RedStorm overcomes early deficit, tops Midway
Rio Grande Sports Information
RIO GRANDE, Ohio - The University of Rio Grande rallied from an early deficit by winning five of the day's final six matches for a 23-19 Senior Day triumph over Midway University, Friday afternoon, in a Mid-South Conference men's wrestling dual at the Newt Oliver Arena.
The RedStorm, who trailed 12-0 out of the gate after forfeiting the first two matches in the 10-match event, earned their first dual win of the season.
"Today was the definition of a team win. A lot of folks don't consider the team-aspect of wrestling because it's an individual sport by nature, but when comes to dual meets, it's all about the team. Our guys stepped-up today in a big way," said Rio Grande head coach Jason Schweer. "When you start by forfeiting two weight classes and find yourself in a 12-0 deficit, it takes every single guy to contribute to come out on top. We talked about it all week – if every single guy does their job and wrestles to their very best ability - we were going to come away with the win. And that's exactly what happened. Each guy, to a man, showed up, did their job, and the outcome took care of itself."
Freshman Conner Blessing (Point Pleasant, WV) started the road back and avenged an earlier loss this season with a 7-1 decision over Alex Velazquez at 141 pounds, scoring his final four points in the closing seconds.
Midway's Chris Sperin posted a 10-0 major decision over freshman Zack Lopez (Columbus, OH) at 149 pounds to extend the Eagles' match lead to 16-3, but the RedStorm reeled off consecutive wins by junior Westyn Moyer (Urbana, OH) at 157, senior Mitchell Freeman (Point Pleasant, WV) at 165, sophomore Pate Eastin (Granger, IN) at 174 and junior Justin Bartee (Point Pleasant, WV) at 184 to rally for a 19-16 advantage.
Moyer posted a 9-4 decision over Kaleb Clark and Eastin decisioned Michael Colligan, 7-3, while Freeman cruised to a 10-1 major decision over Abe Hafez and Bartee pinned Kasen Johnson at the 2:07 mark of their bout.
"The 157 match was the marquee matchup of the day. Both guys are former national qualifiers and last year, at conference, that was the match to qualify and we lost due to injury. I'm really happy for Westyn to get that back and to do so in dominating fashion," Schweer said. "Mitchell capped off a tremendous career at home in another dominant performance. Pate wrestled great and had a solid win and Bartee came out looking to put on a show and didn't disappoint. When he's on, he's a treat to watch. His ability to secure the fall was a huge swing in the dual which really propelled us towards the win."
Midway's David Emfinger posted a 4-0 decision over junior Ashton Simison (Enon, OH) at 197 pounds to even the dual at 19-all and set up a winner-take-all match at 285 pounds between Rio junior Bruce Wagers (Cincinnati, OH) and Midway's Aaron Garcia.
Wagers jumped to an early 5-0 lead thanks to a takedown and a near fall, but Garcia rallied to draw within 7-5 at the close of the opening period.
A second period escape by Wagers extended the lead to 8-5 and that's how things stayed until another near fall by Wagers in the waning seconds secured his win and the RedStorm's team victory.
"It was Big Bad Bruce Wagers doing Big Bad Bruce Wagers stuff. I'm tremendously proud of his composure throughout that match," said Schweer. "Bruce is a tremendous athlete and likes to go big and take risks and put on a show. When he found himself in a few tricky positions, he kept his cool and wrestled through it where - in times past - he'd panic and give up points. That was a complete match from start to finish and he finished with a bang - in classic Bruce Wagers fashion."
"I couldn't be more proud of this group for representing themselves, their families and our program today," Schweer continued. "It was a total team win. That was our first legitimate Mid-South Conference win as a team. We wouldn't have wanted it any other way."
Rio Grande returns to action Saturday morning in Fairmont, W.Va. at the Fairmont State Invitational.