A big part of wrestling is knowing where you are on the mat at all times, and McDonogh sophomore Logan Meister knew exactly where he was during his final takedown in overtime to beat Archbishop Curley senior Vince Scarinizi, 4-2, in the Ray Oliver Tournament.

“I just tried to keep my hips up and I knew we were by the edge, so I kept my feet in and reached over to grab his leg,” Meister said of the takedown.  “I was just going to keep trying to pull him back in, and we were by the edge, so I wasn’t going to drive or push him out too far and I just kept my movement back.”

Scarinizi actually led in the match, scoring n edge-side takedown in the first period for a 2-0 lead, but Meister’s takedown after a neutral start in the second period put the pressure on the McDonogh wrestler to hold Scarinizi down for the third period.

“It was tough.  I was tired and I knew he was tired, so I tried to put him on his back and keep hand control,” Meister said.  “He got up a few times, but I dropped to a single and kept him down.”

Following the scoreless third period, the two wrestlers entered the one minute, sudden death overtime where Meister recorded the match-winner.

It wasn’t the first time the two had met on the mat, and Scarinzi, in fact, held the series record at 2-0 with wins in last year’s dual meet and MIAA consolation semifinals.

“I don’t think my win was an upset,” Meister said.  “I was giving some weight up to him last year when I lost to him twice, and this year I am a lot bigger in the weight class.  I think it was a well set up match.”

Meister’s first loss to Scarinizi featured a 10-1 loss brought on by a big five-point move, and the second loss was a closer, 5-2, defeat before he went on to place sixth in the MIS and qualify for National Preps.

Entering the tournament semifinals, Meister will next face Caesar Rodney’s freshman Micha Hight for a shot at the Ray Oliver 112-pound crown.

“I just have to keep wrestling my best,” Meister said.  “Keep wrestling hard and stay mentally tough.”

2010 Ray Oliver Schedule Schedule

Saturday, December 4, 2010

8:00 a.m.                  Weigh-in
9:00 – 11:00 a.m.      2nd round of Consolation (Varsity & JV on 6-8 mats)
11:00 – 12:30 p.m.    Semi-finals and 3rd round of Consolation (Varsity & JV on 6-8 mats)
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.        Varsity & JV Consolation Semi-finals (4 mats)
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.        JV Finals 1st, 3rd, and 5th place matches (3 mats)
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.        Varsity Finals 1st, 3rd, and 5th place matches (3 mats)