Wawasee’s Zach Ford claimed an 8-6 decision over Scott Kern during NorthWood’s 66-7 romp of the Warriors Thursday night. (Photos by Nick Goralczyk)

NAPPANEE – It was a battle between the winter Warriors and the polar Panthers Thursday night. While nearly every other high school athletic event was cancelled, Northern Lakes Conference foes Wawasee and NorthWood could just not wait to grapple at the Panther Pit.

Weathering the, well, weather turned out to be much more enjoyable for the Panthers as they cruised by Wawasee 66-7.

NorthWood’s Manny Olvera (left) and Wawasee’s Tristin Ponsler (right).

Nothing really seemed to go right for the Warriors as they were only victorious in two weight classes all night, 126-pound and 160-pound. Tristin Ponsler picked up Wawasee’s first points of the night at 126 with a major decision over Manny Olvera, 12-2.

Before Ponsler’s victory the Warriors forfeited at both 220 and 120. NorthWood’s Alex Carter was a winner by fall at 285 over Ricky Nelson followed by another winner by fall in NorthWood’s Tanner DeMien over Wawasee’s Ricardo Romo. At 113 Wawasee was pinned again as Mike Sautter fell to NorthWood’s Hunter Warren.

Following Ponsler’s win, Marcos Mejia went two periods with Lane Flowers before being pinned in the third. Jake Chupp wasted little time with Wawasee’s Xavier Ortiz at 138, winning by fall in the early goings of the first period.

Zac McKee, a Warrior junior, put up a spirited fight with Josh Chupp in the 145-pound tilt but it was Chupp that would claim an 8-6 decision to put his team up 45-4. NorthWood’s Garrett Griffin claimed the team’s sixth and final pin of the evening with his pin of Brandon Lopez in the first period.

NorthWood assistant coach Jim Matz.

Zach Ford claimed an 8-6 decision over Tyler Fitzpatrick to get Wawasee’s second victory of the night at 160, but that would be the last points for the Warriors.

The best, or at least most physical, match of the night was fittingly the final match of the meet. Wawasee’s Stephen Possell went to overtime with NorthWood’s Scott Kern at 170. It was a contest that had enough physicality to make fans in attendance start to feel the pain. Each wrestler ended up thrown to the mat on one or more occasions in a not-so-traditional manner. By the end of the match it Kern that stood victorious with a takedown in the extra period for a 7-5 victory.

Thursday’s loss was one that Wawasee head coach Paul Meyer probably saw coming given the team’s lack of depth, but the manner in which the team faltered did not sit well with the coach.

“We just didn’t wrestle well tonight,” Meyer began. “We have a few exceptions to that, but our guys just didn’t have it tonight. We’re out of shape coming off of break, a lot of the guys didn’t probably prepare right with not having school and thinking we wouldn’t have a match. The change in routine gets in your head and it just didn’t go well for us tonight.”

Off the mat issues aside, Meyer knows there are things his team has to work on as the regular season draws to a close.

“Our guys are still learning,” Meyer said. “We have a lot of young guys and the biggest issue with them, right now, is getting them to trust what they know how to do. That’s the biggest key.

“Moving ahead we just have to work on being more consistent as a team as we prepare for our next meet, and further down the road for NLC and sectional.”

Wawasee will travel to Elkhart Memorial Thursday night for its NLC regular season finale.

NorthWood’s bench celebrates a pin.