LACROSSE, Wis. – The Little Rock wrestling team picked up two bout victories in addition to a forfeit win against the #23 Wisconsin Badgers at the DI-DII-DIII Duals this Friday evening but were unable to swing the team victory in the end, falling 32-13.
Redshirt sophomores
Jaylen Carson and
Triston Wills each wrestled to individual wins. Carson picked up a gritty last-second takedown for a 5-4 decision at 133 pounds, moving to 5-0 on the season. Meanwhile, Wills exerted total control during his match, taking home a 10-0 major decision at the 174 position to now sit 4-0 on the year.
"I felt like we had a huge improvement from where we were last year," said head coach
Neil Erisman. "That is due to us continuously being able to identify where we can get better and working on it. The result wasn't acceptable, but it was encouraging because we did some things we worked hard on. We did well, we just got beat in the hustle and a little bit of the attack-mentality side."
Tonight was just the second start of Jaylen's career, who has stepped into the role well so far.
"Jaylen was in a tough position, and he found a way to win," explained Coach Erisman. "When you don't feel good and you're exhausted, that's what you ask your guys to do. All of our guys were emotionally tired, but Jaylen found a way to win the match."
Wills goes into his second year as the undisputed starter for the Trojans at 174, but while he commanded his match, Coach Erisman revealed his potential is much higher than even his showing this evening.
"I was super proud of Triston, but he could've done a little more," Coach Erisman admitted. "He was capable of blowing it open."
Two other matches were down to the wire:
Joseph Bianchi at 149 and
Tyler Brennan at 165. The former was explosive throughout his match, taking the lead in the third period before getting pinned, while the latter had a chance to escape in the third and take the lead, instead taking a loss by a single point from riding time.
However, both heartbreaks come away with lessons learned and experience for the future.
"Joey realized that the difference between last weekend and this weekend was a small gap," explained Coach Erisman. "Winning what people call 'the grind' or staying in solid positions and having solid attacks and then recognizing that your opponent is tired and not being complacent when you're up a point. Joey recognizes that and he was doing the right thing, so he'll be so much better for it next time."
As for Brennan, Coach Erisman also provided some tough love: "I think Tyler learned a good lesson, that just because he expects to win does not mean it won't still be hard. Before last weekend, he had been out for over 600 days; he needed a reminder going forward."
"Overall, I am proud of the guys," summarized Coach Erisman. "We definitely improved, but improving does not mean instant success, and that's a lesson we learned tonight: that's it's still going to be hard."
"We're going to regroup and identify little things like the way we approach a match and showing our emotions in tough situations. I think we're going to see a much different outcome next time."
That next time isn't far off. In two weeks, the Trojans return home to the friendly confines of the Jack Stephens Center. Little Rock will host Drexel in the first meeting between the teams on Saturday, Nov. 27. The first bout will begin at noon as the Trojans search for a team victory.
RESULTS vs. #23 Wisconsin
125:
Jayden Carson win by forfeit
133:
Jaylen Carson DEC Ethan Rotondo (Wisconsin), 5-4
141: Joseph Zargo (Wisconsin) DEC
Conner Ward, 10-4
149: #18 Austin Gomez (Wisconsin) F
Joseph Bianchi, 6:42
157: Garrett Model (Wisconsin) MD
Chase Tebbets,16-4
165: #25 Dean Hamiti (Wisconsin) DEC
Tyler Brennan, 4-3
174:
Triston Wills MD Kevin Meicher (Wisconsin), 10-0
184: #18 Chris Weiler (Wisconsin) TF
Tanner Mendoza, 18-0 (2:38)
197: #17 Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) TF
Brooks Sacharczyk, 18-2 (3:00)
285: #6 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) F
Josiah Hill (LR), 2:42
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