Sports
Ohio Wrestling gets a 26-14 comeback win over Edinboro
By: Marc Goldstein
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Peyten Kellar has very big shoes to fill. Truthfully, those shoes are likely unable to be filled by one person alone. Logan Cravatas might not be able to slide into his spot in the lineup and replicate the production and there is an expectation for there to be a certain dropoff. However, for one day, it felt like the All-American was in the lineup. Ohio (5-2, 3-0 MAC) was able to use Cravatas’s efforts in his match as a springboard to its 26-14 win over Edinboro (7-3, 1-2 MAC).
Starting off the match slowly has been an epidemic that has plagued Ohio for the last two seasons. At the 125-pound class, Ryan Meek has struggled over his first two seasons as the starter, going a combined 2-13 in duals, entering today. The results of his match would add yet another dual loss. Facing No. 2 in the MAC, Chris Vargo, Meek was unable to get anything on the board until it was too late. Meek was, however, able to avoid anything more than a major decision, minimizing the amount of points going on the board for Edinboro.
At the 133-pound class, the Bobcats sent out TJ England. He fared the same against his opponent, a nationally-ranked wrestler. Colton Camacho, the No. 28 wrestler in the country, was able to pick up a major decision win over England. The losses by Meek and England are acceptable for the Bobcats as minimizing the bonus points for opponents is paramount to dual wins. The 141-pound class was similar to a certain extent as Kaden Jett lost, albeit only a regular decision for Anthony Ferrero, putting Edinboro in the driver’s seat, 11-0.
Ohio head coach Joel Greenlee expressed both frustration and a sense of optimism over the results in the first handful of matches.
“The first three weights, in a couple of them, we didn’t even give ourselves a chance to win by not making any shots, not making any attempts,” Greenlee said. “I don’t know how you expect to win when that happens.”
Most duals for Ohio start at the 149-pound class. Derek Raike has shot up the rankings in his second season as a full-time starter. Last season, he suffered an injury that cost him a majority of the conference duals. This year, focused on his health, he is off to a hot start in duals. He got a massive 20-7 win over Colin Roberts. Raike picked up five takedowns in his bout.
At the 157-pound class, Cravatas was able to shake off an early takedown by Ryan Michaels to tie the score at three heading into the third period. Starting on the bottom, Cravatas hit a slick reversal and pinned Michaels in one motion to pick up the fall and six points for the Bobcats.
Jack Lledo followed up Cravatas and took an early 6-1 lead over Max Kirby. Lledo let his guard down a little bit, giving up a late takedown, but he held on to secure an 8-6 decision over Kirby.
Garrett Thompson and Jeremy Olszko have quietly formed a very potent duo at the 174- and 184-pound class, respectively. Thompson started off with a pure domination of his opponent, a 15-0 tech fall early in the second period. Thompson took control early with a takedown and two instances of near-fall points to vault him into a commanding lead. Similarly, Olszko was able to get a tech fall, although his was by a score of 20-3 late in the second. Still, his performance was impressive and put his skills on full display.
“It was really set up in the hand fight. I was snapping his head and just the movement that he was giving me. I really just saw myself getting my offense going. I wanted to work a little bit more on top, but it turned out that I got it done on my feet.”
Olszko’s meteoric rise is very emblematic of the cliche phrase of “next man up.” Originally, the starter at this weight was going to be Zayne Lehman, an NCAA Qualifier. With an injury sidelining him for the entirety of the season, Olszko absorbed the loss of Lehman and has not skipped a beat. Today, Olszko was able to have Lehman right there in his corner during his match.
“It’s like having a coach, but also a teammate at the same time,” Olszko said. “Last year, he’s the guy I looked up to and it sucks with his injury that he is not competing this year. I mean, he’s always right there and I know when he returns next year, he is going to be ready. He gives me a big insight into the guys I see and the things that I can improve on.”
After the pair of tech falls, the dual win was all but secured. Although he lost in upset fashion, Austin Starr was able to clinch the dual win for Ohio by not getting pinned. His loss to Nick Lodato comes as a surprise given the conference rankings (Starr is No. 2 while Lodato is No. 10). To finish off the dual, Jordan Greer continued to be one of the most solid wrestlers in the MAC, winning a gritty 6-3 decision over Aden Roe.
Ohio’s victory over Edinboro demonstrated a few things. The first is that the strength of this roster can compete with anyone in the conference, regardless of who is in the lineup. The second is that MAC duals are where some of the best wrestlers in the conference are able to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. For some of the inexperienced starters for Ohio, performances like today can become a building block for the success to come.