Wrestling
Grizzlies Clip Tiger Grapplers In RMAC Tilt
Jan. 18, 2007
The Fort Hays State wrestling team hosted Adams State College in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Dual on Thursday night in Hays. The match lived up to its billing as the #6 ranked Grizzlies battled the #7 Tigers tough. The dual came down to the last match of the night and the Grizzlies prevailed with a 21-18 win.
The matches began at 141 pounds for the evening and the Grizzlies were open at 133 pounds, which meant the Tigers were going to gain six points at the end of the match.
In the 141-pound match, the Grizzlies got out to a hot start with #8 ranked Joey Deaguero scoring a fall at 4:15 over James Annon, who wrestled up a weight from his normal class of 133. The pin gave Adams State a quick 6-0 lead to begin the match. Annon dropped to 11-5 overall this season.
The Tigers would cut the lead in half at 149 pounds as #1 ranked Mikel Delk defeated Noomis Jones by an 8-1 decision. The win improved Delk's record to 9-2.
The Tigers' Danny Grater, who defeated last year's national champion at the NWCA Division II Duals this past weekend, got a shot at another highly ranked wrestler in #3 Mike Gallegos of Adams State at 157 pounds. Grater battled Gallegos tough throughout the match, but Gallegos scored a takedown late in the third period, breaking a 1-1 tie. Gallegos picked up an extra point off riding time, making the final 4-1. The loss took Grater's record to 19-7 this season.
At 165 pounds, Phil Hart continued his recent struggles as he fell to Evan Copeland of Adams State by an 11-4 decision. With the two consecutive wins after the Delk win for FHSU, Adams built there lead to 12-3. Hart's record fell to 4-6 for the season.
The most exciting match came at 174 pounds with FHSU's Blake Malloy going up against James Reynolds of ASC. Malloy and Reynolds had a tough time scoring on each other throughout the match, so the two went to overtime tied 1-1. Malloy scored a 4-3 sudden victory in the second overtime, after each picked up two points in the first overtime session. That made the score 12-6 in favor of Adams State heading into the brief intermission. Malloy is now 11-8 overall this season.
The 184-pound match matched two ranked wrestlers, with #8 Mike Howell of FHSU going up against #5 Jared Deaguero of Adams State. Deaguero and Howell also had a nailbiter for a match, as they were tied 4-4 with less than 30 seconds remaining in the third period. Howell tried to make a quick move to score, but Deaguero took advantage of the move and scored two takedown points of his own to give him a 6-4 edge in the match. The loss put Howell at 6-5 this season. The win gave ASC a 15-6 advantage.
At 197 pounds, Adams State's Casey Woodall, the #1 ranked wrestler in Division II, had his hands full with FHSU's Tyler Gonzales. Gonzales gave Woodall a scare as the match was tight in the third period, but Woodall would prevail 5-3. Gonzales moved to 13-6 overall with the loss. Adams State moved ahead 18-6 with the decision.
FHSU's Andrew Ubben, ranked #4 in the nation, would pull FHSU back into the dual quickly with a fall over Jeff Schossow at 1:53. Ubben's pin at the heavyweight class brought the Tigers back within six points of Adams State in the dual. The win put Ubben at 16-4 and gave the Tigers in a position to win the dual if they could pick up a win in the 125 pound match. With the 133-pound class being open for Adams State, the score theoretically was tied at 18-18 heading into the final match, even though the scoreboard said 18-12 in favor of Adams State.
Kory Lira, ranked #8 in NCAA II, gave the fans plenty of excitement in the deciding match against Arsenia Barksdale at 125 pounds. Lira and Barksdale each scored one escape point, and the two were deadlocked at 1-1 in the third period. Lira tried to make something happen with about 40 seconds to go, being the aggressor trying to get a takedown on Barksdale. Barksdale took advantage of Lira's body position and picked up two points of his own with a takedown. Barksdale was able to score three back points right at the end of the match, giving him three more points. Lira picked up a point from Barksdale for unnecessary roughness at the end of the match, making the final score 6-2 in favor of Barksdale. The win for Barksdale gave Adams State a 21-18 win in the dual.
The Grizzlies stay perfect on the season in duals with the win. They are now 3-0 overall and 3-0 in the RMAC. The Tigers are now 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the RMAC. They are currently riding a three-dual losing streak. FHSU will wrestle #20 ranked Chadron State at home next Thursday in Hays. It will be another RMAC showdown for the Tigers.
