Chattanooga (3-2) ran out to an 11-0 lead thanks to wins at 197, 285 and 125. The dual opened at 197 with Scottie Boykin edging Chip Ness 6-4, followed by another close decision when Jared Johnson beat Frank Abbondanza 2-0. No. 19 Sean Boyle then beat Cody Karns 20-5 for a five-point tech fall to push the Moc lead to 11.
Troy Heilmann got Carolina (2-2) on the board at 133, knocking off No. 14 Nick Soto 7-5 with a late rally. Heilmann trailed 4-0 before a takedown late in the second period and another early in the third tied the bout at 4. In the final minute, Heilmann got Soto on his back and earned two near fall points that ultimately made the difference.
Joey Ward gave the Tar Heels a second straight victory with a wire-to-wire win over Mike Pongracz at 141. Ward, who improved to 11-1 on the year, raced out to a 4-0 lead in the first period with a takedown and a two-point near fall and cruised to a 10-4 victory that pulled UNC within five.
But Chattanooga got two more decisions at 149 and 157 to take an 11-point lead into the final three bouts.
Ramos got things going with a high-scoring 24-8 tech fall win over Garrett Alexander. The redshirt freshman got three takedowns in the first period and added some back points in the second to take a 13-3 lead into the final period. Ramos eventually took a 15-point lead with just six seconds left in the bout to get the two bonus points for the technical fall and give Carolina a lifeline in the dual.
John Michael Staudenmayer then took care of business at 174 with a 6-1 decision over Levi Clemons to set the stage for Utley's dramatic finish.
Knowing that a bonus point win would guarantee the overall victory, Utley dominated the second period against Sean Mappes with a pair of near falls to take a 7-0 lead. Mappes started down to open the third, Utley escaped and added a takedown for a 10-0 major decision to complete the comeback. The Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, senior improved to a perfect 8-0 on the year with the victory.
Saturday night at Kell High School in Marietta, Georgia, Carolina fell to Purdue 19-12. Ward, Ramos, Utley and heavyweight Josh Lehner were winners for the Tar Heels, who fell behind early and couldn't rally against the Boilermakers.
UNC will return to the mat when the Tar Heels ring in the new year at the annual Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga. That event, which brings some of the nation's best talent together each year, is set for Jan. 1-2, 2015.
North Carolina 18, No. 20 Chattanooga 17
197: Scottie Boykin (UTC) dec. Chip Ness (UNC), 6-4 - UTC leads 3-0
285: Jared Johnson (UTC) dec. Frank Abbondanza (UNC), 2-0 - UTC leads 6-0
125: No. 19 Sean Boyle (UTC) tech fall Cody Karns (UNC), 21-5 (6:13) - UTC leads 11-0
133: Troy Heilmann (UNC) dec. No. 14 Nick Soto (UTC), 7-5 - UTC leads 11-3
141: No. 14 Joey Ward (UNC) dec. Michael Pongracz (UTC), 10-4 - UTC leads 11-6
149: Sean Greevy (UTC) dec. Christian Barber (UNC), 6-5 - UTC leads 14-6
157: Austin Sams (UTC) dec. Chris Mears (UNC), 5-2 - UTC leads 17-6
165: Ethan Ramos (UNC) tech fall Garrett Alexander (UTC), 24-8 (6:54) - UTC leads 17-11
174: John Michael Staudenmayer (UNC) dec. Levi Clemons (UTC), 6-1 - UTC leads 17-14
184: Alex Utley (UNC) maj. dec. Sean Mappes (UTC), 11-0 - UNC wins 18-17
Purdue 19, North Carolina 12
125: Luke Welch (P) dec. Cody Karns (UNC), 4-0 - Purdue leads 3-0
133: No. 19 Danny Sabatello (P) maj. dec. Matt Williams (UNC) - 10-1, Purdue leads 7-0
141: No. 14 Joey Ward (UNC) dec. Nick Lawrence (P), 3-2 - Purdue leads 7-3
149: Alex Griffin (P) dec. Joey Moon (UNC), 7-5 - Purdue leads 10-3
157: Doug Welch (P) dec. Chris Mears (UNC), 5-3 - Purdue leads 13-3
165: Ethan Ramos (UNC) dec. Pat Robinson (P), 5-3 - Purdue leads 13-6
174: Chad Welch (P) dec. John Michael Staudenmayer (UNC), 3-2 - Purdue leads 16-6
184: Alex Utley (UNC) dec. Tanner Lynde (P), 10-6 - Purdue leads 16-9
197: Patrick Kissel (P) dec. Chip Ness (UNC), 8-5 - Purdue leads 19-9
285: Josh Lehner (UNC) dec. Tyler Kral (P), 6-4 - Purdue wins 19-12
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now