ANNAPOLIS, Md. - After dropping three of the first four matches, the Gold squad turned the tables and won four of the final six to score a 17-15 victory over the Blue team at the annual Blue-Gold Challenge Matches held Friday evening at Alumni Hall.

"I really felt like our young guys came out fighting and didn't take a backseat to our veterans," said first-year Navy wrestling head coach Joel Sharratt. "Jadaen Bernstein set a great tone for his match by scoring points from the first whistle to the last. That's something we would like to see across our lineup.

"I'm excited for our young guys and the potential we have in the wrestling room, but I think our seasoned veterans have a ways to go to return to form from last March. We have some really talented upperclassmen and it's certainly nothing to panic about, but we definitely have some work to do. I know they will come back and work hard as we prepare for next week's opener at Michigan State."

The Gold squad jumped out to a 9-3 advantage early in the match, as Navy's freshmen looked sharp. Newcomer Cam Timok (Glen Allen, Va.) never trailed in his match against returning 125-pound starter Brenden Campbell (New Castle, Ind.) with Timok taking the match 10-3 with over two minutes of riding time. The Blue pushed its lead to 6-0 when Caleb Ohl (Alexandria, Ohio) won the battle of the Plebes at 133 pounds, taking a 10-4 victory over Marcel Laplante (Nashua, N.H.).

Gold finally got on the scoreboard when senior 141-pound Patrick Prada (Laurel, Md.) earned a 4-2 win in sudden victory over sophomore Taylor French (Forsyth, Mont.). Prada took a 2-1 advantage after the first period, but French, who has pushed up two weight classes this season, was able to ride Prada out in the second period to build riding time. Prada chose the neutral position to start the final period, but neither wrestler scored and French's riding time evened the match, 2-2, to send it into sudden victory. The match looked as though it was headed to a pair of 30-second tie-breakers when Prada was awarded the takedown at the buzzer. Unsure of whether it actually beat the buzzer, Navy utilized the video review system and Prada was deemed the winner over French by the count of 4-2 SV.

The Gold squad, however, was unable to use the momentum in its favor, as freshman Corey Wilding (Pittsburgh, Pa.) outscored senior Josh Miller (Big Rapids, Mich.), 4-2, in the final period of the 149-pound match and tacked on riding time for a 5-2 victory for the Blue.

The match began to shift in the fifth bout of the night when freshman Drew Daniels (Overland Park, Kan.) put on a show at 157 pounds. Daniels jumped out to a 6-2 advantage in the opening period and never looked back, as he was one of two wrestlers to earn an extra-point victory on the night, defeating junior Alberto Salabarria (Miami, Fla.) by major decision, 13-4. The win also trimmed Blue's lead to two at 9-7.

Despite a solid effort at 165 pounds by newcomer Michael Coleman (Hudson, Ohio), two-time NCAA qualifier and team captain Peyton Walsh (Glen Allen, Va.) would not be denied as he picked up a 5-2 win to give Blue a 12-7 advantage with four matches to go.

After a relatively even first period, 174-pound freshman Jadaen Bernstein (Glen Gardner, N.J.) put on a show for the Navy fans in the final two periods. Bernstein scored seven takedowns over the final four minutes and eight in the match to score an 18-7 major decision over sophomore Alex Bergman (Oak Harbor, Ohio). Not only was it the second extra-point match of the evening, it was the Gold team's second extra-point victory of the match and put Gold within one point at 12-11.

Gold took its first lead of the night following junior Michael Woulfe's (Oak Park, Ill.) 6-4 win over classmate Stout Watson (Lexington, N.C.). Woulfe held just a one-point advantage after the opening period, but got an escape and was awarded a point following the second stall call on Watson to extend his lead to three. Watson scored a reversal at the end of the third period to get within one, but was unable to get the go-ahead points and instead Woulfe tacked on a point for riding time for the two-point win and a 14-12 Gold advantage.

Freshman Steban Cervantes (Chula Vista, Calif.), however, put the lead right back in Blue's favor when he upset 2014 NCAA qualifier Paul Rands (Cary, Ill.) at 197 pounds. In a see-saw affair, Cervantes scored the match-winning takedown on the edge of the mat with just 10 seconds remaining in the bout to post the 8-7 victory.

With Blue holding a one-point advantage, 15-14, the match came down to the final bout of the night between senior heavyweights Brendan Kahle (Abingdon, Md.) and Colynn Cook (Murrysville, Pa.). Each wrestler was awarded a point for an escape, sending the match into extra minutes. Neither wrestler scored during the one-minute sudden victory period, however Cook scored two seconds into the first 30-second overtime period and was able to ride out Kahle in the second 30-second overtime stanza to capture the 2-1 TB win and lead the Gold squad to the 17-15 come-from-behind win.

"This was an incredible opportunity the Naval Academy provided us in opening up Alumni Hall as the setting for our matches tonight," said Sharratt. "It was the perfect backdrop for not only our wrestlers, but for our community, fans and alumni to come out and enjoy an evening of competition."

The Blue-Gold Challenge Matches are held annually as a preview to Navy wrestling fans as the program kicks of the 2014-15 campaign next Sunday at the Michigan State Open in East Lansing, Mich. Navy will also send a squad to the Clarion Open next Sunday.

Navy Gold def. Navy Blue, 17-15
125 - Cam Timok (B) dec. Brenden Campbell, 10-3
133 - Caleb Ohl (B) dec. Marcel Laplante, 10-4
141 - Patrick Prada (G) dec. Taylor French, 4-2 SV
149 - Corey Wilding (B) dec. Josh Miller, 5-2
157 - Drew Daniels (G) major dec. Alberto Salabarria, 13-4
165 - Peyton Walsh (B) dec. Michael Coleman, 5-2
174 - Jadaen Bernstein (G) major dec. Alex Bergman, 18-7
184 - Michael Woulfe (G) dec. Stout Watson, 6-4
197 - Steban Cervantes (B) dec. Paul Rands, 8-7
285 - Colynn Cook (G) dec. Brendan Kahle, 2-1 TB


### Go Navy ###