Saturday, January 20, marked the first ever Corry Beaver Brawl. The Corry wrestling team took on six other teams with an early start of 8:15 in the morning. A rotation of different duals took place in both the old and new gym, consisting of three mats. For each round, one team had a break so that those wrestlers could eat and relax before their next dual.
Corry welcomed Titusville, Saegertown, Hickory, North East, St. Mary’s and a very tough opponent, Bishop McCort. McCort has multiple nationally ranked wrestlers on their team, so fans came not only to watch their team but also the nationally recognized wrestlers.
The Beavers took on the North East Grape Pickers first after having a bye in the first round, and won 52-11. They then took on Saegertown and won 45-22. Next was St. Mary’s, whom Corry won 42-21. The Beavers also won against Hickory (43-21) and Titusville (41-27). The last match, however, Corry lost to Bishop McCort 62-12. Corry did have one pin and one forfeit win against them, however. Junior Kael Albers pinned his opponent. The crowd roared with excitement not just because of the pin, but because Albers is currently setting out to break the school record of 28 pins in a single season. After that match he had 26 pins, but he is now sitting at 27 pins this season.
For spectators, there was lots of seating available and two different locations to purchase food and drinks at. There was the concession stand in the new gym lobby where the Corry Wrestling Cheerleaders sold donuts, pizza, sandwiches, drinks and other snacks. Corry also had the local Twisted Sisters’ Café set up their tables right outside of the old gym. There they sold iced coffee, smoothies, mac and cheese with a choice of pulled pork or chicken on top, soup, sandwiches, and other snacks. Many traveling teams noted how nice it was to have two conveniently located food stands, as well as the smooth running of the duals.
After a long and difficult day of wrestling, the Corry wrestlers ended the Beaver Brawl with a second place finish and move on to prepare to head into the post-season.
