On Senior and Military Appreciation Night, Ohio (4-7, 1-6 Mid-American Conference) had a chance at breaking a losing streak against conference rival, the Buffalo Bulls (4-11, 3-5 MAC).
That plan was foiled by the visiting squad from up north, and this dual meet also marks the sixth consecutive time the Bobcats have failed to score 20 team points or more. There were spurts of excellence from Ohio’s wrestlers, but there wasn’t enough firepower to get over the hump.
Despite the loss, Ohio’s head coach Joel Greenlee understood the impact of playing in The Convo in front of dozens of fans.
“It was Senior Night,” Greenlee said. “We had seven guys come out for this evening, and I think it was special for them and their families.”
Not all of the senior Bobcats were able to earn a win on the mat; however, they all wrestled as hard as they could. Brayden Teunissen, despite being a freshman, was one to assert his dominance early in the contest.
Teunissen went to battle with Buffalo’s freshman Zachary Belverio, and it was the former to take away a hard-fought 6-2 decision win. Following Teunissen in the 133 lb. weight class was junior Ryan Meek, and he had a difficult time trying to score against junior Max Elton.
Elton wasted no time getting points on the board for the Bulls. He recorded an early takedown in the first period, an escape point in the second and third period for a 5-2 decision victory.
Sophomore Prestyn Parks got a varsity start for Ohio in the 141 lb. weight class, and he showed promise toward the beginning of his matchup against freshman Tyler Roark. Parks recorded a takedown, but Roark was able to record a pin with 1:19 left remaining in the first.
Teamwise, Ohio only tallied 3 points to Buffalo’s 9, and the latter kept getting warmer every match. Redshirt junior Paul Woo was the first Bobcat senior to perform on the evening, and he had a rather thrilling duel with redshirt sophomore Sam Ewing.
Woo and Ewing went back and forth recording takedowns and escape points, but Ewing eventually pulled away with an 8-6 decision win.
Redshirt junior Derek Raike lit up the crowd with a superb 7-3 decision over redshirt senior Kaleb Burgess in the 157 lb. weight class. There was a moment in the second period where Burgess could’ve taken the win, but Raike managed time expertly and knew when to attack.
Redshirt junior Jack Lledo did not have the same success as his teammate before him when going toe-to-toe with the Bulls’ redshirt junior Kelin Laffey. Laffey had Lledo in a trap the entire match and then won with ease in a 9-3 decision.
One of Ohio’s very best, Garrett Thompson, had the worst performance of the evening, as the ranked redshirt senior fell to redshirt sophomore Rafael Knapp by a 4-2 decision. For the record, Knapp is an unranked wrestler.
“I will say he didn’t wrestle his best tonight,” Greenlee said. “He looked a little slow, but I think it might have been a great eye-opener.”
Despite that upset in favor of Buffalo, Thompson’s teammate, redshirt senior Sal Perrine, was the standout of the dual meet. He won by recording a 19-4 technical fall and lifted his team’s deficit from being down 12 to only down nine.
“He (Perrine) goes out there like an animal every time,” Greenlee said. “He was all over the guy tonight, and that’s the way he wrestles.”
In the 197 lb. weight class, redshirt senior Zayne Lehman got the Bobcats even closer to overcoming the Bulls with a technical fall of his own against redshirt sophomore Connor Jacobs.
With Buffalo only leading by two points, it came down to the final match to see who would ultimately win. Sophomore Wyatt Schmitt was overwhelmed by his opponent and lost in a 9-0 major decision for the opposing team.
Ohio is traveling to Buffalo to compete in the MAC Tournament beginning March 6 and ending March 7.
