The Cowboys now are 11-4 overall and 5-0 in Western Wrestling Conference action to lead the WWC standings.
”It’s good as a team to come out and take care of business,” Wyoming coach Mark Branch said. “We got some important conference wins.”
The dual started with a 10-2 major decision for No. 15 Michael Martinez to give Wyoming a 4-0 lead after the 125-pound match. He defeated Northern Colorado’s Sam Bauer.
Wyoming’s lone loss of the night occurred in the 133-pound match, as No. 18 Tyler Cox lost a 7-3 decision to Northern Colorado’s Casey Cruz. But Kasey Garnhart got a win in the 141-pound match due to forfeit to make it Wyoming 10, Northern Colorado 3 after three matches.
No. 17 Cole Dallaserra got the upset win of the night for Wyoming, winning a 7-4 decision over No. 12-ranked Justin Gaethje in the 149-pound match. It was Dallaserra’s first win over a ranked opponent this season, and his effort gave the Pokes a 13-3 lead after four matches.
“You really tend to focus on the individual matchups. Cole got a very important win over an All-American and a kid who’s highly ranked,” Branch said.
Jimmy Belleville kept the wins rolling for Wyoming at 157 pounds with a 10-5 decision over Tanner Weiks, and No. 4 Shane Onufer got his seventh fall of the year, pinning Brandon Kammerzell at the 2:51 mark in the 165-pound bout. Onufer now is 25-0 on the season. Those match victories gave Wyoming a 22-3 lead in the dual.
Patrick Martinez got his seventh major decision of the year at 174 pounds, as he beat Cody McAninch 16-4. No. 5 Joe LeBlanc then won by technical fall, 19-3, at the 4:56 mark of the 18-4 pound match. LeBlanc’s victory gave Wyoming a 31-3 lead.
L.J. Helbig got his second pin of the season in his match against the Bears’ Nick Bayer, with a fall at 6:13. It was Helbig’s second pin of the season, and Matthew McLaughlin followed that up with a fall of his own in the heavyweight match. He defeated Konner Knudtsen with a pin at 1:55.
The road doesn’t get any easier for the Pokes, as they prepare to head south for a matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners on Friday in Norman, Okla. Then they’ll head to Stillwater, Okla., for a dual with the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Sunday. Both teams boast several ranked wrestlers, and the squads are in the top 10 of several polls.
“We’re talking about a different beast,” Branch said of the upcoming duals. “We’re going in as pretty big underdogs in most of individual matchups. We definitely have to be at the top of our game. We’re going to be challenged with some very good competition.
“At the same time, you have to look at that as an opportunity. In most of the matchups, we have a lot to gain and not a lot to lose. Hopefully, the kids are excited to wrestle these programs. It’s an opportunity to see where we stack up, and it’ll be a good indicator of the team’s progress.”
Results:
125 pounds: No. 15 Michael Martinez defeated Sam Bauer in a 10-2 major decision.
133: No. 18 Tyler Cox lost to Casey Cruz in a 7-3 decision.
141: Kasey Garnhart won in a forfeit.
149: No. 17 Cole Dallaserra defeated No. 12 Justin Gaethje in a 7-4 decision.
157: Jimmy Belleville defeated Tanner Weiks in a 10-5 decision.
165: No. 4 Shane Onufer defeated Brandon Kammerzell with a pin at 2:51.
174: Patrick Martinez defeated Cody McAninch in a 16-4 major decision.
184: No. 5 Joe LeBlanc defeated Eric Brennan with a 19-3 technical fall at 4:56.
197: L.J. Helbig defeated Nick Bayer with a pin at 6:13.
285: Matthew McLaughlin defeated Konner Knudtsen with a pin at 1:55.
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