UPDATE: No. 4 Ohio State takes out No. 5 Mizzou, 30-9
by Mike Basford, tOSU and Andrew Melroe, Mizzou
Ohio State release:
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Five bonus points wins – including a dual-ending pin by Olympic champion Kyle Snyder in his first appearance at St. John Arena since winning gold last August – punctuated fourth-ranked Ohio State’s convincing 30-9 triumph over No. 5 Missouri in front of nearly 3,000 fans on Thursday evening.
The Buckeyes were bolstered by wins in seven of 10 matches, starting with redshirt freshman Jose Rodriguez’s 3-1 decision at 125 to open the dual and ending with Snyder’s pin of Austin Myers in 4:32. In between, fans were treated to victories from true freshman Luke Pletcher, redshirt sophomore Micah Jordan, redshirt juniors Nathan Tomasello and Bo Jordan and sophomore Myles Martin.
At 9-2, Rodriguez was coming off the biggest performance of his rookie season – a runner-up showing last weekend at the CKLV Invitational. His match-up with Missouri’s Aaron Assad was ultimately decided on a first period takedown with just 38 seconds remaining in the period. The only points that were scored the rest of the way were escapes. Rodriguez, ranked No. 10 nationally, improves to 10-2.
In one of the premier match-ups coming into the dual, Tomasello made his St. John Arena debut at 133 pounds and looked as strong as ever, taking control of the match and ninth-ranked Jaydin Eierman in the second period with a takedown and four-point near fall to go ahead 8-0.
In his first appearance in the varsity lineup, Pletcher used timely takedowns at the end of the first and second periods and strong third period defense to register a 6-4 decision over Zach Synon. Pletcher improves to 9-0 on the year (he won his previous eight matches in open tournaments wrestling at 133 lbs.) and his win gave Ohio State a 10-0 lead.
M. Jordan (18-0) came into Thursday night’s dual leading the Buckeyes in nearly every offensive category, including takedowns and total points scored. He added to both of those in a big way, taking down Alex Butler eight times while also adding a four-point near fall in his 23-7 technical fall. His older brother Bo wrestled in his first varsity match of the season and looked to be in midseason form, scoring third takedowns in the second and two more in the third for a 14-6 major decision.
Martin rolled up 16 first-period points on Matthew Lemanowicz at 184 lbs. and finished off his technical fall with a four-point near fall early in the second period, setting the stage for one of the most entertaining matches of the night. Sixth-ranked Moore gave No. 1 J’den Cox, the defending national champion and reigning bronze medalist, all he could handle at 197 lbs. Moore took Cox down twice in the third period to pull to within one, 5-4, but can out of time to score the tying takedown (Cox added a point of riding time).
Snyder, competing in Columbus for the first time since making history at the Rio Olympic Games last August, took Missouri’s Austin Myers down four times in the first period and four more times in the second before closing it out with a fall at the 4:32 mark of the match. It was Snyder’s fourth pin of the season (he had one in his first two seasons combined).
The Buckeyes return to action next Sunday, Dec. 18, when they take on Northwestern at Wadsworth High School. The dual is slated to begin at noon.
Head coach Tom Ryan
“Well I think the most important thing for our team tonight was to continue to find value in scoring points. I think what we’re seeing with this team is a good combination of leadership and some of the younger guys. Overall, it was a good performance from us.”
“I think what we need to continue to see from Cody is that he is not satisfied with close loses. Close loses and wins are worlds apart. He’s definitely made some great gains though. We want to see his philosophy of attacking no matter the score to continue.”
“I rely on people I know that care about me to help me out. I can’t do it myself, that would be too hard. I have great coaches and friends and family that help me and are really supportive. At the same time, I love what I am doing and wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“People wouldn’t think I would get nervous wrestling here, but I do still get a little nervous. I care about what I am doing and I want to do well. The comparison is pretty hard to say but I do always get excited to wrestle here.”
“Patience has been very important for me thus far. I dealt with an injury that made it hard to train the way I wanted to this summer. But I have gotten a lot of support from the training staff to make it to this point to come back better than I was before.”
“I feel like I have more energy and more strength. I don’t have to worry about my weight too much anymore or the stress of weight management. So I have just been able to come out firing and attack.”
No. 4 Ohio State 30, No. 5 Missouri 9 | St. John Arena; Columbus, Ohio
Attendance: 2,820
Records: Ohio State 4-0; Missouri 2-1
125: #10 Jose Rodriguez (OSU) decision over Aaron Assad (MIZZU) 3-1 | OSU 3, MIZZU 0
133: #3 Nathan Tomasello (OSU) major decision over #9 Jaydin Eierman (MIZZU) 12-2 | OSU 7, MIZZU 0
141: Luke Pletcher (OSU) decision over Zach Synon (MIZZU) 6-4 | OSU 10, MIZZU 0
149: #5 Micah Jordan (OSU) technical fall over Alex Butler (MIZZU) 23-7 | OSU 15, MIZZU 0
157: #6 Joey Lavallee (MIZZU) decision over Jake Ryan 12-5 | OSU 15, MIZZU 3
165: #4 Daniel Lewis (MIZZU) decision over Cody Burcher 6-1 | OSU 15, MIZZU 6
174: #1 Bo Jordan (OSU) major decision over Dylan Wisman 14-6 | OSU 19, MIZZU 6
184: #5 Myles Martin (OSU) technical fall over Matthew Lemanowicz (MIZZU) 21-5 | OSU 24, MIZZU 6
197: #1 J’den Cox decision over #6 Kollin Moore (OSU) 6-4 | OSU 24, MIZZU 9
285: #1 Kyle Snyder (OSU) fall over Austin Myers (MIZZU) 4:32 | OSU 30, MIZZU 9
With three starters out in the first five weight classes and four out total for Mizzou, Ohio State jumped out to a 15-0 lead after wins in the first four bouts of the night. At 157 pounds, Lavallee stepped onto the mat against No. 19-ranked Jake Ryan. Lavallee recorded numerous takedowns in the match, scoring two in the first period and another in the second. He scored three more in the third, as the Tiger junior purposely let Ryan escape twice while trying to secure more takedowns for bonus points. He fell one takedown short of the major decision, but won the match, 12-5.
Next up for Mizzou was Lewis, who matched up against Cody Burcher. Lewis scored quickly, securing a takedown 15 seconds into the match. Burcher failed to escape in the period following the takedown, allowing Lewis to amass more than two minutes of riding time. Lewis scored a reversal in the second, an escape in the third and received a riding time point following the conclusion of the match to cap the final score at 6-1.
After two wins for the Buckeyes, Cox was up next for the Tigers against No. 6 Kollin Moore at 197 pounds. The Tiger senior notched a takedown near the end of the opening period to grab a 2-0 lead after the first period. Cox started the second period in the top position, and did not allow Moore to escape, increasing his riding time advantage to 2:42 at the end of the period. Despite getting taken down twice in the third period, Cox was able to defend off a late shot attempt from Moore to preserve the win, 6-4. With the victory, Cox records his third win over a top-10 ranked opponent this season after defeating No. 9 Kevin Beazley (Old Dominion), 5-0 on Nov. 13 and No. 3 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech), 2-0, on Nov. 20.
Mizzou will next be in action on Sunday, Dec. 11, when the Tigers face Mid-American Conference opponent Ohio. The dual from Athens, Ohio, is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. CT.
For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling).
Match-by-Match Results
125: No. 10 Jose Rodriguez (OSU) dec. Aaron Assad (MIZ): 3-1
133: No. 2 Nathan Tomasello (OSU) MD No. 8 Jaydin Eierman: 12-2
141: Luke Pletcher (OSU) dec. Zach Synon (MIZ): 6-4
149: No. 5 Micah Jordan (OSU) tf Alex Butler (MIZ): 23-7, 5:44
157: No. 3 Joey Lavallee (MIZ) dec. No. 19 Jake Ryan (OSU): 12-5
165: No. 4 Daniel Lewis (MIZ) dec. Cody Burcher (OSU): 6-1
174: No. 1 Bo Jordan (OSU) md Dylan Wisman (MIZ): 14-6
184: No. 4 Myles Martin (OSU) tf Matt Lemanowicz (MIZ): 21-5, 3:31
197: No. 1 J’den Cox (MIZ) dec. No. 6 Kollin Moore (OSU): 6-4
HWT: No. 1 Kyle Snyder (OSU) fall Austin Myers (MIZ): 4:32
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