Sports
Ohio Wrestling closes regular season with 22-16 loss to Buffalo
By: Marc Goldstein
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — As Ohio Wrestling (6-10, 1-6 MAC) took the mat against Buffalo (4-11, 3-5 MAC), a number of illustrious careers were set to close at The Convo. For Garrett Thompson, Sal Perrrine and Zayne Lehman, three wrestlers who have won a lot of matches and reached great heights, it was the closing of a successful era of Ohio wrestling. The importance of the dual would later be overshadowed by the defeat at the hands of Buffalo, 22-16.
Ohio got things going with a strong result at the 125-pound class. Brayden Teunissen has emerged as the full-time starter as a true freshman and the results have started to turn in his favor. That continued against Buffalo as he faced Zach Belverio to open the night. Teunissen got a takedown in the first period before capitalizing on a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Teunissen would ride a strong effort to a 6-2 decision to put Ohio on top 3-0 after one bout.
While he might not be the favorite to make a run at the upcoming MAC Championships, Teunissen offers potential for the future as his experience of wrestling at the collegiate level is invaluable to the future.
Ryan Meek has wrestled at a pair of weight classes this season and struggled to find success at either of them. Against Max Elton, who entered the match 1-10 in duals this season, Meek could not find any offense, dropping a 5-2 decision. Meek lost twice against Elton last season, making him 0-3 against Elton in his career.
Down 9-3, Ohio turned to Paul Woo at the 149-pound class in his final match at The Convo. Woo got off to a strong start, getting the first takedown of the night and heading into the third ahead. However, Sam Ewing would recover, getting an escape and takedown of his own to give him the advantage before he picked up another takedown to put the 8-6 decision on ice for Buffalo, who took a 12-3 lead.
The only ranked match of the night pitted No. 20 Kaleb Burgess against No. 29 Derek Raike. Ranked wins have evaded Raike during the MAC slate, but he was given an opportunity to bolster his NCAA Championships resume against Burgess. Raike would take full advantage by getting the first takedown as well as the second. Raike would ride the strong offensive performance to the 7-3 decision victory.
After a loss at the 165-pound class, No. 22 Garrett Thompson took on Rafael Knapp. Thompson had trouble scoring points early as his attempts at takedowns were thwarted by Knapp. Thompson would find himself on the wrong side of a takedown as Knapp grabbed a 4-2 lead and finished off the upset win. Thompson’s loss was his second of the year, but both came against unranked opponents. Although he lost, things are not over for Thompson. Ohio head coach Joel Greenlee expressed confidence in his redshirt senior to rebound and punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships at the MAC Championships.
“I think that’s got to fuel his fire a little bit,” said Greenlee. “He didn’t wrestle his best tonight. I think that was evident. He looked a little slow, but sometimes he has to overcome that. I think it might be a great eye opener for him. He can’t get too uptight about (the loss). He lost the match. Big deal. Everybody loses a match. It doesn’t mean you can’t be like a MAC Champion. It doesn’t mean he can’t be an All-American. He can’t dwell on it.”
Despite Thompson’s loss, No. 14 Sal Perrine wasted no time getting things back on track for the ranked Bobcat wrestlers. Facing Connor Scuilla, Perrine made it his mission to ensure that his match would not last the entire seven minutes. Perrine got a 20-4 tech fall as the second period ended. Perrine set himself up very well for a successful run this postseason, according to his head coach.
“He’s going to be a force to be reckoned with in the national tournament,” said Greenlee. “Nobody wants to wrestle a guy that wrestles like that. I am so proud of what he has accomplished in his career here.”
Wyatt Schmitt’s first season as the starter at the 285-pound class has been challenging with him dropping a number of his matches with bonus points attached. With the entire dual hinging on a victory, Schmitt came up short against Magnus Bibla, who took a 9-0 major decision to seal the victory for Buffalo.
The sixth-straight loss for Ohio might leave a sour taste in Greenlee’s mouth, but the focus turns to the pair of upcoming tournaments. Ohio’s most prominent wrestlers will have the chance to officially qualify for the NCAA Championships with strong performances at the MAC Championships. Moreover, the goal of winning a team title at the MAC Championships has remained the same.
“I want to win,” said Greenlee. “Whether it’s a dual or tournament or an individual match. The mindset is a little bit (different). First and foremost, we have to think of just surviving and advancing. Yes, we want to rack up fall and tech falls and all that for some team points, but we want to be able to take care of your body and survive and advance.