The Buckeye wrestling team played host to the unranked Arizona State Sun Devils on Friday night, and after a few bumps in the road, the Buckeyes took control and put the match out of reach on the back of four bonus point victories. Johnni DiJulius' tech fall helped the Buckeyes earn the 28-9 final score.
Wrestling started at 165 pounds with Justin Kresevic taking on ASU’s Jacen Petersen. Kresevic started hot with a pair of takedowns in the first period, but Petersen put an end to the hot streak. Kresevic dropped the opening bout 10-4 and the Sun Devils took an early 3-0 lead.
Bo Jordan, ranked No. 1 in the country at 174 pounds, wasted little time in his efforts to put the Buckeyes back on top with a pin in under two minutes against Zach Smith. The first period pin put the Buckeyes ahead 6-3.
The most anticipated match of the evening didn’t come to fruition as No. 4 Kenny Courts did not get the nod against ASU’s No. 3 Blake Stauffer. Jack Rozema, winner of the preseason wrestleoff at 184 lbs, dropped a 7-4 decision to Stauffer, knotting the team score at 6 apiece.
Senior Mark Martin returned to the lineup at 197 lpounds and dispatched Josh DaSilveira by the score of 8-5. Martin stormed out to an early lead with a pair of first period takedowns and didn’t relinquish the lead. Martin’s decision gave the Buckeyes a 9-6 edge heading into the heavyweight bout.
Nick Tavanello widened the Buckeye lead with a last second takedown of Tanner Hall. The takedown was reviewed, but ultimately stood as called, giving the Buckeye big man a 3-2 victory. At the intermission, the host Buckeyes held a 12-6 lead.
Top ranked Nathan Tomasello dominated Ares Carpio with a variety of takedowns, but was only able to secure a major decision (4 team points) against a lesser opponent. Tomasello took the 16-6 decision, increasing the Buckeye lead to 10 points.
Johnni DiJulius, who I noted had yet to score his first bonus point victory on the season, put an end to that streak with a dominant 16-0 technical fall at 133 pounds. Arizona State’s Cord Coronado had no answer for the Buckeye senior as DiJulius demonstrated exceptional top control. The Buckeyes lead increased to 21-6 with JDJ’s tech fall.
At 141, Micah Jordan joined his brother, Tomasello, and DiJulius by putting up a bonus point victory of his own. The younger Jordan started strong and didn’t let up throughout the match, earning an 18-6 major decision and an additional four team points.
The Sun Devils added to their team total in the 149-pound match as Matt Kraus, ranked No. 17 in the latest InterMat polls, took a 4-2 decision over Cody Burcher. Burcher spent a larger part of the mat in the bottom position and Kraus was able to lock up the victory.
In the final match of the night, Jake Ryan took the mat for the Buckeyes at 157 lbs to take on ASU’s Oliver Pierce. The pair were evenly matched and the bout ended up going to overtime and then the top/bottom period. Ryan, who cracked the InterMat rankings at No. 20, controlled Pierce and escaped during his 30 second attempt, earning a 2-1 victory. Ryan’s win put a cap on the scoring with the Buckeyes improving to 2-0 after defeating the Sun Devils 28-9.
The Buckeyes will be in action next Tuesday when they travel north on I-71 to take on the Cleveland State Vikings.
Match Results
- 165: Jacen Petersen (ASU) decision Justin Kresevic (OSU) 10-4. 3-0 ASU
- 174: No. 1 Bo Jordan (OSU) pins Zach Smith (ASU) 1:54. 6-3 OSU
- 184: No. 3 Blake Stauffer (ASU) decision Jack Rozema (OSU) 7-4. 6-6
- 197: No. 17 Mark Martin (OSU) decision Josh DaSilveira (ASU) 8-5. 9-6 OSU
- HWT: No. 18 Nick Tavanello (OSU) decision Tanner Hall (ASU) 3-2. 12-6 OSU
- 125: No. 1 Nathan Tomasello (OSU) major decision Ares Carpio (ASU) 16-6. 16-6 OSU
- 133: No. 5 Johnni DiJulius (OSU) tech fall Cord Coronado (ASU) 16-0. 21-6 OSU
- 141: No. 19 Micah Jordan (OSU) major decision Robbie Mathers (ASU) 18-6. 25-6 OSU
- 149: No. 17 Matt Kraus (ASU) decision Cody Burcher (OSU) 4-2. 25-9 OSU
- 157: No. 20 Jaker Ryan (OSU) decision Oliver Pierce (ASU) 2-1 (TB). 28-9 OSU
