LITTLE ROCK – The Little Rock Trojans wrestling team welcomed the Appalachian State Mountaineers to the Jack Stephens Center this evening, hosting the first Division I dual in state history. While App State came away with the 36-6 victory, the Trojans saw several bouts that had the possibility to have gone the other direction.
RESULTS (PDF) | PHOTO GALLERY
Tyler Brennan was the sole victor for Little Rock, winning by fall over App State's Jonathan Millner at 1:47 to pick up six team points. It was the first pin of the season for the true freshman, as well as Millner's first dual loss - the Mountaineer had previously beaten opponents from ranked teams #6 NC State and #17 North Carolina.
"I thought he was going to be a bit longer than I was, but that I could use it better than he could, so I worked for that cradle on top," said Brennan. "I had struggled in some matches early so it was nice to come back from that and beat a good opponent. Having my family and teammates behind me really helped."
"I was super excited for Tyler," said head coach Neil Erisman. "He needed that. He keeps his head up, stays positive, and didn't let his opponent bully him. It could have been easy for him to quit, but he found a way."
Each of the bouts at 125, 133, 157, and 197 were only lost by decision, a margin of seven or less points. While half of those matches began with a Trojan earning the first takedown, the third period seemed to be a struggle for the Little Rock wrestlers.
"We wrestled some really good guys, but that doesn't matter," said Erisman of the result. "We were winning those matches, we were tough in those matches for a certain period of time. And we just didn't finish them strong."
At 125, Jayden Carson had a 5-2 edge going into the third period before opponent Sean Carter got an escape and a takedown to tie it up. Carson cramped up and had to restart after injury time, and Carter was able to pull ahead to win by decision, 10-7.
Paul Bianchi competed at 133 pounds and was 8-5 going into the third period after three takedowns but was unable to hold off a seven-point swing by App State's Codi Russell. The Mountaineer finished with a near fall to take the bout 12-8.
Dylan Johnson was up against Mountaineer Paul Carson at 197, and may have had one of the better back halves of the dual. His takedown and escape in the third period brought him to four points while Carson had six, but the App State member kept ahead with an escape and a point for riding time to finish 8-4.
The tightest match may have been
Jose Champagne versus #17 Matt Zovistoski, with the pair deadlocked at zero after the first period. Champagne wasn't on the board until the third, tying the bout up 3-3 with a takedown and escape, but Zovistoski got out of his grip with less than 30 seconds remaining to take the 4-3 decision.
"We have to decide how we're going to respond to that beating and adversity in general," added Erisman. "We've got to fight for each other and with each other. Friday is going to be tougher so we have to take this and grow from the opportunity."
The Trojans have a quick turnaround, allowing one day of rest before taking on #17 North Carolina on Friday. The first bout will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Jack Stephens Center for the last dual of 2019 for Little Rock.
For the latest information on Little Rock Wrestling, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockWRES on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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