Ohio State edges out Arizona State in Monday night showdown, 17-16

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The fourth-ranked Sun Devils of Arizona State University landed in Ohio with an unblemished 5-0 mark, including the stoppage of Penn State’s 60-match winning streak on Nov. 22, and left with a 17-16 defeat in-hand after No. 7 Ohio State (4-1) garnered enough to bonus points to secure victory.

A crowd of 4,132 assembled at the Covelli Center to witness the thrilling tussle.

Senior captain Luke Pletcher’s 19-4 tech fall at 141 pounds proved to be the difference for the triumphant Scarlet & Gray. He totaled five takedowns and eight near-fall points in yet another dominant performance.

Sammy Sasso kept in going in the subsequent bout, taking down his top-25 opponent five times en route to a 10-3 decision.

Following a pair of ASU wins, the pressure was on at 174 pounds. Ohio State’s Kaleb Romero rose to the occasion and delivered a 7-3 victory over No. 8 Anthony Valencia. It represents Romero’s second top-10 triumph of the season as he broke through for his highest-ranked career win. He put together a second-period ride to remember, smothering the Sun Devil for nearly the entire frame. For his efforts, Romero was named the Ohio State Wrestler of the Match.

Gavin Hoffman found himself in a 10-3 hole after the first period against FloWrestling’s No. 1-ranked ‘pound-for-pound’ wrestler in the country and two-time defending national champion Zahid Valencia. Hoffman scrapped until the very last second though, battling for his teammates. His grit was significant as well, fending off a tech fall and dropping a 19-5 major decision. Saving the lone team point was crucial in the Buckeye team win.

Kollin Moore put Ohio State back on track in the 197-pound bout. He shook off Kordell Norfleet’s bout-opening takedown and fought back to ultimately come out as an 11-9 winner.

‘Gas Tank’ Gary Traub had the fuel and revved his engine in the waning seconds once again. While he came up just short of the bout-tying takedown, Traub did as he’d done previously at the Covelli Center, firing away shots late in the third period much to the delight of the Buckeye faithful. Chants of ‘Gar – ee, Gar -ee, Gar -ee!’ once again engulfed the Covelli Center. Ultimately, he fell to No. 6 Tanner Hall, 3-2.

BOUT RESULTS
No. 7/3 Ohio State 17, No. 4/5 Arizona State 16 (dual ranking/tournament ranking)
Covelli Center | Columbus, Ohio | Jan. 6, 2020 | Attn: 4,132
125 lbs |No. 15 Brandon Courtney (ASU) def. Malik Heinselman (OSU) | D, 9-5; Team Score: 0-3
133 lbs | Jordan Decatur (OSU) def. No. 15 Josh Kramer (ASU) | D, 5-3; TS: 3-3
141 lbs | No. 1 Luke Pletcher (OSU) def. Navonte Demison (ASU) | TF, 19-4; TS: 8-3
149 lbs | No. 6 Samy Sasso (OSU) def. No. 25 Josh Maruca (ASU) | D, 10-3; TS: 11-3
157 lbs | Jacori Teemer (ASU) def. Elijah Cleary (OSU) | D, 6-2; TS: 11-6
165 lbs | No. 5 Josh Shields (ASU) def. No. 13 Ethan Smith (OSU) | D, 6-2; TS: 11-9
174 lbs | No. 9 Kaleb Romero (OSU) def. No. 8 Anthony Valencia (ASU) | D, 7-3; TS: 14-9
184 lbs | No. 1 Zahid Valencia (ASU) def. Gavin Hoffman (OSU) | MD, 19-5; TS: 14-13
197 lbs | No. 1 Kollin Moore (OSU) def. No. 12 Kordell Norfleet (ASU) | D, 11-9; TS: 17-13
HWT | No. 6 Tanner Hall (ASU) def. Gary Traub (OSU) | D, 3-2; TS: 17-16