Gibson Makes 13 Lucky for West Deptford Wrestlers

On the week of Friday the 13th, Dan Gibson was a lucky 13 for West Deptford’s wrestling team.

Clinging to a 31-27 lead over Haddon Heights after 12 bouts Wednesday night, Gibson–Mr. Thirteen for the evening–came to the mat to face the Garnets’ Scott Hagenbucher, knowing he could clinch the match for the Eagles with a victory of any kind.

“It was kind of a do-or-die moment,” said Gibson, who had the added weight of heading to the center of the floor as Haddon Heights fans roared a frenzy in the wake of a pin for their side.

It was almost a microcosm of the match as a whole, as Gibson and Hagenbucher struggled for control for much of the first two periods: Gibson trying to exploit his height advantage, while the more muscular Hagenbucher trying to turn it into a power match.

In the third period, though, Gibson found the upper hand, slipping free of his opponent before scoring a near-fall to gain some separation. While the pin didn’t happen, Gibson said his only thought was on grinding out the win for both himself and the team any way he could.

“I was really just trying to break him down and work for control,” Gibson said.

The 11-4 decision bumped West Deptford’s cushion to seven points, meaning there was no way Haddon Heights could torpedo the Eagles’ unblemished record.

Amid congratulatory handshakes–and a few relieved deep breaths–West Deptford coach John Craig credited Gibson’s win at 152 for holding things together and moving the Eagles to 6-0 on the season.

“He saved it for us,” Craig said.

Gibson’s heroics might not have even been possible had it not been for Steve Alt’s late-bout moves a few minutes earlier; much like Gibson, Alt turned the final period into a scoring bonanza, nearly pinning Haddon Heights’ Lukas DeMenna in the late going before coming away with a major decision.

Getting the extra bonus point for the major decision turned out to be key, given the Eagles’ struggles to pick up points where pins or decisions in their favor seemed likely. In fact, West Deptford had just one pin all night, from Tyler Kaminsky at 113 pounds.

“I wanted to pin, I was working for it,” Alt said. “I got the major, I got the extra point–we’ll live to fight another day.”