Ohio State has yet to wrestle a dual this season with its full starting lineup in action. It hasn't needed to, improving to 4-0 with three of its stars sidelined after a 26-9 victory over Indiana (6-2, 0-1 Big Ten).
Wrestling in the home gym of Nathan Tomasello at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy – the three-time All American and former NCAA champion – the Buckeyes won seven of 10 matches, following the familiar script seen in each of the team's three previous victories: the starters held serve, and "the replacements" dropped three decisions en route to a victory that was never in doubt.
The Buckeyes won four matches with bonus points on the board, though the coveted #PinChain did not make an appearance.
Tomasello watched from the sidelines, as he continues to rehab from an early-October meniscus injury. He told Eleven Warriors last week that he is taking live reps in training now, and feels like he's ready to come back at any time.
Our guy @_NA_T0 may be rehabbing from injury and out of the lineup today, but hes still the most popular man in the gym today. pic.twitter.com/1gtqVu4b3C
— Ohio State Wrestling (@wrestlingbucks) December 10, 2017
Also on the sidelines for the dual were Te'Shan Campbell and Bo Jordan, both nicked up after last weekend's Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Jordan dropped his second match of the season to No. 1 Zahid Valencia, finishing as tournament runner-up, while Campbell fell short in the third-place match, finishing fourth.
Kyle Snyder, meanwhile, was in Tehran, Iran as part of the Titan Mercury lineup that earned runner-up in the World Wrestling Clubs Cup Friday.
The Buckeyes travel to Champaign county in late January to host Purdue at St. Paris Graham High School, home of the Jordan Brothers and one of the most successful high school wrestling programs in the country.
Buckeye Breakdown
Most observers see this year's NCAA championship hunt as a two-team affair, with the Buckeyes nipping at the heels of the defending champion Penn State juggernaut. Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan, accordingly, has his sights set on getting his team prepared to peak in March, with dual meets serving both as a way to continue honing his weapons and to provide an exciting experience for fans of the program.
The focus on March, accordingly, allows Ryan to rest starters if injury or fatigue is a concern, and after wrestling a series of grueling matches in Las Vegas, the elder Jordan and Campbell were given the afternoon off to recover. Their back-ups went 1-1, with Cody Burcher earning his first win of the season at 165 pounds.
125 pounds - Brakan Mead
Mead, a true freshman, fell to 6-8 on the season after dropping a decision to junior Elijah Oliver. Through the first two periods, things were fairly evenly matched: Oliver scored a takedown in the first period, Mead got his in the second (a Tom Ryan challenge that back points should have been awarded fell on deaf ears), and the escapes gave Oliver a 4-3 advantage going into the final frame.
Alas, Mead couldn't get his offense going in the third period. Oliver managed a pair of takedowns and the riding time advantage to put Indiana on the board with a 9-5 decision.
133 pounds - No. 4 Luke Pletcher
Pletcher seems to be the grinder of the lineup, putting up very workman-like decisions throughout his undefeated season. Through 14 victories, the sophomore has one bonus point victory to his credit, and it came by way of a fall a the Thanksgiving Throwdown.
Sunday was a 4-3 decision, and all of the action happened more or less in the first period. Pletcher managed a pair of takedowns in the opening frame, and held a 1:21 riding time advantage going into the third; Garrett Pepple rode him out the entire period, however, erasing that advantage and sealing the decision.
141 pounds - No. 6 Joey McKenna
To date, the Stanford transfer has wrestled just two matches for the scarlet & gray, skipping the Princeton Open due to injury, the Thanksgiving Throwdown while earning bronze at the U23 World Championships, the latter also keeping the junior on the sidelines for the Cliff Keen Invitational as well.
When he is wrestling with the team, all he does is win. McKenna improved to 2-0 on the season Sunday with a 8-2 decision over Indiana's only ranked wrestler, No. 13 Cole Weaver.
Two takedowns and a 2-point near fall put Weaver more or less on ice in the first period. McKenna had the 6-1 advantage at the end of the opening frame, and went into the third still holding the 6-2 edge.
His escape and the riding time bonus led to the final score and the decision. Look for McKenna to continue working toward taking more shots as the season progresses, something Coach Ryan highlighted as a priority for both McKenna and Pletcher given their shared penchant for relatively low-scoring victories.
149 pounds - No. 5 Ke-Shawn Hayes
Hayes is quickly becoming a fan favorite; he may not be the biggest name on the team, with superstars like Snyder, Tomasello and the Jordans surrounding him, but there isn't much he doesn't do as well as his more highly-touted contemporaries.
Sunday's win was case in point: Hayes earned the only tech fall of the day, a first-period victory in which he went to work quickly, and piled on the back points. A takedown, three 4-point near falls and a 2-point near fall rolled up the 16-0 score with two seconds remaining in the opening frame.
Through 15 matches, Hayes is earning bonus points in 56% of his matches, one of the highest rates on the team, and he tech falls his opponents a third of the time. If you're not already in on Hayes, now's the time to buy.
157 pounds - No. 5 Micah Jordan
With Hayes getting the crowd warmed up, the younger Jordan brother put on a takedown clinic en route to a 14-4 major decision over Jake Danishek.
It took a bit for Jordan to get going, with just a 2-0 edge after the opening period. He traded takedowns for escape points in the second, taking the 6-2 lead into the final frame; he hit the third with a full head of steam, getting an escape, three takedowns and more than two minutes of riding time to seal the bonus point win.
With the win, Jordan improved to 12-2 on the season, winning by bonus in 64% of his matches, and winning by fall in four of every 10 matches he wrestles.
165 pounds - Cody Burcher
Burcher went more or less .500 last season at 165 for the Buckeyes, and the offseason addition of ACC champion Te'Shan Campbell to the lineup meant Burcher has watched the season unfold from the bench.
With Campbell healing up from a 4th-place finish in Las Vegas, Burcher was pressed into service and acquitted himself well enough in the effort, earning the 3-2 decision in the final period with a pair of escapes and the riding time advantage.
174 pounds - Fritz Schierl
Like Campbell, Bo Jordan came back from Las Vegas a little worse for the wear after standing runner-up to Arizona State's top-ranked Valencia. Schierl got the call from the bullpen, but dropped a 9-5 decision despite outscoring his opponent 4-2 in the final set.
184 pounds - No. 2 Myles Martin
Martin is undefeated through 13 matches, earning bonus points 92% of the time. This match was another in that category, as Martin's major decision came on the strength of seven takedowns, an escape point and riding time.
Not only does Martin take down opponents seemingly at will, he gives up precious few takedowns himself. It's no mystery why he's the number two wrestler in the country, and a serious contender to win his second NCAA title come March.
197 pounds - No. 1 Kollin Moore
The Mountain Man, fresh off a Cliff Keen championship that also earned him Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honors, cruised to another bonus point victory over an outmatched conference foe. Like Martin, Moore refused to give up a takedown, earning 6 of his own en route to a 14-5 major decision.
Through 10 matches, Moore remains undefeated, and has 5 bonus point victories - including two pins - to his credit.
285 pounds - Kevin Snyder
With his "Big Orca" brother in Iran helping Titan Mercury upend some of the best wrestlers on the planet, Kevin Snyder again stepped in for the defending NCAA champ. Things did not go according to plan, as the younger Snyder failed to take down his opponent, dropping a 3-1 decision and giving the Hoosiers just their third win of the day.
| Wt | Result | OSU | IU |
|---|---|---|---|
| 125 | Elijah Oliver (Indiana) decision over Brakan Mead (Ohio State), 9-5 | 0 | 3 |
| 133 | No. 4 Luke Pletcher (Ohio State) decision over Garrett Pepple (Indiana), 4-3 | 3 | 3 |
| 141 | No. 6 Joey McKenna (Ohio State) decision over No. 13 Cole Weaver (Indiana), 8-2 | 6 | 3 |
| 149 | No. 6 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Ohio State) tech fall over Davey Tunon (Indiana), 16-0 | 11 | 3 |
| 157 | No. 5 Micah Jordan (Ohio State) major decision over Jake Danishek (Indiana), 14-4 | 15 | 3 |
| 165 | Cody Burcher (Oho State) decision over Bryce Martin (Indiana), 3-2 | 18 | 3 |
| 174 | Devin Skatzka (Indiana) decision over Fritz Schierl (Ohio State), 9-5 | 18 | 6 |
| 184 | No. 2 Myles Martin (Ohio State) major decision over Norman Conley (Indiana), 16-5 | 22 | 6 |
| 197 | No. 1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) major decision over Spencer Irick (Indiana), 14-5 | 26 | 6 |
| 285 | Fletcher Miller (Indiana) decision over Kevin Snyder (Ohio State), 3-1 | 26 | 9 |
Ohio State returns to non-conference road action Friday, Dec. 15, facing the Princeton Tigers at the Carpenter Center in Newark, Delaware.
