Ohio State Wrestling dominates Michigan 23 15 to secure first doubles

Ohio State Wrestling dominates Michigan, 23-15, to secure first doubles win in Ann Arbor in over four years | E – Eleven warriors

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Ohio State hit the mats in Ann Arbor on Friday and exited the tournament with a dominant win over defending Big Ten champions Michigan.

The no. 5 Buckeyes won seven of their 10 matches to secure a 23-15 win over the No. 7 Wolverines at Crisler Center. With the double win – Ohio State’s first at Ann Arbor since the 2017-18 season – head coach Tom Ryan’s side are now 10-1 into the season with a 4-0 record in the Big Ten and have established themselves as one the conferences positioned best teams up to that point in the season.

Let’s break down how it happened.

The abstract

125 pounds

The duel started at 125 pounds between No. 10 Malik Heinselman and No. 20 Jack Medley of Michigan. Medley scored the first points of the game through a run to start the second. Heinselman responded with a takedown followed by another medley escape to level the score with a two as the wrestlers went into the third.

In the last two minutes, Heinselman secured a turnaround to put Medley 4-3 ahead. It would be a lead he wouldn’t give up as the fight wound down as the 125-pounder fended off multiple Medley attacks to earn a decision and three team points for the Buckeyes.

133 pounds

Jesse Mendez, Ohio State’s newest black jersey — the No. 9 wrestler at 133 — was next on the mat for the Buckeyes, facing Michigan’s No. 12 Dylan Ragusin. After five minutes of contention, the only points of the game came from an escape from Ragusin early in the second.

However, the third period (and some extra wrestling) brought fireworks for Ohio State. Mendez used an escape of his own to tie the fight early in the final frame of regulation. Enduring multiple standoffs in the closing moments, the wrestlers needed a sudden victory to determine a winner.

With that overtime, Mendez wasted no time and quickly defeated Ragusin with a powerful slam to secure a 3-1 win and three points for the Buckeyes.

141 pounds

Next, a couple of Ohio boys battled on the mat as #18 Dylan D’Emilio took on Michigan’s #23 Cole Mattin. And compared to the first two games, a lot more points were scored in this one.

After two thirds, D’Emilio was leading 5-4 with points from multiple takedowns and an escape. Mattin then started the third on the floor and escaped to tie the fight at four. In the third game, D’Emilio, who once told Eleven Warriors he “hates Michigan more than anything else,” used his hatred to force himself to victory, securing a takedown to seal a 7-5 decision and extend Ohio State’s lead to 9-0 after three games.

149 pounds

After D’Emilio’s win, Savage Time began in Ann Arbor when No. 3 Sammy Sasso faced Michigan’s Fidel Mayora in the 149-pound division. In what would eventually become a technical fall for Sasso, the Nazareth, Pennsylvania native set up a takedown clinic and outclassed Mayora in Ann Arbor.

With nine takedowns, a vanishing point and a drive time, Sasso defeated Mayora 20-5 to put five points on the board for the Buckeyes and extend Ohio State’s lead to 14-0 over Michigan, which wowed Wolverine fans who the Crisler Center filled for the dual.

157 pounds

Ohio State suffered its first loss of the night when Michigan’s Will Lewan, No. 10, defeated Paddy Gallagher, No. 23, by sudden victory – a decision head coach Tom Ryan challenged but was upheld by the umpires, to reward Lewan with a 6:4 win.

Despite the loss, Gallagher’s efforts for the Buckeyes were still encouraging as the sophomore wrestler faced one of the nation’s best at Lewan, amassing a takedown and two escapes against the Michigan All-American wrestler.

Ohio State went into the break with a 14-3 advantage over the Wolverines.

165 pounds

In the night’s surprise ending, No. 9 Carson Kharchla fell against No. 6 Cameron Amine after three rule periods and two sudden-win periods.

Kharchla and Amine went head-to-head in a battle of willpower, testing each other throughout the nine-plus minute match. The wrestlers were all level after three periods, and the same was true after the first sudden win.

In the extras’ second frame, Kharchla appeared to secure a takedown that would have given Ohio State the match. Still, the umpires decided not to give the Buckeye two points, leaving Ryan, J Jaggers and Logan Stieber in high spirits. Kharchla and Amine then returned to the center where Michigan wrestler caught Kharchla off guard to capture a pin and six points for the Wolverines.

174 pounds

The Buckeyes were not down for long after Khachla’s loss as No. 8 Ethan Smith opened up business in a 10-6 win over Michigan’s Max Maylor to extend Ohio State’s lead to 17-9.

Smith maintained his win with an aggressive mix of attacks, including takedowns and escapes. That aggression was fully evident in the closing moments of the third third. Smith had an 8-5 advantage with 1:22 in the final frame and shifted gears when he racked up a fourth takedown to secure his ninth and 10th points and make a decision.

184 pounds

Ohio State’s momentum continued to build as No. 5 Kaleb Romero carried the torch from Smith and claimed a 7-4 decision over No. 8 Matt Finesilver to extend the Buckeyes’ lead to 20-9 over the Wolverines.

In a back-and-forth battle, Romero and Finesilver traded takedowns and escapes deep into the third period. However, Romero took control of the game in the closing moments. As the match wound down and the buzzer was about to sound, Romero executed a pull and chase to perfection and took the three-point decision over Finesilver, extending Ohio State’s lead to 11 , with two matches left in the duel.

197 pounds

Gavin Hoffman, the No. 21 wrestler at 197 pounds, had three straight match wins for the Buckeyes by defeating Michigan’s Rylan Rogers 5-3 – a win that officially secured Ohio State’s team victory in Ann Abor.

Hoffman showed tremendous determination in his fight with Rogers, suffering numerous shots from the Michigan wrestler. He also had several shots of his own as the Montoursville, Pa. native had two takedowns and got away in a two-point win over his opponent.

heavyweight

With Ohio State’s double secured, Ryan decided to send Hogan Swenski down the mat to face No. 1 Mason Parris as a replacement for No. 16 Tate Orndorff. Parris showed dominance against Swenski and made quick work of the Buckeye, pinning him in doubles with just over a minute left. The win for the Michigan wrestler added six points to Wolverines’ overall score and brought the match to his final score of 23-15.

Next

Ohio State will return to the mats for a face-off against Michigan State at the Covelli Center on Sunday. The match starts at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast live on BTN+.