A Thriller as Marsteller Survives Wiercioch in Ultimate Tie-Breaker
An epic display of wrestling. That was what everyone at Canon-McMillan High School witnessed on Saturday evening in the final bout of the 2012 POWERade Finals. You can view the entire match for free at our YouTube Channel here. It was a match that had all spectators on the edge of their seats as the two grapplers left it all on the mat for an 8:04 long match that in essence came down to the flip of the coin. Of the total eight minutes and four seconds of action only 19 seconds were spent outside of the neutral position. In the first period the two exchanged several takedown attempts with Marsteller landing deep near the edge of the mat but after two minuets it was a scoreless first period. After winning the flip at the start of the second period Marsteller choose the bottom position and earned an escape in four seconds. The two continued a series of flurries in the second period with both wrestlers coming close to takedowns.
It took Wiercioch only three seconds to escape at the start of the third period as he tied up the match (1-1). For the rest of regulation Marsteller and Wiercioch exchanged takedown attempts but neither were able to secure the go ahead takedown as overtime arrived. As overtime began, the two Champions looked worn down after a full six minuetes of high intensity scrambles, but there was still enough in both tanks to decide the epic bout. The 1 minute of overtime from the neutral position went much like the previous 5:53 on their feet. Intense flurries and oh so close takedowns but no points earned. Since Marsteller scored the first point of the match he had the choice to begin the ride-out series. The Kennard-Dale Ram choose down and again escaped in four seconds as the two returned to their feet for 26 more seconds of action. After going ahead 2-1 it was Wierchioch’s turn to choose as he took down to force an ultimate tie-breaker situation. This time it took the Canon-McMillan senior five seconds as he tied the bout at (2-2) with an escape and 25 more seconds of offensive attempts. In ultimate tie-breaker it was Marsteller’s choice as he scored the match’s first point and not surprisingly he took the bottom position where he had escaped the previous two times. In order for Wiercioch to earn a victory he would have to prevent that from happening for a grueling 30 seconds. With both wrestlers exhausted Marsteller got set and Wiercioch crawled on top as the whistle blew. Three seconds was all it took to decide this outcome as the two were met by a standing ovation from the packed house at Canon-McMillan. Despite barley being able to stand the two embraced as Marsteller had his hand raised for the 97th time in his career.
At the conclusion of the match it was evident that both wrestlers left it all on the mat and all fans greatly appreciated their efforts. If this match was any indication of what the PIAA Class AAA State finals at 170 lbs. has in store come March 2013, it will be another epic battle between two of the Nation’s best wrestlers. It may have been a match that saw no takedowns but it was one of the greatest matches of recent memory, rivaling l 2011’s match of Nico Megaludis vs. Jimmy Gulibon. It is difficult to describe the match and atmosphere in words so I suggest you view the match for free at our YouTube Channel here.