Illinois completes Junior Duals sweep after downing Iowa in freestyle finals
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by Roger Moore
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Max Nowry's performance this week pretty much sums up Illinois' second-straight sweep of Greco-Roman and freestyle at the 2008 Junior Duals on the campus of Oklahoma City University.
Nowry, a 105-pounder, went a combined 15-0 in Greco and freestyle this week, giving up only two points in six Greco wins and losing only one period in nine freestyle wins.
Nowry, Jon Morrison, Tony Ramos and Conrad Polz all finished unbeaten in freestyle as Illinois beat Iowa, 39-23, in the championship match Friday afternoon. It was Illinois' third consecutive championship in freestyle.
"I'm not surprised at the way I wrestled or the team. We go through tough workouts to get ready for this tournament," said Nowry, a Junior Greco and freestyle champion in 2007. "We had a strong lineup all the way up and down. I really thought we could win both again.
"We'll take a day or two off and then start getting ready for Fargo."
Illinois jumped out to a 20-5 lead against Iowa, a common theme during a 9-0 week.
"I don't think other states put as much into (the Duals)," said Morrison, a national champion last summer. "They just show up at the airport and come here to maybe get some extra matches before Fargo. We have a training camp at Overtime to get ready for this and we really look forward to coming here and winning.
"We come here as a team and I think that makes a big difference."
In the finale, Jake Shramm started things with a technical fall at 98 pounds. Nowry and Jon Cooper picked up pins to give Illinois a 14-0 lead. Morrison followed with a tough decision of Joe Colon at 119 and it was 17-1.
Tony Ramos battled back from a first-period hole to beat Andrew Long in three periods at 125.
Iowa's first win didn't come until 130 where national champion Nate Moore beat Chris Dardanes, 1-0, 1-0.
Matt McDonough and Derek St. John kept Iowa hanging around with victories, cutting the deficit to 24-12 through 145 pounds.
But Brian Reynolds' tough win over Trent Weatherman at 152, followed by Polz's pin of Marcus Edgington at 160 sealed Iowa's fate.
Iowa's Grant Gambrall beat Chris Spangler, giving Spangler his only loss of the week, and Josh Ihnen and Byron Tate each had wins, but it was too little, too late.
"There are so many matches, you have to have some depth in there," said Illinois coach John Kading. "This is a tough tournament, and we knew Iowa and Oklahoma were going to be especially tough. We were able to move some guys around here and there.
"I'm just really proud of the guys. They wrestled tough all week."
Iowa moved to the finals with wins against Missouri, New Jersey and Kansas on Friday.
Illinois won six of the final seven bouts in a 39-24 win over Pennsylvania earlier on Friday. Jordan Oliver's pin of Ellis Coleman at 140 gave Pennsylvania a 19-16 advantage, but Bob Barnhisel's technical fall at 145 gave Illinois a lead they would never relinquish.
Illinois jumped out to a 20-5 lead against Minnesota in their first match on Friday and rolled to a 42-21 victory.
Oklahoma, after losing to Minnesota Friday morning, gave Illinois a run before falling 29-28.
Tyler Greenhaw's pin at 152 cut Illinois' lead to 22-17, but Polz beat Dallas Bailey at 160 and Spangler beat Joey Sheridan at 171 to give the eventual champions a solid lead. Illinois won five of the first six bouts, including Morrison's decision of Ladd Rupp at 119, in building an early 17-5 advantage.
Iowa opened the final day with a 35-26 win over Missouri that included Colon's pin of Ryan Mango at 119 pounds. A round later, Iowa had to hold off a New Jersey squad that beat Kansas, the Pool D winners, to start Friday.
Tony Buxton pinned Iowa's Andrew Long at 125, and a decision by Mario Mason at 160 and a pin by Scott Winston at 171 gave Jersey a 25-24 advantage.
Iowa responded with Gambrall's pin at 189 and Trayvonius Pendleton's straight-period decision at 285 for a 33-29 victory.
Jonathan Becker's decision at 189 clinched New Jersey's win against Kansas. It came a bout after Bagna Toujov's 16-second pin at 171.
Oklahoma opened the day with a win over Pennsylvania, 37-25, but fell to Minnesota, 32-26, a round later.
Against Pennsylvania, Stephen Swan bumped up a weight class to beat Dirk Cowburn at 152 and Bailey had a 58-second pin at 160.
Minnesota got pins by Trey Bertram at 140 and Eric Yngsdal at 145. Oklahoma made it close with wins by Chris Perry over Caleb Lines at 189 and Tyson Yoder over Jake Kahnke at 215, but Jake Kettler closed things out for Minnesota, who opened Friday with a loss to Illinois.
New Jersey beat Minnesota, 33-27, in the third-place match.
Oklahoma took care of Missouri for fifth, and Kansas edged Pennsylvania for seventh.
New York won the consolation title, beating Texas, 38-19.
Nowry, a 105-pounder, went a combined 15-0 in Greco and freestyle this week, giving up only two points in six Greco wins and losing only one period in nine freestyle wins.
Nowry, Jon Morrison, Tony Ramos and Conrad Polz all finished unbeaten in freestyle as Illinois beat Iowa, 39-23, in the championship match Friday afternoon. It was Illinois' third consecutive championship in freestyle.
"I'm not surprised at the way I wrestled or the team. We go through tough workouts to get ready for this tournament," said Nowry, a Junior Greco and freestyle champion in 2007. "We had a strong lineup all the way up and down. I really thought we could win both again.
"We'll take a day or two off and then start getting ready for Fargo."
Illinois jumped out to a 20-5 lead against Iowa, a common theme during a 9-0 week.
"I don't think other states put as much into (the Duals)," said Morrison, a national champion last summer. "They just show up at the airport and come here to maybe get some extra matches before Fargo. We have a training camp at Overtime to get ready for this and we really look forward to coming here and winning.
"We come here as a team and I think that makes a big difference."
In the finale, Jake Shramm started things with a technical fall at 98 pounds. Nowry and Jon Cooper picked up pins to give Illinois a 14-0 lead. Morrison followed with a tough decision of Joe Colon at 119 and it was 17-1.
Tony Ramos battled back from a first-period hole to beat Andrew Long in three periods at 125.
Iowa's first win didn't come until 130 where national champion Nate Moore beat Chris Dardanes, 1-0, 1-0.
Matt McDonough and Derek St. John kept Iowa hanging around with victories, cutting the deficit to 24-12 through 145 pounds.
But Brian Reynolds' tough win over Trent Weatherman at 152, followed by Polz's pin of Marcus Edgington at 160 sealed Iowa's fate.
Iowa's Grant Gambrall beat Chris Spangler, giving Spangler his only loss of the week, and Josh Ihnen and Byron Tate each had wins, but it was too little, too late.
"There are so many matches, you have to have some depth in there," said Illinois coach John Kading. "This is a tough tournament, and we knew Iowa and Oklahoma were going to be especially tough. We were able to move some guys around here and there.
"I'm just really proud of the guys. They wrestled tough all week."
Iowa moved to the finals with wins against Missouri, New Jersey and Kansas on Friday.
Illinois won six of the final seven bouts in a 39-24 win over Pennsylvania earlier on Friday. Jordan Oliver's pin of Ellis Coleman at 140 gave Pennsylvania a 19-16 advantage, but Bob Barnhisel's technical fall at 145 gave Illinois a lead they would never relinquish.
Illinois jumped out to a 20-5 lead against Minnesota in their first match on Friday and rolled to a 42-21 victory.
Oklahoma, after losing to Minnesota Friday morning, gave Illinois a run before falling 29-28.
Tyler Greenhaw's pin at 152 cut Illinois' lead to 22-17, but Polz beat Dallas Bailey at 160 and Spangler beat Joey Sheridan at 171 to give the eventual champions a solid lead. Illinois won five of the first six bouts, including Morrison's decision of Ladd Rupp at 119, in building an early 17-5 advantage.
Iowa opened the final day with a 35-26 win over Missouri that included Colon's pin of Ryan Mango at 119 pounds. A round later, Iowa had to hold off a New Jersey squad that beat Kansas, the Pool D winners, to start Friday.
Tony Buxton pinned Iowa's Andrew Long at 125, and a decision by Mario Mason at 160 and a pin by Scott Winston at 171 gave Jersey a 25-24 advantage.
Iowa responded with Gambrall's pin at 189 and Trayvonius Pendleton's straight-period decision at 285 for a 33-29 victory.
Jonathan Becker's decision at 189 clinched New Jersey's win against Kansas. It came a bout after Bagna Toujov's 16-second pin at 171.
Oklahoma opened the day with a win over Pennsylvania, 37-25, but fell to Minnesota, 32-26, a round later.
Against Pennsylvania, Stephen Swan bumped up a weight class to beat Dirk Cowburn at 152 and Bailey had a 58-second pin at 160.
Minnesota got pins by Trey Bertram at 140 and Eric Yngsdal at 145. Oklahoma made it close with wins by Chris Perry over Caleb Lines at 189 and Tyson Yoder over Jake Kahnke at 215, but Jake Kettler closed things out for Minnesota, who opened Friday with a loss to Illinois.
New Jersey beat Minnesota, 33-27, in the third-place match.
Oklahoma took care of Missouri for fifth, and Kansas edged Pennsylvania for seventh.
New York won the consolation title, beating Texas, 38-19.
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