Haseleu shines in Morgantown wrestling's season-opener

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Morgantown kicked off the regular season hosting OVAC foes Brooke and Wheeling Park in a tri, and even though the Mohigans fell to both opponents one wrestler stood out of the pack: Dyllan Haseleu.

“I think because he’s hungry it’s going to help us [get motivated],” Morgantown coach Joe Abu said. “He was able to fight through and be as aggressive as he was. It’s going to keep him hungry and [help him] work better as the season goes on.”

Haseleu picked up two big wins Wednesday night in the 285 weight class, first downing Brooke’s Stephan Hunter by a 10-2 major decision and then ending the night with a pin on Wheeling Park’s Matthew Reinacher in a scrappy battle.

???? Dylann Haseleu with his second big win tonight: #wvprepwrestling pic.twitter.com/Pm3ogiWKgJ
— Andrew Spellman (@andrewspellman_) December 5, 2019

Brooke started strong, winning three straight over Morgantown before Rennick Wotring snapped back for the Mohigans. David Music and Trentin Thompson started out dancing for the Bruins and Mohigans, but Music pulled ahead with two takedowns in the third period to down Thompson 3-2. What followed, however, was anything but a slow dance.

Dylan Reiordan exploded to take down Caden Schmidle six times – two times each period – for a 6-0 decision win. Max Camilletti then took down Preston Harman in the 170 dual, pinning Harman in the second period.

Wotring finally picked up a win for Morgantown in the 182 battle, defeating Dylan Debnar by a 15-0 major decision. Liam O’Connor picked up a big win over the Bruins in the following 195 bout, pinning Eric Anderson with ease in the first period. Austin Williams (220) followed by edging Tylor Yost in a long fight by a 6-5 decision.

After Brooke battled it out with Wheeling Park, the Mohigans and Patriots took to the mats for the final round. The Patriots upended Morgantown 52-18, but aside from Haseleu, O’Connor and Cam Lawrence picked up wins, both pins.

“I liked the aggressiveness we brought to the match, especially in the second round against Wheeling Park – that’s an excellent school to go up against,” Abu said. “We need to capitalize on certain moments in a match, but overall the foundation is there. It’s just a matter of cleaning it up. I think as the season goes along it will get a lot better, especially as kids get more comfortable in their weight class.

“It was the first-match jitters. Especially at home, there will be those. [We went against] two great teams and the fact that [my team] fought the way they did is a testament to how they’re doing.”

The Mohigans are returning four state qualifiers and nine wrestlers in total to the starting lineup, something Abu noted about his team “growing exponentially.” Morgantown next attends the Phillip Barbour Invitational on Friday.

Seniors leading the pack

With a team that’s growing each year, Abu took the time to reflect on his four years at the helm and how his first-year freshman class has grown through their careers.

“I’ve seen our numbers increase, but the big thing is I’ve watched [the seniors grow], mature and gain confidence,” he said. “That’s something that motivates me to up my game to be better by them and watch them succeed. It’s like watching your kids grow up.”

His senior trio is Griffen Leombruno, Yost and Lawrence, three guys that qualified for states last season. None took home a title, and Abu noted they’re all looking to improve in the state tournament.

The Marvelous Coach Maisel

One team Abu is keeping his eye on, as usual, is Morgantown’s cross-town rival University. The Mohigans will see UHS twice in the next month and a half, first at the UHS Superior tournament on Dec. 21 and then at their dual meet on Jan. 8.

“Ken Maisel is a great coach. He understands his program, and I look up to him and try to take notes,” Abu said. “The big thing is I’m looking forward to that match is to do better than last year. I know you can’t change the world overnight, and you don’t want to reinvent the wheel – it’s about doing it in small increments. If we can do better than we did last year, and next year do better than what we’ll do this [season], then it’s going to put us where we want to be. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

Morgantown will see University a couple more times in the regular season after the rivalry dual, most notably at the Winners Choice tournament at the Fairmont Convention Center on Jan. 10 and 11, and at the OVAC Tournament at Wes Banco Arena in Wheeling.