The Mahwah Thunderbirds utilized experience and seven pins in a 58-15 win over the Fort Lee Bridgemen at home on Wednesday night.

Both teams were primed for the match but were forced to wait out an 11-minute delay due to a power failure.

Once the scoreboard was turned back on, Mahwah started lighting it up.

Just 53 seconds into the first match, freshman Erik Molina pinned fellow freshman Devin Sokolicn in the 103 pound match for an early 6-0 advantage.

Following a forfeit by the Thunderbirds, both teams displayed hard-fought, physical and intense wrestling for the next few matches in front of a vibrant and echoing crowd.

Trailing 19-6, junior Andrew Lee pinned his opponent to rally the Fort Lee Bridgemen within seven points.

"I was focused in on my match and nothing else was on my mind," said Lee about the match-up. "I was there to wrestle."

The teams then wrestled on into the higher classes where Mahwah secured back-to-back pins to raise the lead to 31-12.

Then Bridgemen senior wrestler Anatoliy Alkazov stepped to the mat in the 152 pound match that went the distance.

Down 4-3 with just 45 seconds remaining, Alkazov was able to pick up a late two points and earn the victory against senior Mike Kalewicz.  

"I proved something to myself," said Anatoliy after the match. "A couple years ago, I would have given up and ran out of gas, but I did a good job of gathering myself at the end to secure the victory."

But the rest of the night belonged to the Thunderbirds as Mahwah excelled from the 160 pound class up through the heavyweights. The home team earned four pins in the final five matches in what Fort Lee coach Alex Almeyda knew was one of Mahwah's biggest strengths.

"They are solid," Almeyda said. "[160] all the way through, they are solid."

In the first match of the season, many of the Fort Lee wrestlers saw their high school careers begin on this very night. For most of the newcomers, it was their baptism by fire.

"I saw a lot of deer eyes in the headlights," said the Fort Lee coach. "I'm not mad at them. It's very early in the season, very early, so we can only go up."

Alkazov and the other veteran wrestlers have been working with the underclassman during the year and helping them adjust to the varsity level.

"A lot of guys didn't wrestle before but put up a good fight," said the senior team leader. "I think the whole team was rusty. We got Cliffside [next] and we have to get this out of the way. Hopefully no one will be rusty that day."

The team now has some time off before the Bergen County Tournament next week and the next match on Jan. 5 at home against Cliffside Park. That will be Fort Lee's first home match of the year and hopefully for the Bridgemen a kickstart to 2011.