When your backup at 165 gets his first pin of the season, you know it was a good day. After Cody Burcher pinned his man just 34 seconds into the first match after intermission, Purdue's chances of scoring more than a few points against the Buckeyes were practically nil.
With the rout well underway, Ohio State's heavyweights went to town, piling on the bonus points en route to the final tally of 35 to 7.
In addition to Burcher's pin, Myles Martin and Ke-Shawn Hayes recorded their 10th and 8th tech fall of the season, respectively. The duo entered the weekend ranked among the Top 10 in NCAA Division I by number of tech falls earned this season.
Kollin Moore earned his second tech of the weekend and his third of the season. In total, Ohio State picked up bonus points in six of eight victories on the day.
Buckeye Breakdown
Things went according to plan from top to bottom, more or less. Nathan Tomasello opened scoring with a major decision over a ranked opponent in Luke Welch, and was a takedown away from picking up the tech.
Brakan Mead filled in for a banged-up Luke Pletcher, but the move up to 133 wasn't a kind one, as Ben Thornton evened the team score with a major decision. From there on, it was all Ohio State, as the Buckeyes reeled off seven straight wins in front of a friendly crowd at St. Paris Graham High School, home of Bo and Micah Jordan, and their future Buckeye brother, Rocky.
#PinChain for one, please...
The highlight of the day for the local fans was almost certainly seeing their hometown boys wrestle in their home gym one more time, but perhaps the biggest story of the day was Cody Burcher picking up his first pin of the season.
Burcher is a redshirt junior from Gnadenhutten, Ohio, and entered the day with a season record of 6-0, including a win in the Indiana dual back in December. Stepping in for the embattled Te'Shan Campbell, Burcher made the most of his opportunity, and put his man on the mat just 34 seconds in the match.
While Tom Ryan has to be happy with Burcher's performance, the pin muddies the waters somewhat given the challenges Campbell has faced in his surprising four-loss skid. "Campbell is struggling to compete at high level," Ryan told Eleven Warriors ahead of the meet Sunday.
Even so, Campbell started the season with a record of 14-2, with a significant number of tech falls and a >60% bonus rate. His strong of losses to ranked opponents in January, capped by a disqualification Friday night at Michigan State, may mean Burcher has more chances to shine at 165.
One more time
Bo and Micah Jordan are native sons of St. Paris, Ohio, and born and raised in the St. Paris Graham wrestling dynasty led by their father, renowned coach Jeff Jordan. Ohio State opted to wrestle this dual in the Jordans' home gym as a tribute to what the brothers mean to this team, and also to solidify the Graham to Ohio State pipeline.
Welcome back Bo and Micah! Go Bucks! pic.twitter.com/JDvwWbHxEw
— Kirk Koennecke (@GLSSuperFalcon) January 28, 2018
Considering that Graham graduates include Ivan Yarygin gold medalist David Taylor - a Penn State alumnus - and current Iowa Hawkeye standout Alex Marinelli, Ryan is wise to steward his relationship with the Jordan clan and future recruits training under Jeff's watchful eye.
| Wt | Results | OSU | PUR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 125 | No. 4 Nathan Tomasello, major decision over No. 13 Luke Welch (18-5) | 4 | 0 |
| 133 | Ben Thornton, major decision over Brakan Mead (10-2) | 4 | 4 |
| 141 | No. 11 Joey McKenna, decision over Nate Limmex (6-0) | 7 | 4 |
| 149 | No. 7 Ke-Shawn Hayes, victory by tech fall over Austin Nash (24-6) | 12 | 4 |
| 157 | No. 5 Micah Jordan, major decision over Cole Wysocki (21-9) | 16 | 4 |
| 165 | Cody Burcher, victory by FALL over Jacob Morrissey (0:34) | 22 | 4 |
| 174 | No. 3 Bo Jordan, decision over No. 12 Dylan Lydy (9-4) | 25 | 4 |
| 184 | No. 2 Myles Martin, victory by tech fall over Jonathan Morales (20-4) | 30 | 4 |
| 197 | No. 1 Kollin Moore, victory by tech fall over Christian Brunner (18-3) | 35 | 4 |
| HWT | No. 10 Shawn Streck, decision over Kevin Snyder (5-2) | 35 | 7 |
With the win, Ohio State improves to 12-0 on the season and 7-0 in Big Ten action. The Buckeyes next travel to Happy Valley for the biggest dual meet of the year - perhaps of the decade - where they face No. 1 Penn State Sat., Feb. 3, at 8 p.m.
Stand up Buckeyes Fans. Its officially Penn State week #GoBucks #positiveinfinity https://t.co/BYmfzkgwMC
— Joseph McKenna (@Joey_McKenna) January 28, 2018
