WIESBADEN, Germany – AFNORTH wrestler Anthony Doerfer spent part of his Thursday laid up in a hospital bed.
A day later, it was his opponents who were laid out.
Doerfer recovered from a short-lived but intense bout with illness in time for a string of short-lived but intense bouts in the 113-pound European championship bracket Friday, the first day of the 2015 DODDS-Europe wrestling championship meet.
The Lion senior continued his undefeated winter with three pinfall victories, ranging from a 30-second squash to a three-and-a-half minute duel with SHAPE’s Carlos Ulep.
“I just caught a little bug or something,” Doerfer said. “But I’m on top of my game now.”
That’s been the case all winter. Doerfer has been dominant in his DODDS-Europe debut after moving to Netherlands from El Paso, Texas.
He’ll enter Saturday’s finale with a chance to complete a wire-to-wire streak of pinfall wins.
In fact, that’s the only kind of outcome he’s satisfied with.
“All I want is pinfalls,” Doerfer said. “It’s more of a victory if you pin them.”
Doerfer wasn’t the only lower-division star to assert himself on the European stage Friday.
Alconbury’s brother tandem of Chris Dufresne and Nick Dufresne had no trouble with the larger pool of competition, cruising undefeated through the early rounds of pool wrestling.
Chris recorded three wins at 195 pounds, while Nick won two of two at 182; all five came by pinfall in the first two minutes.
Bitburg 132-pounder Brandon Beaumont enjoyed similar success. The Baron contender pinned all four of the preliminary opponents he faced Friday.
While small-school contenders shined on the big stage, DODDS-Europe’s Division I juggernauts were far from overshadowed.
Homestanding Wiesbaden senior Hunter Lunasin turned in an efficient opening-day performance. The only wrestler defending a title in the same class he won it in 2014, Lunasin needed just 136 seconds to knock off the pair of 220-pound opponents he was tasked with Friday.
Lakenheath fared well after spending the regular season dominating the northern region. Lancer heavyweight Casey Fairchild emerged as a strong contender at 285 pounds, recording pins over the four members of the five-man class he encountered. Fairchild’s run sets up a compelling Saturday-morning pool matchup with Patch’s Brian Mogavero, who also went 4-0 on day one.
Speaking of Patch, the defending Division I team champion Panthers piled up victories all day, including three abrupt pins from Robert Call. The Panther star is the reigning 132-pound European champion now feasting on the 138-pound ranks.
As Friday’s results prove, Call has made the adjustment seamlessly.
“I’ve gone up a weight class every year, so it’s pretty normal,” he said. “I do different things every year, but that’s based on my training, not really weight.”
Call has a similarly even-keeled approach to the European tournament.
The high-profile event is a departure from the standard Saturday meets of the regular season. Now in his third European tournament, however, Call is unfazed.
“It’s definitely a lot less pressure,” the junior said. “I’m not as nervous.”
Nerves will be tested even further Saturday as the two-day meet concludes with the final preliminary matches, semifinals and placing matches. The 14 championship bouts are set to begin at 3:30 p.m. CET.
With a winter’s worth of hard work at stake, wrestlers are prepared for their toughest challenges to date on Saturday.
“Everybody’s going 150 percent now,” Doerfer said. “It’s not just a match. It’s a championship.”
Twitter: @broomestripes
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