1LITTLE ROCK – The Little Rock wrestling team saw flashes of strong wrestling today, but competitive matches and an Oregon State squad of seven ranked wrestlers stole the Pac-12 conference opener 35-3.
"The effort was there in almost every match," said head coach
Neil Erisman. "The ability was there, we were in it, but we were not aware of the situation to win the match, whether that's positions or tough rides. Candidly, Oregon State was tougher in the ride position."
"I'm happy with the effort and mentality in most of the matches," he added. "But when you go forward and make progress, you can't take two steps back. I believe we are there but we have to understand that it takes consistency."
Joseph Bianchi was the sole Trojan to add a tally to his personal win column, moving to 7-7 on the year. His 10-4 decision over Oregon State included four takedowns and riding time, including several scrambles where the 149-pounder made the conscious choice to not give up and win the position.
"Today, Joey chose to wrestle through it," complimented Coach Erisman. "You make those decisions and good things happen. There's pivotal moments like that, and you have to be mindful and make those decisions all seven minutes."
Although the margin between the two teams looks large on paper, several Trojans were in the thick of their matches. Four Little Rock wrestlers opened their bouts with the first takedown and four matches were separated by just four points or less.
To start the match,
Jeremiah Reno was leading a two-time All-American as much as 8-4, even forcing #19 Kaylor to hand over a point for stalling. A bad decision led to back points and a 21-12 major decision for the Beavers, but the Little Rock lightweight never gave up, even adding on another takedown in the final period while down eight points.
In the next match,
Josh Sarpy followed suit with a fighting mindset, getting the first takedown and even finishing on top of #18 Shaner. In the second-to-last match,
Ty Lukens surprised his ranked opponent with a cradle, holding the position for over 30 seconds, but wasn't able to get the pin. #18 Harvey turned the tables in the second period, pinning the redshirt freshman from Little Rock instead.
Both ranked Trojans lost their matches by just one point. #25
Triston Wills dropped a 3-2 decision to #29 Olmos that came down to a last minute takedown from Oregon State. The two spent most of the seven minutes on their feet, and Wills's shots didn't convert earlier in his bout. While #32
Josiah Hill was another first-takedown Trojan, adding a reversal off of bottom to make the score even, he ran out of gas and couldn't hold Oregon State down for the entire third period.
The Trojan homestand isn't over. Little Rock returns to the Jack Stephens Center next weekend, hosting Northern Colorado at noon on Sunday, January 22.
View the full schedule here.
RESULTS vs. Oregon State (RV)
125: #19 Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) MD
Jeremiah Reno, 21-12
133: #18 Jason Shaner (Oregon State) DEC
Josh Sarpy, 19-12
141: #26 Cleveland Belton (Oregon State) TF
Jayden Carson, 16-1 (5:09)
149: Joseph Bianchi DEC Riley Gurr (Oregon State), 10-4
157: Isaiah Crosby (Oregon State) DEC Matty Bianchi, 8-5
165: #21 Matthew Olguin (Oregon State) DEC Tyler Brennan, 4-0
174: #29 Aaron "Mateo" Olmos (Oregon State) DEC #25 Triston Wills, 3-2
184: #11 Trey Munoz (Oregon State) TF Mason Diel, 17-2 (3:59)
197: #18 Tanner Harvey (Oregon State) F Ty Lukens, 4:24
285: J.J. Dixon (Oregon State) DEC #32 Josiah Hill, 5-4
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