Like an apex predator, the best wrestlers know exactly when and where to attack their opponents. That was certainly true in the case of the Ohio Bobcats in their 44-2 dominant victory over the visiting Morgan State Bears.
Each matchup in all of the weight classes saw every Ohio wrestler perform with poise and concentration. Not a single wrestler from Morgan State was even capable of individually defeating their adversary.
“I tell our guys that I want to be the toughest team in the gym,” Ohio head coach Joel Greenlee said. “To do that, you have to be laser focused on what you’re doing in pursuit of a takedown or in pursuit of getting more points.”
Adding more points to the scoreboard was by no means difficult for the Bobcats. Last year, Ohio only scored over 40 points once, and that happened near the middle of the regular season against Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg. The Bobcats scored 44 points in their first match at home in the Convocation Center, and almost all of Ohio’s guys took advantage early.
“I want to go out and score a takedown right away, and score it early, and then make the guy have to come after you,” Greenlee said. “If the guy doesn’t have to wrestle you, it can be a hard match.”
Luckily for Greenlee, the Bobcats were the ones to be feared in this match. It all started in the 125 weight class with freshman Brayden Teunissen going up against the Bears’ junior Jimmie Jones. Jones simply had zero chance against Teunissen in this competition, and after three periods, it was 7-1 in favor of Ohio.
In the 133 weight class, freshman Konner Lambers took on junior Julian Dawson. This matchup started more even compared to the previous, but soon Lambers was able to take control and eventually come out on top 17-1 against Dawson.
Freshman Abe Hermes continued Ohio’s success in scoring when it came time for the 141 weight class dual. Hermes expertly understood when to attack his opponent. He would end up winning by technical fall 18-4.
In the 149 weight class dual, this was the first and only time Ohio was tested by Morgan State. Representing the Bobcats was freshman Carson Weber, and his opponent was sophomore Eugene Harney for the Bears.
There were no real advantages given between Weber and Harney. It was a case of a completely even matchup. Harney would come out as the victor 1-0 by a major decision. At this point in the contest, the overall team score was 14-3 in favor of the Bobcats.
Later on, in the 157 weight class dual, Ohio quickly gained momentum with a stellar performance from redshirt junior Derek Raike.
As the contest moved up in weight class duals, there was a lot more locking of the arms between both wrestlers for Ohio and Morgan State. In the 165 weight class, redshirt sophomore Max Ray scored early versus his opponent. After a lot of spinning on the mat, Ray eventually came out on top with a takedown. He took the victory 5-1, making the score 21-3 for the Bobcats in total.
Redshirt sophomore Jeremy Olszko added more insult to injury to the Bears. One minute and nineteen seconds into the second period, Olszko got the win by injury default. His opponent slammed his ear guard on the ground in frustration after the loss, resulting in one point being subtracted from Morgan State for unsportsmanlike conduct.
In the 184 and 197 weight class duals, redshirt seniors Sal Perrine and Zayne Lehman destroyed each of their matchups. Perrine won by takedown, and the overall score was 32-2 for Ohio. Lehman won by pinning his opponent with one second remaining in the first period.
The Bobcats then won the 285 weight class dual by forfeit. Up next, Ohio is back in action on Nov. 15 at home with a dual match versus the Wisconsin Badgers.
