NTL WRESTLING: UPPER WEIGHTS LEAD NEB PAST NP-LIBERTY (December 9, 2025)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
ROME — Last year the Northeast Bradford-NP-Liberty wrestling match came down to the final weight. This year the Panthers pulled away by ‘a few touchdowns’, beating the Mounties 46-18 to improve to 2-0 on the season.

“The boys wrestled as good as I could have had them wrestle,” said NEB coach Curt Cole. “I think they came out from start to finish, and wrestled real hard.”

After a double forfeit at 107 NEB’s Mason Alexander (114) set the tone with his quick fall over NPL’s Bodhi Nickerson, whose coming off a podium finish at the DKI this past weekend.

“When you have a lightweight kid like Mason that’s a senior, and a veteran, and he wrestled a real quality opponent from start to finish,” Cole said. “He went out and wrestled hard, it’s a pretty good start with that tempo.”

NPL would win four of the next five weights to build an 18-10 lead, but NEB finished the match by claiming the final six matches, five of them by falls, to pull away.

Alex Gomez (152), Russell Martin (172), Kale Howland (189), Asher Kolesar (215), and Ben Ellis (285) all had falls, with Connor Eastabrook (160) earning a forfeit.

Hunter Comstock (133) pulled away for a 16-5 major decision on Hoyt Pequignot.

For NPL Charles Aumick (121) had a fall with Bryce Pequignot (127) scoring a forfeit.

Logan Bitner (139) got a 4-1 decision over Made Rooker, and Jonah Neill (145) earned a 13-10 decision against Kelton Raymond.

At 114 Alexander worked a single leg takedown into a cradle to get the 39 second fall over Nickerson to make it 6-0 Panthers.

Aumick would come back with a 46 second fall over NEB’s Keagan Slater at 121, followed by Bryce Pequignot’s forfeit at 127 to make it 12-6 Mounties.

Comstock would cut into the lead thanks to a 7-0 move in the first period when he took Hoyt straight to his back. Hoyt would get an escape point.

Hoyt got a second period reversal to make it 7-3, but after Comstock get the escape he kept to his leg attacks to get another takedown for an 11-3 score.

Hoyt got out to make it 11-4 going into the third.

In the final period a locked hands call made it 12-4 Comstock, then he got an escape for another point.

He would get one final takedown in the final minute for a 16-4 lead, with Hoyt getting an escape for a 16-5 major decision final.

At 139 Bitner used a first period takedown on Rooker, then held off the turn in the third period for the 4-1 win.

It was back and forth at 145 pounds with Neill using a pair of takedowns to go up 6-2 in the first.

He added a second period takedown for a 9-2 lead, but Raymond came back with an escape to cut it to 6-points.

Neill appeared to be pulling away with back points to start the third period, but a Raymond escape followed by a takedown cut it to 13-10.

Raymond didn’t have enough time to cut him, and Neill held off the turn to take home the decision.

The Panthers began their rally at 152 as Gomez got a point from Bentley Chilson on an unnecessary roughness call.

Gomez then took him to his back on a takedown to get the fall in 1:37, cutting the lead to 18-16.

NEB took the lead with Eastabrook’s forfeit, setting up a key match at 172.

Martin was giving up height and weight to NEB’s Terrell Rinebold, but got the takedown for a 3-0 lead.

Rinebold came back with a reversal to cut it to 3-2.

Martin would reverse him for a 5-2 lead after the first period.

Martin started the second period on bottom, but got the reversal, and eventually the fall in 2:26 to extend NEB’s lead to 28-18.

“He wrestled real well,” Cole said about his senior. “He kept calm in that headlock position that the kid had on him, and he worked out of it, and just kept getting to his stuff.”

After that the Panther upper weights took care of business with three straight first period falls.

Howland pinned Gavin Stubblefield in 48 seconds, Kolesar pinned Wyatt Nybeck in 46 seconds, and Ellis pinned Skyler Everetts in 1:38.

“They did exactly what we train, and what we expect from them,” remarked Cole.

NEB (2-0) will head down to the Spartan Duals this Saturday as they look to keep their early season momentum going.

“We’ll get six duals there, and we’re just looking to do better than we did last year,” said Cole. “They’ve been doing great, I’m proud of them.”

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NEB 46, NP-LIBERTY 18
107: Double Forfeit
114: Mason Alexander (N) fall Bodhi Nickerson, :39
121: Charles Aumick (L) fall Keagan Slater, :46
127: Bryce Pequignot (L) fft
133: Hunter Comstock (N) maj. Hoyt Pequignot, 16-5
139: Logan Bitner (L) dec. Maddex Rooker, 4-1
145: Jonah Neill (L) dec. Kelton Raymond, 13-10
152: Alex Gomez (N) fall Bentley Chilson, 1:37
160: Connor Eastabrook (N) fft
172: Russell Martin (N) fall Terrell Rinebold, 2:26
189: Kale Howland (N) fall Gavin Stubblefield, :48
215: Asher Kolesar (N) fall Wyatt Nybeck, :46
285: Ben Ellis (N) fall Skyler Everetts, 1:38

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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING & ELENA MANNING

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