JEFFERSON, PA. - The 17th-ranked Navy wrestling team (5-0) rallied from a nine-point deficit to defeat Ohio (2-1), 27-12, on Sunday afternoon at Jefferson Morgan High School in Jefferson, Pa.

The Bobcats won four of the first five bouts (149, 157, 174, 184) to take a 12-3 lead. The Mids claimed victories in the final five matches (197, 285, 125, 133, 141) to score 24-unanswered points in their fifth dual win of the season. 

"The fans who attended really provided a great atmosphere for the team to compete in. We knew going into the dual that it could be won or lost in our upper weights," said head coach Cary Kolat. "We came out on the losing end in a few of those matches in the last few seconds. We were aggressive early, got shut down on a few attempts and then let Ohio back in those matches. Was nice to have (Andrew) Cerniglia back in the lineup and stop some of the bleeding in the middle.

"Jacob Lucas saw time in the lineup and was exactly what we needed to start the momentum in our favor. After 197, we knew everything should swing back our way, but you never want to be too confident on the bench. Not a great win, but we continue forward from here."

The dual began at 149 pounds between Nicholas Vafiadis and Dominic Hoffarth. Vafiadis struck first in the opening period with a takedown. Hoffarth answered with an escape and a takedown of his own to take a 4-3 lead. Vafiadis scored the only point in the second period with an escape to tie the match, 4-4. Hoffarth regained a one-point lead with an escape in the third period. He then scored his second takedown take gain an 8-4 advantage. Vafiadis escaped to make the score, 8-5, but Hoffarth held him scoreless for the remainder of the match to win by decision and give Ohio a 3-0 lead in the dual. 

Jonathan Ley (157) took the mat next to face the first ranked Bobcat wrestler of the day, No. 20 Peyten Kellar. Kellar broke a scoreless tie with an escape in the third period and then scored a takedown to take a 4-0 lead. Kellar would win the match by a 4-1 decision to give the Bobcats a 6-0 cushion on the scoreboard.  

Andrew Cerniglia (165) made an immediate impact in his first action since Nov. 12 with a comeback victory over Garrett Thompson to make the score, 6-3. Thompson entered the match as Ohio's best-ranked wrestler at 11th in the nation, while Cerniglia was ranked 27th. Thompson scored the first points with a takedown in the opening period. Cerniglia trimmed Thompson's lead down to one point with a reversal, but Thompson escaped to take a 4-2 lead. Thompson regained a three-point cushion with an escape in the second period. Cerniglia made the score, 5-3, with an escape in the third period and then took his first lead with a takedown. Cerniglia was awarded an additional point for securing 2:05 of riding time to win the match by a 7-5 decision. 

The 174 and 184-pound matches also featured battles between ranked wrestlers, but both ended in Ohio's favor.

Twenty-first-ranked Sal Perrine defeated 20th-ranked Danny Wask in the 174-pound bout by a 4-3 decision. Perrine scored the only takedown of the match in the first period. Wask scored a pair of escapes to make the score, 3-2, going into the third period. Wask was called for stalling for the second time in the third to grant a free point to Perrine. Perrine only surrendered an escape for the rest of the match to secure the victory and give the Bobcats a 9-3 lead. 

The 184-pound battle featured a rematch between No. 19 David Key and No. 28 Zayne Lehman. Lehman defeated Key the week before at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Key led, 3-1, through three minutes thanks to a takedown in the first period. Lehman took his first lead in the second period with an escape and a takedown. Key answered with an escape to make the score, 5-4, going into the third period. Key tied the match with an escape in the third, but Lehman then scored the match-winning takedown to claim an 8-5 decision. Lehman's victory put Ohio ahead by a score of 12-3. 

The Mids needed a victory from Jacob Lucas (197) in the following match against Austin Starr to avoid falling behind by double figures. Lucas held a 1-0 lead going into the third period thanks to an escape in the second. Starr tied the match with an escape, but Lucas took the lead back with a crucial takedown. Lucas would win the match by a 4-3 decision to bring the Mids back within six points on the scoreboard. 

Team captain Grady Griess (285), who entered the match ranked 13th in his weight class, scored the first bonus points of the dual with an 11-2 major decision over Jordan Greer. Griess scored three takedowns and an escape to go along with his 2:05 of riding time in the match to make the score, 12-10. 

Navy scored 17 points in the final three bouts thanks to a pair of wins by fall and a technical fall. 

Evan Tallmadge (125) gave the Mids their first lead in the dual (16-12) with a fall against Ryan Meek. Tallmadge scored 13 points in the match from a pair of takedowns, a four-point near fall, a two-point near fall and an escape before pinning Meek at the 4:10 mark. 

Twenty-second-ranked Brendan Ferretti (133) then sealed the dual for Navy with an 18-2 (6:34) technical fall over Paul Woo. Ferretti led, 10-1, through the first three minutes after scoring a pair of takedowns and a four-point near fall. After adding another two points in the second period with a reversal, Ferretti secured the technical fall with two more takedowns in the third. 

The dual concluded with a fall (4:59) by No. 18 Josh Koderhandt (141) against Aidan Waszak.

Up Next
The Mids will face American for their first test against an EIWA foe on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. in Washington D.C.

Match Notes
• Navy has won its last seven duals dating back to last season
• The Mids are on their longest winning streak since they won seven-consecutive duals between the 2015-16 and 2016-17 campaigns
• Navy is 5-0 for the first time since the 2017-18 season
• The win marked the fifth time the Mids have begun a season 5-0 since 2000
• Head coach Cary Kolat won the 60th dual of his coaching career. He now owns a 60-52 career record and a 21-12 record in Annapolis
• The dual was held at coach Kolat's high school (Jefferson Morgan)
• Navy won its second dual against Ohio in its history and now leads the all-time series, 2-0
• The Mids have scored at least 20 points in all five duals this season and have outscored their opponents, 150-48
• Navy has won 36 of the 50 bouts in duals during the 2023-24 campaign and has earned bonus points in 17 of its wins (47.2)
• Koderhandt won his ninth-straight dual match and leads the team with 20 in his career. The Belleville, Ill., native also won his 18th match by fall
• Ferretti defeated an opponent by technical fall for the second time in his career. He and Koderhandt are now 4-0 in duals this season
• Cerniglia defeated a ranked opponent for the first time during his senior campaign. The Nazareth, Pa., native has won 17 of his 21 dual matches at Navy and owns the best winning percentage on the team (80.9)
• Griess won his team-leading 12th match of the season, as well as his 12th dual victory in his career. The senior also earned his 10th win by major decision
• Lucas claimed his 25th win as a mid and improved to 3-1 in duals

Navy vs. Ohio Dual Results
149 | Dominic Hoffarth (Ohio) dec Nicholas Vafiadis (Navy), 8-5 // Ohio 3, Navy 0
157 | No. 20 Peyten Kellar (Ohio) dec Jonathan Ley (Navy), 4-1 // Ohio 6, Navy 0
165 | No. 27 Andrew Cerniglia (Navy) dec No. 11 Garrett Thompson (Ohio), 7-5 // Ohio 6, Navy 3
174 | No. 21 Sal Perrine (Ohio) dec No. 20 Danny Wask (Navy), 4-3 // Ohio 9, Navy 3
184 | No. 28 Zayne Lehman (Ohio) dec No. 19 David Key (Navy), 8-5 // Ohio 12, Navy 3
197 | Jacob Lucas (Navy) dec Austin Starr (Ohio), 4-3 // Ohio 12, Navy 6
285 | No. 13 Grady Griess (Navy) major Jordan Greer (Ohio), 11-2 // Ohio 12, Navy 10
125 | Evan Tallmadge (Navy) fall Ryan Meek (Ohio), 4:10 // Navy 16, Ohio 12
133 | No. 22 Brendan Ferretti (Navy) tech fall Paul Woo (Ohio), 18-2 (6:34) // Navy 21, Ohio 12
141 | No. 18 Josh Koderhandt (Navy) fall Aidan Waszak (Ohio), 4:59 // Navy 27, Ohio 12
Attendance: 452