#1 Buckeyes Ground the #17 Gophers
The Ohio State Wrestling Buckeyes showcased the Nations top ranked squad at the Schottenstein Arena Friday evening, mauling Minnesota winning 8 out of 10 bouts in a blowout 33-7 final result. The last time these wrestling legacies and true powerhouses of the sport faced off was less than a year ago when the Buckeyes traveled into Minneapolis and won by 4 points. Overall, Minnesota leads the series by a record of 16-35-2 all time.
The dual began at 184 pounds and Myles Martin struck first against RS Frosh Dylan Anderson, an in-conference transfer from Wisconsin, to tally the first points on the scoreboard for the Buckeyes with a Major Decision. Martin, confident with the chest lock and his leg attacks controlled Anderson, however he left pinning opportunities on the mat, nonetheless still sealing the win to start things up. Following up Martin, was 197 pounder Mountain Man Kollin Moore against Apple Valley vet Bobby Stevenson in a bout that went the full seven minutes of bangin’ heads, concluded with the Mountain Man on top 7-3.
The crowd then rose to their feet as the Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion Kyle Synder ran out of the tunnel and routed to a Tech-Fall victory to keep the Bucks rolling with 3-straight wins heading into the marquee matchup of the night at 125 pounds.
The return of Nathan Tomasello did not disappoint the wrestling fans who came out during the Blizzard snow storm Friday evening, as Tomasello dominated #4 Nathan Lizak of the Leigh Valley in a 18-3 Tech-Fall victory. Lizak’s frightened look on his face during warm ups carried on into the center of the mat and Tomasello bullied Gopher light-weight with relentless pressure and powerful offensive attacks.
At the 133 pound class, #2 ranked Luke Pletcher was paired up to wrestle #12 Mitch McKee however the traveling team sent out back-up 125 pounder, Steve Polakowski. Pletcher showed a sign of pain after an early throw-by attempt, even so the pain didn’t display for the remainder of the bout as Polakowski kept things close but Pletcher plunged through to pull off his 19th straight win on the season to remain undefeated.
The Buckeyes led 20-0 heading into Intermission.
Following the 15-minute recess for Alumni and Veteran recognition, the Minnesota Gophers began to dig themselves out of a hole with a turn of events at the 141 weight class. #6 Joey McKenna of Ohio State came out strong with a double leg attack elevating Thorn to score a takedown quickly into the first. Thorn then snatched McKenna back with crack backs to tilts on top and racked up 9 points worth of near falls. Thorn finishes the match with an impressive major decision upset 13-3.
“That’s a nice quality win for Tommy,” Eggum said. “He’s looking really good right now and is really getting back on track. To pick up a win against a guy like McKenna will be big for him as Big Ten rankings begin to take shape.”
After the one of only two wins on the night for Minnesota, #6 Ke-Shawn Hayes pushed the pace the whole bout to round up a major decision victory at 149 pounds and another 4-points for the home Buckeyes.
The 157 lb bout featured two ranked wrestlers, #6 Rs-Jr. Micah Jordan for Ohio State and #18 Rs-Sr. Jake Short for Minnesota. They battled on their feet for the first period and remained knotted after 2 periods until Short lost gas and Mickey Jordan turned up the pace with offensive attacks for a couple of takedowns and tossing him to his back for a four-point nearfall to increase his victory margin 11-4.
With two bouts left in the dual, another pair of classified guys battled off to hold their ranks. #9 Nick Wanzek continues to make positive strides on his senior season as he picked up his third ranked victory, with the 8-5 decision over Buckeye new comer, Te’Shan Campbell.
Last bit of destruction came from Father Bo who outscored Chris Pfarr and concluded the match with a cherry on top takedown to record a major decision scored 12-4.
The final match in Columbus this season for the Buckeyes awaits this Sunday, the 21st. An elite senior class will take the mat for the final time on their home campus, taking on #3 Iowa inside Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.
Match-By-Match Results:
184: No. 2 Myles Martin maj dec , 18-7 | Minn 0 - OSU 4
197: No. 1 Kollin Moore dec , 7-4 | Minn 0 - OSU 7
HWT: No. 1 Kyle Synder tech fall , 24-9 | Minn 0 - OSU 12
125: No. 1 Ethan Tomasello tech fall No. 4 , 18-3 | Minn 0 - OSU 17
133: No. 2 Luke Pletcher dec , 8-6 | Minn 0 - OSU 20
141: No. 11 maj dec No. 6 Joey McKenna, 13-3 | Minn 4 - OSU 20
149: No. 6 Ke-Shawn Hayes maj dec , 14-2 | Minn 4 - OSU 24
157: No. 6 Micah Jordan dec No. 18 , 11-4 | Minn 4 - OSU 27
165: No. 9 dec No. 13 Te'Shan Campbell, 8-5 | Minn 7 - OSU 27
174: No. 3 Bo Jordan maj dec , 12-4 | Minn 7 - OSU 31
BOUT RESULTS
Ohio State 31, Minnesota 7
184 lbs | No. 2 (OSU) def. Dylan Anderson (MINN) | MD, 18-7; Team Score: 4-0
197 lbs | No. 1 (OSU) def. Bobby Steveson (MINN) | D, 7-4; TS: 7-0
HWT | No. 1 (OSU) def. Rylee Streifel (MINN) | TF, 24-9; TS: 12-0
125 lbs | No. 1 (OSU) def. No. 4 Ethan Lizak (MINN) | TF, 18-3; TS: 17-0
133 lbs | No. 2 (OSU) def. Steve Polakowski (MINN) | D, 9-6; TS: 20-0
141 lbs | No. 11 Tommy Thorn (MINN) def. No. 6 (OSU) | MD, 13-3; TS: 20-4
149 lbs | No. 6 (OSU) def. Ben Brancale (MINN) | MD, 14-2; TS: 24-4
157 lbs | No. 6 (OSU) def. No. 18 Jake Short (MINN) | D, 11-4; TS: 27-4
165 lbs | No. 9 Nick Wanzek (MINN) def. No. 13 (OSU) | D, 8-5; TS: 27-7
174 lbs | No. 3 (OSU) def. Chris Pfarr (MINN) | MD, 12-4; TS: 31-7
