4-3 lead.
Eaken escaped in the third and there was no more scoring in regulation and overtime. After Eaken escaped in the first 30-second tiebreaker period, referee Nick Shope initially called Eaken for interlocking as the Golden Eagle rode in the second tiebreaker period, but Shope waved if off.
Jessee nearly escaped, but Eaken held on with the front headlock and won, 5-4, for his first victory.
"The other night against Huntingdon, we had the chance to get John in a jayvee match," Wright said, "and he was able to get his first win. I think that was helpful because he was able to go the full length of the match. He just kept his mind in it and was able to tough it out."
Tyrone's Haliegh Hunter (107) and Malakai Wicker (114) won by forfeit, as did NBC's Aiden Replogle (121) and senior star Wyatt Clouse (127) in the next four bouts.
Tyrone's Logan Rumberger close out the dual meet with a fall in 1:47 at 133.
139--Rawlings, T, tech fall Foor, 16-1, 2:02; 145--Detwiler, T, tech fall Clapper, 18-1, 2:36; 152--VanAllman, T, won by forfeit; 160--J. Free, NB, dec. Connelly, 9-2; 172--Pittman, NB, pinned Suhoney, 2:46; 189--Scott, T, won by forfeit; 215--Snider, NB, pinned Ansman, 3:04
285--Eaken, T, dec. Jessee, 5-4 TB; 107--Hunter, T, won by forfeit; 114--Wicker, T, won by forfeit; 121--Replogle, NB, won by forfeit; 127--Clouse, NB, won by forfeit; 133--Rumberger, T, pinned B. Free, 1:47.
Records: Northern Bedford (1-4), Tyrone (1-4)
Referee: Nick Shope