It was like deja vu all over again.

For the second straight year, the Muhlenberg-Ursinus wrestling match came down to the final bout, and again this time, Mule junior Scott Schaeffer came through.

Schaeffer took his opponent down with 15 seconds remaining in the third period for a 3-1 decision that gave the Mules a 20-18 win against their Centennial Conference rivals.

Exactly one year ago, Schaeffer (pictured above) started his bout with Muhlenberg leading 21-20 and held on for a 6-5 decision that enabled the Mules to defeat Ursinus for the first time since 2002. The Bears led 18-17 in the rematch but the big picture was the same: the heavyweight bout would decide the match.

After a scoreless first period, the Ursinus wrestler started the second period down and needed only 3 seconds to escape. Schaeffer started the third period down and escaped in 2 seconds.

The score remained 1-1 until Schaeffer's dramatic takedown produced the first offensive points of the bout and thrilled a sizable Memorial Hall crowd.

The Mules never led until the end of the final bout and needed several clutch performances to score the points they needed to win.

At 133, junior Josh Hickey took down his opponent in the third period to earn an extra team point with a 10-2 major decision. Hickey also scored a major decision in the Ursinus match last year, but at 149 - two weight classes higher.

Junior Austin Sherman, who normally competes at 141, bumped up to 149 and recorded a major decision, the 14th of his career, with a 13-4 win.

One of the best efforts came at 157 from junior Brian Jamison, who fell into a 4-0 hole in the first period. He closed to within 4-2 after two, then took his opponent down with a minute left and rode him out for the rest of the match. A 2:11 advantage in riding time gave Jamison a key 5-4 decision. 

Junior Dylan Schwartz needed only 29 seconds from the opening whistle to record a takedown en route to an 8-3 decision at 174, and senior Gennaro Cerminara similarly scored an early takedown at 197 and went on to win 7-2, bringing the Mules to within a point for the third time and setting the stage for Schaeffer's heroics.

Muhlenberg tied a school record, set in 2001 and matched the following year, with its 17th win of the season.