"We've been trying so hard to get a win, and I think our guys feel the pressure. I know I feel the pressure," said 23rd-year head coach Joel Greenlee. "Hopefully, that takes a little bit of that, and we just wrestle hard and have fun the rest of the year."
West Virginia opened things up with a 3-0 lead at 125 pounds as redshirt sophomore Joey Thomas picked up a 4-2 win by decision.
The Bobcats began to flip the script beginning at 133, though. Redshirt junior Mario Guillen (Perrysburg, Ohio) evened the match at three-all courtesy of a 10-4 win by decision over sophomore Lucas Seibert.
Redshirt senior Shakur Laney (Canal Winchester, Ohio) gave Ohio a 7-3 advantage after notching a 19-7 major decision win at 141 over sophomore Caleb Rea. Laney finished the bout with nine takedowns.
The Bobcats then picked up a pair of one-point wins by decision at both 149 and 157 to take a 13-3 lead into intermission. Redshirt sophomore Alec Hagan (Eureka, Mo.) edged redshirt junior Seth Hogue, 2-1, followed by redshirt senior Zac Carson (Akron, Ohio) defeating redshirt freshman Alex Hornfeck, 4-3. Carson's go-ahead takedown came with 1:14 left in the third period.
"Mario's starting to get back to Mario. Shakur went out and dominated tonight. I think you'll really see him take off in the next couple months. Alec Hagan did a good job and Carson did a good job against a couple of tough guys to wrestle," said Greenlee.
The Mountaineers earned a win out of the break when junior Nick Kiussis picked up a 9-1 major decision win at 165 to cut Ohio's lead to 13-7.
Sophomore Logan Stanley (Fredericksburg, Ohio) gave Ohio a big lift courtesy of a hard-fought 17-13 win by decision over redshirt freshman Alex Hornfeck at 174.
"It was a bit of a roller coaster," said Stanley of his victory. "I was hoping to keep piling it on, but obviously I had to keep my composure and not let that get in my head and stay with my offense and stay focused."
Stanley got a four-point near fall with less than a minute left in the first period, then staved off a potential pin in the second and battled Hornfeck until finally prevailing with a four-point victory.
"That's a dang barn burner. Fun match to watch, nightmare to coach," laughed Greenlee. "I looked back at our bench after the first period and said, 'Somebody's going to get pinned. I'm just not sure who.' It's hard to coach because you want to see them go out there and wrestle as hard as they can, but you want to see them stay in good, smart positions. He got a little overzealous and got thrown to his back. Could have been bad, but it wasn't."
Greenlee praised the progression Stanley has made from his freshman year to his sophomore season.
"Logan's worked so hard," said Greenlee. "If you want a guy who does the right things academically, does the right things in the weight room, wrestling room, everywhere. I can't say enough good things about him. He's gotten better and better. He's competing with national level guys.
Senior Hunter Yeargan (Willard, Mo.) made it a 20-7 lead for the Bobcats after coming away with a 11-3 major decision win over sophomore Jackson Moomau at 184.
West Virginia cut Ohio's lead to 10 points as redshirt sophomore Noah Adams recorded a 6-4 win by decision at 197.
Senior Brandon Ngati picked up a 2-0 win by decision at 285 for West Virginia, but it wasn't enough as Ohio came away with a seven-point win over the Mountaineers.
"It was awesome. It was a fun atmosphere to be in," said Stanley of wrestling a regional rival at a local high school. "A small gym with a lot of West Virginia fans for sure. It kind of felt like we were in enemy territory, but it was fun."
Ohio will be back in action Dec. 29-30 at the Midlands Classic in Chicago.
Results:
125: Joey Thomas (West Virginia) def. Giovanni DiSabato (Ohio), 4-2 dec. (0-3)
133: Mario Guillen (Ohio) def. Lucas Seibert (West Virginia), 10-4 dec. (3-3)
141: Shakur Laney (Ohio) def. Caleb Rea (West Virginia), 19-7 maj. dec. (7-3)
149: Alec Hagan (Ohio) def. Seth Hogue (West Virginia), 2-1 dec. (10-3)
157: Zac Carson (Ohio) def. Alex Hornfeck (West Virginia), 4-3 dec. (13-3)
165: Nick Kiussis (West Virginia) def. Joe Terry (Ohio), 9-1 maj. dec. (13-7)
174: Logan Stanley (Ohio) def. Scott Joll (West Virginia), 17-13 dec. (16-7)
184: Hunter Yeargan (Ohio) def. Jackson Moomau (West Virginia), 11-3 maj. dec. (20-7)
197: Noah Adams (West Virginia) def. Jake Walker (Ohio), 6-4 dec. (20-10)
285: Brandon Ngati (West Virginia) def. Jordan Earnest (Ohio), 2-0 dec. (20-13)
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