By By ADAM FISHER / Niles Daily Star
Two days after losing to Lakeshore in the final match, Niles' wrestling team again saw a late lead slip away Saturday at the Eau Claire Invitational.
The Vikings' Matt Poehlman pinned his opponent in the 119-pound championship match to give Niles a 213-207 lead in total points over Hesperia with two matches to go.
The very next match, however, Hesperia's Phil Khozein got a pin in the 125-pound title round, and Niles tied with the Panthers for the overall team championship with 213 points.
Brandywine was also in the 19-team tournament. The Bobcats finished with 50 points, placing them 11th.
Poehlman was one of six Niles grapplers to advance to the championship rounds in their respective weight classes. He was the only Viking to win an individual title, however, remaining undefeated at 11-0 on the season.
Bryce Flannery (112 pounds), Mason Stephenson (125), Todd Scansen (140), Bob Cinninger (145) and Josh Henry (189) were all defeated in the finals. For Henry, it was his first loss of the season. He lost to Watervliet's Ben Isbrecht, who is unbeaten.
The Henry-Isbrecht contest might have been the most exciting of the day. Trailiing 8-7 with 11 seconds remaining in the match, Henry took down Isbrecht to gain a 9-8 advantage.
Isbrecht then slipped away from Henry as the buzzer sounded, tying the match and sending it to overtime. In overtime, Isbrecht dropped Henry to earn two points and a 10-8 victory.
The Vikings are now off for the holidays. They resume their schedule Dec. 30 when they travel to Battle Creek for a Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference meet.
Brandywine is off until Jan. 5 when it wrestles River Valley in the Bobcats' first home meet of the year.
Eau Claire Invitational
Team scores
Niles 213, Hesperia 213, Kalamazoo Central 201, River Valley 152, Gobles 110 1/2, Watervliet 110, Decatur 94, Berrien Springs 62, Benton Harbor 58, Hartford 57, Brandywine 50, Schoolcraft 48 1/2, Edwardsburg 45, Fennville 40, Delton Kellogg 31, Eau Claire 30, Lawton 30, Covert 4, Lake Michigan Catholic 1.
Championship round
103 - John Stein (River Valley) d. David Weirs (Kalamazoo Central), 6-4. 112 - Chris Kovach (Gobles) tech. fall Bryce Flannery (Niles), 18-2. 119 - Matt Poehlman (Niles) p. Alex Trevino (Gobles), 5:41. 125 - Phil Khozein (Hesperia) p. Mason Stephenson (Niles), 2:42. 130 - Travis Everitt (Kalamazoo Central) d. Mike Lewis (Fennville), 14-13. 135 - Jared Nabors (Kalamazoo Central) p. Lonnie Simmons (Watervliet), 0:41. 140 - Ted Amundsen (Kalamazoo Central) d. Todd Scansen (Niles), 7-6. 145 - Justin Zeerip (Hesperia) p. Robert Cinninger (Niles), 4:45. 152 - Chris Gray (Schoolcraft) d. Bill Amundsen (Kalamazoo Central), 7-5. 160 - Craig Wimbley (Kalamazoo Central) d. Anthony Williams (Benton Harbor), 7-3. 171 - Josh Young (Hesperia) d. Mike Gouterman (Kalamazoo Central), 5-3. 189 - Ben Isbrecht (Watervliet) d. Josh Henry, 10-8 (overtime). 215 - Jordan Rasmussen (Decatur) p. Mickey Muterspaugh (Eau Claire), 5:15. 275 - Mike Creekmore (River Valley) p. Rodney Driver (Benton Harbor), 0:36.