2/9/1999 12:00:00 AM | General, Wrestling
February 9, 1999
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State Buckeyes (10-7-1, 1-3-1 Big Ten) will try to eclipse their win total of a year ago this Sunday as they take on the Wisconsin Badgers in their last home meet of the year Sunday at 1 p.m. OSU went 1-1 last weekend, picking up their first conference win of the season when they defeated No. 23 Indiana, 28-9. The Buckeyes were beaten by No. 2 Minnesota in their other meet last weekend, 32-6.
%^$BIG WIN OVER INDIANA
%^$Coming into last Friday’s meet with No. 23 Indiana, the Ohio State Buckeyes had high hopes of pulling off an upset and nailing down their first Big Ten win of the year. What actually transpired, however, had to be beyond even head coach Russ Hellickson’s wildest dreams. Not only did the Buckeyes beat the Hoosiers, they beat them badly, 28-9. It marked the second consecutive year OSU has beaten Indiana for their first Big Ten win.
%^$After IU took an early 3-0 lead with a win at 157, the Buckeyes’ hottest wrestler – Peter Rogers – picked up a 4-0 win to tie the score at 3-3. With 45 seconds left in the contest, Rogers injured his left shoulder and had to wrestle the rest of the match with one arm and a lot of guts. He completed the task of finishing the match with a win, which gave the Buckeyes momentum they never relinquished.
%^$Because Ohio State was without the services of regular 197-pounder Brad Todd, who was out with an illness, some wrestlers had to move up one weight class. That meant that freshman reserve Joel Walker would have a chance to wrestle at 174. The Columbus native pounced all over the opportunity, pinning former All-American and current-No. 16 Mike Powell at the 1:48 mark. Suddenly, the score was 9-3, Buckeyes.%^$ %^$Indiana closed the gap to 9-6 with a win at 184, but another freshman, Nick Preston, came up big at 197 with a 9-6 win over Indiana’s Brett Becks. OSU’s lead was increased to 12-6.
%^$That six point spread was short-lived, though, as the Hoosiers won the heavyweight class to again close the margin to three points. But that was the last win Indiana would get on this day, as the Buckeyes would not be denied their first Big Ten win of the year. Matt Fratta (125) and Robert Sessley (133) picked up a win by decision and by major decision, respectively, to push Ohio State’s lead to 18-9. With two matches remaining, Indiana needed nothing short of a miracle to get back into the meet. But unlike against Purdue, the Buckeyes weren’t about to let the Hoosiers up off the mat. At 141, it was time for yet another freshman to shine. This time it was Josh Coe, who was wrestling in his second match of the season and his first dual match as a Buckeye. After falling behind No. 11 James Torres 4-1, Coe turned him onto his back and pinned him at the 2:55 mark.
%^$With the lead now 25-9, that left it up to Jeff Bucher to polish off the win, which is exactly what he did, beating Gabe Cook, 5-2, to give OSU the upset victory 28-9.
%^$BIG WIN, PART TWO
%^$The win over No. 23 Indiana was Ohio State’s first over a ranked team since January 31, 1998. On that day, the Buckeyes defeated Edinboro, 19-18.
%^$In head coach Russ Hellickson’s 13 years in Columbus, his Ohio State teams have never failed to go a year without beating at least one ranked team.
%^$HIGHLIGHTS VS. MINNESOTA
%^$Ohio State was able to hang in with one of the best teams in the nation – No. 2 Minnesota – for most of the meet before succuming, 32-6.
%^$The Buckeyes got the meet off on the right foot when Robert Sessley defeated Minnesota’s Bart Golyer, 6-2, to give OSU an early 3-0 lead. The Gophers took the next four matches before Bo James came through at 174. He defeated Minnesota’s Delaney Berger, 6-2, to narrow the score to 15-6.
%^$But that would be it for Ohio State on this day. Minnesota won the remaining four matches to walk away with the victory.
%^$SCOUTING WISCONSIN
%^$The Wisconsin Badgers come into Columbus with a 3-10-1 (0-5 Big Ten) record. They have finished in the top 20 in each of Barry Davis’s previous four seasons in Madison. UW finished 19th at the NCAA Championships and fifth at the Big Ten Tournament last year.
%^$The Badgers return five NCAA qualifiers from a team that placed seven in the tournament a year ago. Most notable among those returnees is sophomore Don Pritzlaff. As a freshman, Pritzlaff was named All-American after finishing sixth at the NCAA’s and fourth at the Big Ten. He comes into Sunday afternoon’s meet with a 17-1 (5-0 Big Ten) record wrestling at 165 pounds. Pritzlaff is the currently the highest ranked Badger, coming in at No. 3 in Amateur Wrestling News’s poll and No. 4 in InterMat’s rankings. He is the Big Ten’s No. 1 ranked wrestler at 165 pounds.%^$ %^$Junior Kole Clauson also returns to provide solidity at the 174 slot. A 1996 NCAA qualifier, Clauson currently is ranked No. 9 by Amateur Wrestling News. He has a 12-4 (3-2 Big Ten) record on the year.
%^$The Badgers also have a solid wrestler at 197 in Ryan LaGrange. A redshirt freshman, LaGrange has a 9-10 (1-4 Big Ten) record and is ranked No. 15 by InterMat and No. 17 by Amateur Wrestling News.
%^$Wisconsin has fallen victim to the brutal Big Ten schedule, having lost five in a row to conference opponents. Their last three opponents – Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois – were all ranked in the top ten in the nation at the time of the meet.
%^$Wisconsin is under the command of Barry Davis. He has a 43-45-4 record and is in his sixth year in Madison.
%^$WISCONSIN VS. OHIO STATE – THE SERIES
%^$The Badgers lead the all-time series 23-14-1. These two teams last met up on February 15, 1998, a match that was won by Wisconsin, 23-13.
%^$FAMILIAR OPPONENT
%^$Whenever Ohio State matches up with Wisconsin in wrestling, it carries a special meaning for OSU head coach Russ Hellickson. A native of Stoughton, Wis., and a 1970 graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Hellickson spent 12 years as an assistant and four years as a head coach in Madison, where he put together three-straight 20-plus win seasons before taking over at Ohio State.
%^$”It’s special only because of the memories I have of going to school there and the fact that I started my coaching career there,” Hellickson said. “I don’t feel like I have any immediate ties to their program, however.”
%^$HELLICKSON VS. WISCONSIN
%^$Since Hellickson took over the Buckeye wrestling program in 1986, his teams have gone up against the Badgers nine times. He has compiled a 5-4 record against Wisconsin in those nine meetings.
%^$SESS PRESSES ON
%^$Sophomore Robert Sessley had yet another outstanding weekend for Ohio State. He went 2-0 against Indiana and Minnesota, making him the only Buckeye to accomplish that feat.
%^$In his first match of the weekend against Indiana’s Alan Kan, Sessley took control of the match in the second period by scoring a takedown and three near-fall points. After the final buzzer sounded, Sessley had himself a 15-2 major decision victory.
%^$Against Minnesota, Sessley got the Buckeyes on the board immediately with his win over Bart Golyer. It marked the first time this year Sessley has led off a dual meet.
%^$The Columbus native currently leads Ohio State in matches (37), wins (27), and takedowns (81).
%^$HELP FROM THE ROOKIES
%^$The Indiana meet turned out to be a showcase for the young talent on the Buckeye squad. In all, three freshman were in the starting lineup against the Hoosiers, and all three came away with impressive victories.
%^$Joel Walker at 174 was the first rookie on the mat for OSU. His task looked to be a difficult one, as his opponent was 1997 All-American and current No. 16 Mike Powell. The two battled closely for the opening part of the first period, but Walker seized his opportunity and turned Powell onto his back. At the 1:48 mark, the Columbus native pinned the nationally ranked Powell for his 13th win of the season.
%^$Nick Preston continued his recent success against the Hoosiers. Also a Columbus native, Preston moved up to 197 pounds and matched up with Brett Becks. Things were tightly contested until Preston scored two takedowns in the final 30 seconds of the match to wind up with a 9-6 victory.
%^$Probably the most surprising performance from the freshmen came from Josh Coe. Wrestling in only his second match of the season and his first dual match as a Buckeye, Coe went up against No. 11 James Torres at 141. Things didn’t look good for Coe early, as Torres jumped ahead by scoring three near-fall points. But Torres gave Coe a slight opening, and the Buckeye freshman jumped all over it. Coe managed to go from a completely defensive position to a completely offensive one, turning Torres onto his back. At the 2:55 mark, the referee slapped the mat, signifying the pin for Coe.
%^$OUT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD
%^$All of the news coming out of the Buckeyes’ win against No. 23 Indiana was not good, unfortunately. Peter Rogers, who won his match against IU, 4-0, injured his left shoulder with 45 seconds remaining in the third period. Despite being in pain, Rogers continued to wrestle, managing to finish out the match by keeping his left side away from his opponent for the match’s final seconds.
%^$Rogers is currently rehabilitating the shoulder – which is being termed a separation – and is hopeful of returning before the end of the regular season. He is currently the Buckeyes hottest wrestler, having won 11 matches in a row. Rogers is ranked No. 17 in the Amateur Wrestling News poll and No. 18 in the InterMat poll. He is also ranked third in the 165-pound weight class in the Big Ten.
%^$ANDERSON UPDATE
%^$Ohio State will continue to be without the services of freshman sensation Keaton Anderson for at least the next week. He is currently rehabilitating his injured knees that have kept him out of action for the better part of the dual meet season. Anderson originally injured his left knee back in December and has been plagued by problems in both knees since the beginning of January.
%^$GRUELING SCHEDULE
%^$Although they are taking a one meet break from wrestling against ranked teams, the Buckeyes jump right back into the frying pan next weekend against No. 20 Michigan State and No. 9 Michigan. Sunday’s meet against Wisconsin is the first time since January 16 against Cleveland State that OSU has not wrestled against an opponent ranked No. 23 or higher.
%^$DOMINATING THE UNRANKED
%^$Ohio State has taken advantage of their unranked opponents this year. They have a 9-1 record when wrestling against teams that are not ranked in the top 25. Their lone loss came to Pittsburgh-Johnstown, which is currently ranked No. 1 in Division II.
%^$HELLICKSON DOMINATION
%^$Ohio State’s win over No. 23 Indiana was their 10th of the year. In Russ Hellickson’s 13 years as coach of the Buckeyes, he has never failed to guide his team to double-digits in wins.
%^$ONE-TWO PUNCH AT THE TOP
%^$Matt Fratta and Robert Sessley have combined to make the 125 and 133 pound weight classes the most powerful combination in the Buckeye lineup. Put together, those two slots have a 25-11 lineup as well as 86 team points.
%^$AND THEN THERE WERE TWO
%^$With Peter Rogers sitting out the Minnesota meet, that means now that only two wrestlers – Robert Sessley (133) and Eric Wood (HWT) – have wrestled in every dual meet this season.
%^$IF IT’S FREE, IT’S ME
%^$For the first time this year, admission will be free for Sunday’s meet against Wisconsin. It marks the final home appearance for senior starters Eric Wood, Matt Fratta and Jeff Bucher.
