Nikitas Davis’ bout against Emmaus’ Emmanuel Alibi turned into a real humdinger, putting fans for both programs on the edge of their seats as the two wrestlers engaged in a spirited bout, making it part of an exciting dual meet between the two rising programs last Wednesday night.

Davis’ shot at a single leg in the opening seconds of the first period proved costly when the senior attempted to lift Alibi and bring him to the mat for the takedown. Alibi countered and was able to gain the edge, putting Davis squarely on his back.

Davis was now in danger of getting pinned; just the slimmest of margins kept the ref from slapping the mat. Not only was Alibi inches from getting six points, but Davis had to fend off the hold for over a minute.

As Alibi tried to get Davis’ shoulder blades to meet the mat, both teams as well as those in attendance were using shouting encouragements one way or the other.

Davis’ desire to keep fighting got him to the buzzer signifying the end of the period. However, he was losing 5-0. His match was one of many that the Zephs needed to win if they wanted to leave the Green Hornets gym with a victory.

In the second period Davis came roaring back, tying the bout 5-5, turning Alibi for near fall points. When the final period began, Davis once again controlled the action, turning a takedown into a pinning combination that put Alibi on his back with a lot of time left on the clock. This time it was Davis who couldn’t flatten his opponent, even though he had a cradle locked, keeping that hold for roughly a minute. His effort enabled him to score additional back points en route to the 11-5 win.

That win tied the match at 15-15. The Zephs and Hornets continued to engage in some fierce matches, and once again were tied after Marwan Rajha won a major decision at 195. The score was now 25-25 with four bouts remaining.

But the Hornets managed to get bonus points in two of those remaining bouts, while also gaining a controversial decision at 285 that helped them post a 40-31 win.

Davis’ ability to fend off that pin for that length of time was quite a feat, and considering that it was his second varsity match of the year, his mental and physical toughness to withstand that pressure made it all the more impressive. Nikitas, whose brother Jesiah also wrestles varsity for the Zephyrs, had just returned to action after suffering a meniscus injury that required surgery, keeping him sidelined.

“This is my last opportunity [to wrestle], it’s my senior year, and I’m just trying to give it my all,” said Davis. “I didn’t want to let my team down, so I just fought hard.”

Davis also said that is was frustrating when he was the one in control and wasn’t able to get the pin.

Davis’ comeback energized the rest of the team.

“I was really excited I won that,” said Davis. “I work hard every day in the room, and so does my team, and it feels good to get the win.”

Head coach Tim Cunningham said that Davis’ effort and determination in that bout is something they try to instill in their wrestlers every day.

“It showed a lot of heart, a lot of desire, and that’s what we want out of our seniors,” said Cunningham. “And to be honest, I don’t care who won or who lost, every one of our guys gave it everything they had.”

Cunningham knew that Emmaus would be another tough opponent. The Green Hornets lost to Parkland by 10 points.

Conversely, Whitehall lost by 50 to the Trojans. But the Zephs showed how far they’ve come since that early loss to Parkland.

“I’m seeing what I need to see,” said Cunningham.

The Zephs were also victims of some controversial calls. Julio Dian and Hornet Joseph Barno were scoreless after one period. Barno scored a takedown in the second to go up 2-0, but Diaz managed to escape, making it 2-1 heading to the third. In the third, Barno opted for neutral, awarding Diaz an escape, tying the match 2-2. Diaz then took down Barno for the 4-2 lead. As the period was winding down, it looked like Diaz would maintain control even as the ref penalized the Zeph for locked hands. But Barno was awarded with a reversal at the buzzer, giving him the 5-4 win.

Cunningham said that he didn’t see any change at all and asked the referee for clarification. He understands that during a match some calls are going to go either way, and two calls adversely affected their wrestlers. The other was at 138 when Kai Clark’s pinning combination on Jacob Alcaro was halted with a locked hands call. He wound up losing that match 5-0.

In the end, he said it’s up to them to do their jobs and they can’t blame the officials for it.

“I’m just glad our guys went out and believed in themselves,” said Cunningham. “I’m really proud of our kids.”

The Zephs got out of the gate fast with pins from Jaden Youwakin and Noah Rex. Youwakin decked Jacon Hexamer in 0:26, while Noah Rex worked an arm bar for a fall in 1:26.

The Zephs also got pins from Jesiah Davis and Caleb Staub, the former stacking Bryce Ebinger in 5:27, while the latter flattened James Bowie in 0:36.

Nikitas Davis knew this would have been a big win for the program. While they were competitive throughout the evening, they still came up short in the end.

“We have a very young team, and we’re building some momentum, and I think we’re in a good place,” said Davis.

“Overall, both teams wrestled hard, wrestled smart,” said Cunningham. “That’s all we can ask for.”