Coach Joel Greenlee does not mind seeing his wrestlers act a bit self-centered.
In fact, he encourages it. When they're on the mat, that is.
Get a little bit greedy
he said. You want to beat the dog out of everybody. Don't let one slip away. That's what happens sometimes when you're not a little bit greedy.
The Bobcats could have been more selfish in their last match, a 27-18 loss to American.
Greenlee and the wrestlers said Ohio (9-3, 1-0 Mid-American Conference) came out flat and could not keep up with the energy the Eagles displayed.
Everybody just got a little complacent for a week Greenlee said.
The loss dropped Ohio's record to 3-3 since the Southern Scuffle Dec. 30. In that span Ohio has faced two nationally ranked opponents, Edinboro and Kent State.
The team has also dealt with starters not competing in some matches with injuries.
Redshirt senior Jacob Ison, who was ranked 25th in the nation at 174 pounds by a recent NCAA coaches' poll, sat out the entire six-match stretch.
Redshirt sophomore Nick Purdue, ranked 19th at 184 pounds, and senior Seth Morton, ranked 29th at 149 pounds, did not wrestle against American.
All three are expected to compete tomorrow when the Bobcats face Buffalo in their second MAC match of the season.
The Bobcats will look to get the bad taste of last week's lost of our their mouths against the Bulls (7-4-1, 0-0 MAC).
The team thought the match against American was winnable, and accordingly, team leaders pushed teammates extra hard in practice all week.
It's not that big a deal that you lost said Greenlee. It's how you react to it. Do you go forward ... or do you pout about it and let it happen again? I don't think this team's going to let that happen again.
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Sports
Nathaniel Maund
