Ohio’s second Mid-American Conference matchup was likely going to be its most difficult of the season. No. 21 Missouri hadn’t lost to a conference opponent since 2017, and three Tigers were ranked in their respective weight classes.
While the Bobcats (2-5, 0-2 MAC) kept it close in the first half of the dual, the Tigers (6-4, 3-0 MAC) dominated the second half to come away with a •22-12 victory on Friday at the Hearnes Center.
Ohio had a mixed first half, which started with the 165-pound weight class. The most impressive performance for the Bobcats came from •Logan Stanley of the 174-pound weight class. Stanley was down to Jeremiah Kent 2-0 going into the second period, but gave the Bobcats a 6-3 lead with a pin.
The only other Bobcat to win before intermission was •Jordan Earnest in the heavy weight class, who defeated •Jake Bohlken 4-3 to decrease Missouri’s lead by one-point heading into the break. A 10-9 lead wasn’t completely ideal for Ohio, but it wasn’t a bad place to be in against one of the best teams in the nation.
The second half of the dual didn’t have ideal results for Ohio. •Zac Carson was the only Bobcat to win after the intermission, and while the upset over No. 12 •Jarrett Jacques will look impressive for Carson come time for MAC seeding, the match was meaningless at that point as Missouri had already clinched a victory.
All three of Missouri’s ranked wrestlers participated in the second half, and Ohio was only able to go 1-2 against them. No. 18 •Shakur Laney (141) and No. 20 •Alec Hagan (149) were able to keep it close against their ranked opponents, but both wrestlers ended up losing and failed to start a comeback for Ohio.
The dual had plenty of highlights for the Bobcats, but the close losses were what ended up keeping them down in the end.
Ohio will continue its four-dual road stretch when it visits MAC opponent Kent State on Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
