The Ohio wrestling team heads into its final regular season meet today with just about everything going against it.
The Bobcats (8-5 overall, 2-2 Mid-American Conference) are facing No. 14 Central Michigan, their highest ranked opponent this season in a dual meet, a team they have not beaten in the last five attempts, and a team that has won just that number of MAC Championships in a row.
And undefeated Jake Percival (157-pound weight class) is not even traveling with the team.
We can't always rely on him
said Mike Allen (149), who will be replacing Percival for this meet. We just have to go out there and wrestle hard. We have to step it up as a team.
Out with an illness, Percival also missed the Buffalo dual meet when he traveled to Northern Iowa for the All-Star Classic. But the team managed to pull that victory out, a feat that will be much more difficult this weekend.
And not everyone is overconfident about his chances heading into this meet.
Honestly it's not good for the positive attitudes of the team said wrestler Ed Willis (174). But you have to make-do with what you have.
Willis, who will be wrestling for the first time in nearly a month due to a rib injury, was quick to say that the team had no chance of earning a regular season conference championship. But they can avoid being the Chippewas' clinching win.
Despite the losses, though, coach Joel Greenlee said he had high expectations for the team.
I think you go into every meet hoping to win and expecting to win
he said. You got to go out there and wrestle tough for seven minutes. If we don't go out there and do well
yeah
we're going to be disappointed.
Also not wrestling for the Bobcats this weekend are Tony DeAnna (164) and Nick Terbay (184), who are out with a neck injury and an illness respectively. Both wrestlers had also just won back the starting position before going 0-2 this past weekend.
Wrestling in their places will be Vinny DiGiovanni (165) and Travis Smith (184), who has not wrestled in the previous two weeks but said he will be ready today.
I've been wrestling every day in practice
so this is just like a two-week break for me
Smith said. I don't think I feel any pressure
but I definitely feel like I have something to prove.
The Bobcats will face Central Michigan (10-4, 3-0 MAC) tonight at 7:30 in Mount Pleasant, Mich. This meet will wrap up the regular season for Ohio before the Bobcats host the MAC Championships in two weeks. _
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