Sports
Ohio Runs Away With Match Against Buffalo
< < Back to ohio-runs-away-match-against-buffaloComing off of a victory over rival Kent State on Friday, the Ohio Bobcats (8-2, 4-2) carried their momentum over to beat the Buffalo Bulls (2-12, 0-5) in a big way, 34-6.
Ohio head coach Joel Greelee commonly preaches wrestling aggressively, and that is just what the Bobcats did as they were simply dominant. Three Green and White grapplers picked up a pin and sealed the victory after just six matches. The Bulls won at 184 and 197 pounds but they were much too late.
“We did the things we wanted to do,” Greenlee said.
Ohio’s lightweights got everything started. In a matchup of 2013 NCAA qualifiers, KeVon Powell, 125 pounds, defeated Max Soria by a 10-9 decision. Kagan Squire, 133, quickly extended the ‘Cats lead to 9-0 with a first period fall. Ohio went on to win its next five matches to take the first seven of the dual. Noah Forrider, 141, No. 15 Tywan Claxton, 149, and Sparty Chino, 157, rounded out the first half of the dual. Claxton won by major decision, 9-1. Harrison Hightower, 165, and No. 8 Cody Walters, 174, each picked up pins to put Ohio up 31-0. Hightower grabbed his 10th pin of the season.
“We wanted to go out and get take downs and work for major decisions, technicals and falls,” Grenlee said. “If you look at the score, that’s basically what we did.”
Tony Lock finally got his team a score with a 5-2 decision over Ryan Garringer in the 184 bout. Redshirt Junior Angelo Malvestuto defeated Michael Duckworth by an 8-3 decision, and scored the Bulls final points of the day.
Duckworth wrestled his first match of the season after returning to the team. He had quit the team for personal reasons but returned at the beginning of 2014. He took the place of Phil Wellington, who is nursing a minor hand injury. With a 28-point lead it was an easy decision for Greenlee to sit one of his best wrestlers.
Ohio heavyweight and No. 11 Jeremy Johnson finished it off for the ‘Cats with a 9-4 decision. Johnson had won four straight matches by pin until Sunday’s match with Buffalo’s James Benjamin. His last win to not come by a pin came on Jan. 2, at The Southern Scuffle.
Next on the slate for Ohio is a trip to Cedar Falls, Iowa., where it will take on South Dakota State and Mid-American Conference foe Northern Iowa on Feb. 1.