Sports
Wrestling: Ohio Wrestling falls to Kent State
By: Jerod Scheetz
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The Bobcats lost their dual meet 23-9 to the Kent State Golden Flashes Friday night. Ohio (2-4, 1-3 MAC), fell behind early in the Convocation Center and never were able to rally.
Kent State (9-4, 2-0 MAC), an early favorite in the MAC, has been impressive in dual meets this season, and kept things going against Ohio. The Flashes boast three players ranked nationally, including Freshman Ian Miller (23-3) at the 149-pound weight class.
Here’s a rundown of the individual matchups from Ohio’s loss:
• 197 lb. weight class
The Golden Flashes grabbed an early advantage in the match with an impressive victory from Keith Witt. Witt used a takedown of Ohio’s Beau Wenger midway through the first period to get the scoring started. Wenger countered with a reversal to even the score up, but Witt’s takedown late in the period gave him control. Entering the second period with a 4-2 lead, Witt grabbed two more points with a reversal. Wenger made things interesting with an escape point and a takedown in the third. However, Witt held on to take the decision 7-5.
• 285 lb. weight class
Ohio’s Jeremy Johnson, ranked #7 in the nation, continued his outstanding season against a formidable Brendan Barlow. Barlow, #20 in the nation, kept Johnson at a stalemate the first two periods. Johnson was the aggressor, but Barlow used his size to keep the Bobcat off the scoreboard. Johnson scored the only point of the matchup with an escape to start the third period, and went on to take the decision. This tied the team score back up at 3-3.
• 125 lb. weight class
Kent’s nationally ranked Nic Bedelyon (23-2) handled Gabe Ramos with a 5-2 decision, and put the Flashes back on top. A takedown in the first period gave Bedelyon a 2-0 lead. Bedelyon kept it going with a takedown to start the second period. Ramos tried to make a comeback with a late escape in the second period and another escape in the third. However, the one point escapes weren’t enough to mount a serious threat.
• 133 lb. weight class
This matchup between Ohio’s Drew Hammer and Kent’s Steve Mitcheff got off to a slow start, providing no scoring in the first period. An escape to in the second gave Mitcheff the 1-0 advantage. After Hammer used an escape of his own to tie the score, Mitcheff managed a takedown midway through the third period. Hammer couldn’t muster a comeback and fell 3-1 in the decision.
• 141 lb. weight class
Ohio’s Darren Boing fell behind early to Tyler Small, trailing 3-0 after the second period. However, Boing turned it around for Ohio with an extremely impressive third. A nice takedown followed by two near fall points put the Bobcat on top of the scoring. Small responded with two escapes, but Boing kept the energy up with a takedown with just 45 seconds left in the matchup. Boing would go on to take the decision 7-5.
• 149 lb. weight class
With Kent leading Ohio 9-6, this matchup proved to be the turning point of the night. Kent’s Ian Miller, ranked #10 in the nation, added another victory to his belt with an impressive display over Ohio’s Andrew Romanchik. Miller used five takedowns in the first period to put his stamp on the evening. Romanchik found a way to hang around with four escapes, and trailed 10-4 after the first. Two more takedowns in the second period gave Miller a 14-5 advantage entering the final period. Miller used an impressive takedown to allow him to grab three near fall points, and seal the match on a technical fall. The technical fall gave Kent five pojnts and put them up 14-6.
• 157 lb. weight class
Ohio’s Harrison Hightower couldn’t turn things around as he fell in a 6-0 decision to Mallie Shuster. Shuster grabbed control with a first period takedown. After a stalemate second period, Shuster entered the final period with a 2-0 lead. Hightower couldn’t put together a comeback, and Shuster finished the matchup with two more takedowns.
• 165 lb. weight class
Freshman Miles Chapman and Kent’s Ross Tice provided the most back-and-forth matchup of the evening. Tice led after a first period takedown 2-0. In the second period, Chapman made a push with an early escape followed by an impressive takedown. However Tice showed his experience with an escape and takedown of his own in the final period. Tice’s 5-3 decision put the team score at 20-6 and sealed the match for the Golden Flashes.
• 174 lb. weight class
Nick Purdue, now #13 in the nation, gave the Bobcats one last thing to cheer about with a 2-1 decision over Brandon Johnson. Johnson actually held off Purdue from getting on the board until Purdue used a reversal at the start of the second to grab a 2-0 lead. Purdue continued to apply the pressure, but Johnson wouldn’t give in. Johnson got on the scoreboard with an escape in the third.
• 184 lb. weight class
The last matchup of the evening got off to a fast start. Kent’s Casey Newburg used an early takedown of Ryan Garringer to jump out. Garringer and Newburg each managed an escape point before Garringer tied the score 3-3 with a takedown. However, Newburg caught Garringer asleep at the end of the first period and got a takedown as the buzzer sounded. Newburg finished with a 5-4 decision, and Kent took the match with a final score of 23-9.
The Bobcats will look to get back on track Sunday as they host Bloomsburg.