Wrestling: Strath Haven gets Moore effort in caging Cougars

SPRINGFIELD >> David Moore pointed to his brother Devon’s match as a sign of the positive changes taking place on Strath Haven’s wrestling team. The younger Moore earned a technical fall against Springfield’s Mike Psenicska at 152 pounds to help the Panthers to a 44-27 win. But it was how that bout started that defined Haven’s victory.

“You saw it. (Devon) got taken down, but he got right back up and he tapped his chest to the bench. He said ‘My bad. I got this,” David Moore said. “He goes on to get the tech fall. Five points instead of four. That makes a difference. That’s not about technique. That’s mental toughness.”

After two Cougars forfeits to start the match, David Bagirov and Vince DiMichele got the hosts back on track with back-to-back wins at 120 and 126. The Panthers, though, displayed the mental toughness the older Moore spoke of in taking back control of the dual meet. Sasha Reiger defeated Tyler Forbes 7-6. Max Sokoloff followed with a pin in 5:13 of Mike Finsterbush. Up 24-9, John Crawford turned in Haven’s performance of the night. He outlasted previously unbeaten Jon Fogel to earn a 5-4 decision.

“We’re young but we wrestle hard,” said David Moore. “Brett Burns, our usual guy at 145, didn’t wrestle tonight, but John Crawford stepped in and won. We’re pushing each other.”

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Strath Haven’s Max Sokoloff, right, got the best of Springfield’s Jared Finsterbusch en route to a pin in the 138-pound match during the Panthers’ 44-27 Central League win Wednesday. (Times Staff/Tom Kelly IV)