“It was not a good day for everyone, but it's good to get the win in a harsh environment,†Magrum said. “We need to keep improving and pushing each other. The Buckeyes will get better as the season progresses.â€
The Buckeyes went 2-3 in the first five matches of the day, yet still owned a 10-9 lead heading into intermission. After the break, Ohio State won three consecutive matches at 174, 184 and 197 pounds.
Down 3-0 early, Ohio State answered with back-to-back wins courtesy of No. 3 L. Stieber at 133 pounds and No. 6 H. Stieber at 141 pounds.
L. Stieber, who remains undefeated on the season with a 15-0 overall record and 6-0 ledger in dual competition, immediately gave the Buckeyes a 6-3 lead when he pinned Troy Opfer at the 2:17 mark. L. Stieber, a redshirt freshman from Monroeville, Ohio, now has a team-leading eight pins this season.
“We wrestled okay as a whole today, but we have to finish matches and score more points,†L. Stieber said.
The younger brother of L. Stieber, H. Stieber, also tacked on bonus points for the Scarlet and Gray after recording an 11-2 major decision vs. No. 13 Tyler Small. Stieber now improves to 14-2 overall and 5-1 in dual action.
In a highly anticipated 149-pound matchup between a pair of freshmen Ohio High School state champions, Buckeye and 15th-ranked Cam Tessari faced No. 18 Ian Miller. Tessari, who hails from Monroeville, Ohio, and is a four-time state champion, dropped a 9-5 decision to Miller, who is a three-time state titlist from Oak Harbor, Ohio.
Another Golden Flash decision at 157 pounds followed to allow them to cut the Ohio State lead to one (10-9). No. 19 Josh Demas, a redshirt freshman out of Westerville North High School, lost to Mallie Shuster, 6-1.
Out of the break, Kent State maintained its momentum when Buckeye Derek Garcia, a freshman from Sedro Woolley, Wash., suffered a 6-1 setback to Tommy Sasfy. With the win, the Golden Flashes took a 12-10 lead with four matches remaining.
Ohio State jumped back into the lead (13-12) thanks to No. 5 Nick Heflin's 8-3 win over Brandonn Johnson at 174 pounds. Heflin, a redshirt sophomore from Massillon, Ohio, is now 15-1 overall, including a 6-0 dual record.
Magrum pinning Kwan Bailey in 6:28 at 184 pounds proved to be crucial down the stretch as the win gave the Buckeyes a 19-12 lead with two matches left. The redshirt junior from Oak Harbor, Ohio, is 13-3 overall and remains undefeated in dual competition with a 6-0 record.
Freshman Andrew Campolattano sealed the win for the Scarlet Gray after his 8-2 victory vs. Keith Witt. Campolattano, a native of Bound Brook, N.J., is 10-5 overall and 4-2 in dual matches.
In the final match of the afternoon, redshirt sophomore Peter Capone dropped a 6-3 decision to Brendan Barlow for the 22-15 final.
At 125 pounds, freshman Johnni Dijulius faced the second-ranked wrestler in the nation in Nicholas Bedelyon and was handed a 6-1 loss to open the dual.
After nearly a month, Ohio State returns to St. John Arena in Columbus for its Big Ten Conference season opener vs. Indiana at 2 p.m. Dec. 18.
Results:
125 – No. 2 Nicholas Bedelyon (Kent State) DEC No.13 Johnni Dijulius, 12-6
133 – No. 3 Logan Stieber PINNED Troy Opfer (Kent State), 2:17
141 – No. 6 Hunter Stieber MAJ DEC No. 13 Tyler Small (Kent State), 11-2
149 – No. 18 Ian Miller (Kent State) DEC No. 15 Cam Tessari, 9-5
157 – Mallie Shuster (Kent State) DEC No. 19 Josh Demas, 6-1
165 – Tommy Sasfy (Kent State) DEC Derek Garcia, 6-1
174 – No. 5 Nick Heflin DEC Brandonn Johnson (Kent State), 8-3
184 – No. 15 C.J. Magrum PINNED Kwan Bailey (Kent State), 6:28
197 – Andrew Campolattano DEC Keith Witt (Kent State), 8-2
HWT – No. 15 Brendan Barlow (Kent State) DEC No. 11 Peter Capone, 6-3
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