Bulldogs Slide by Wrestling, 24-10
EUGENE, Ore. ? The Oregon wrestling team fell to Fresno State, 24-10 at McArthur Court in front of 551 fans. Fresno State took the early lead and kept it to secure the victory. Fresno State improves to 4-6 while the Ducks drop to 1-8 overall, 0-3 in Pac-10.
"Fresno State was a tough match up for us," head coach Chuck Kearney said. "They have nationally ranked guys at 149, 197 and heavyweight. For (Mike) Roggenkemp and (Elliott) Tracy, it is tough to be called in and be successful. They competed hard, but were out matched."
The meet started at 125 with Sal Gonzalez of Fresno State taking the early lead in the first period, 4-1. Boyles had good position on Gonzalez in the second, but couldn’t hang on. Gonzalez took the match, 9-1 to put the Bulldogs in the lead, 4-0 over the Ducks.
Jason Harless at 133 started strong against Joe Stewart getting him in a pinned position, but Stewart wasn’t giving up that easily. Harless dominated the match early and captured the victory, 14-4, to tie the score 4-4. "Harless wrestled real well. He will continue to keep going strong and he will have a real good chance to be a Pac-10 champion and a national contender. We were real pleased with the way he competed," Kearney said.
At 141, Mike Roggenkemp who is filling in for Skyler Woods, kept the match close the whole way through. Ben Martinez got a takedown late in the third to secure the win over Roggenkemp, 5-1. Freshman Elliott Tracy was put to the test early on when he took on No. 10-ranked senior Casey Olson. Olson took comand early having a few close pins, but Tracy wouldn’t give up. The match went three periods with Olson on top in a major decision win, 17-6.
No. 19 Joey Bracamonte who has been out of competition the last few weeks, came out strong with a 7-1 lead over Shane Seibert at 157. Seibert fought back and fought hard, closing the gap to 7-6 in favor of Bracamonte in the second. Seibert was able to take the lead 9-7 and Bracamonte cut it with an escape to 9-8. With 0:35 seconds left in the third, Seibert upset Bracamonte with a 10-8 win.
Junior Luke Larwin had the most exciting match of the night against Sean Sheets at 165. Larwin took the lead with 0:09 seconds left in the second period with an escape. Sheet then escaped at 0:44 to tie the match at one apiece. In overtime, Larwin was able to defeat Sheet with a takedown with 0:03 seconds left, 3-1. "Larwin is making improvements and controlling the tempo. He is doing a great job shutting down his opponents and getting off key shots offensively," Kearney said.
Sophomore Chet McBee took an early lead in the first, but Anthony Rubalcava came from behind to take the lead 4-2 in the second. McBee got an escape and then a reversal to go ahead 5-4. Rubalcava escaped with 1:29 left in the match. McBee won with a riding time of two minutes in a decision match ending in favor of McBee, 6-5. "McBee is progressing, he is still young and gaining confidence as the year goes on. As he gains more confidence, he will take more risks and it will be huge down the stretch," Kearney said.
Fresno State’s Jatinder Singh took control early over Dustin Fisher at 184 with a 6-3 lead after the first period. Fisher wasn’t able to come up with enough points as Singh took the victory, 13-5. At 197, senior Jake Leair went head-to-head with No. 14-ranked Marcio Botelho . Botelho had the lead after two periods. Leair came close with an escape to cut the lead to 3-2, but Botelho pulled away to capture the win, 8-4. No. 11 Clint Walbeck and Cody Parker wrestled at heavyweight. Walbeck had control of the match the whole way through. Parker fought hard, but was unable to get a takedown. Walbeck won in a decision match, 8-1. With the win, Fresno State secures the victory over the Ducks, 24-10.
"We will practice tomorrow and go over the mistakes we made tonight as well as the positives and we will show up Sunday ready to wrestle," Kearney said.
The Ducks will be back at home Sunday for a Pac-10 match up against No. 21 Cal State Bakersfield starting at 5 p.m. at McArthur Court.
Fresno State 24, Oregon 10
125 - Sal Gonzalez (FSU) major dec over Jacob Boyles (UO), 9-1
133 - Jason Harless (UO) major dec over Joe Stewart (FSU), 14-4
141 - Ben Martinez (FSU) dec over Mike Roggenkemp (UO), 5-1
149 - No. 10 Casey Olson (FSU) major dec over Elliott Tracy (UO), 17-6
157 - Shane Seibert (FSU) dec over No. 19 Joey Bracamonte (UO), 10-8
165 - Luke Larwin (UO) dec over Sean Sheets (FSU), 2-1 OT
174 - Chet McBee (UO) dec over Anthony Rubalcava (FSU), 6-5
184 - Jatinder Singh (FSU) major dec over Dustin Fisher (UO), 13-5
197 - No. 14 Marcio Botelho (FSU) dec over Jake Leair (UO), 8-4
Hwt. - No. 11 Clint Walbeck (FSU) dec over Cody Parker (UO), 8-1
***Rankings are from Intermat Wrestling
