The University of Minnesota wrestling team opened their home dual
season with a 23-13 New Year’s Day loss to Oklahoma State at the Sports
Pavilion. Minnesota was able to get big wins from redshirt freshmen
Kaleb Young and Sonny Yohn in front of an announced crowd of 3,278, but
it wasn’t enough as the Cowboys improved their dual meet record to 7-2.
The Gophers dual record fell to 3-2 on the season.
Following a draw, the meet started with the bout between the Gophers’
14th-ranked Tyler Safratowich and OSU’s Neil Erisman at 157 pounds.
Erisman parlayed a nearfall in the opening round to a 4-1 advantage
through the opening period. Safratowich was able to record his first
takedown of the match to trim the deficit midway through the final
frame, but was unable to record a second takedown.
The Cowboys’ 12th-ranked Brandon Moore pushed the Oklahoma State lead
to 7-0 with a victory over No. 15 Scott Glasser at 165 pounds. After
recording an early takedown, the Gophers’ Scott Glasser clearly
struggled with a leg injury that required a pair of injury timeouts for
the Minnesota sophomore. Moore tallied a pair of three-point
nearfalls in the opening period to vault to an 8-2 lead. A pair of
stalling penalties assessed to Glasser midway through the second frame,
a reversal in the third frame and riding time gave Moore the 16-2 major
decision win.
Kaleb Young gained the Gophers’ first win of 2009 with a 5-3 decision
win over Kyle Griffin at 174 pounds. In a closely-fought match that saw
two lead changes, Young recorded a takedown with just 30 seconds
remaining match to gain the victory and trim the Cowboys lead to 7-3
through three matches.
Redshirt freshman Sonny Yohn recorded his first career win over a
ranked opponent in the 184-pound bout with an 8-5 decision victory over
No. 20 Jared Shelton. A reversal and a two-point nearfall in the second
period helped the Alamosa, Colo. native stretch his lead to 7-1 through
two periods. Shelton scored a reversal and Yohn was called for a pair
of stalling warnings to trim the lead to 7-5 with 32 seconds left in
the match, but Yohn recorded an escape and thwarted Shelton’s attempt
at a last-second takedown to secure the 8-5 win. Yohn’s win at
184 moved the team score to 7-6 through four matches.
Oklahoma State’s No. 12 Clayton Foster stopped the bleeding for the
Cowboys when he pinned the Gophers’ Gordon Bierschenk in just 1:23 in
the 197-pound match. Foster’s pin was his sixth of the year and
improved the sophomore’s record to 15-1 this season. Foster’s
triumph gave the Cowboys a 13-6 lead heading into the intermission.
Ben Berhow and top-ranked Jared Rosholt met in a closely-fought match
at heavyweight. Rosholt held off Berhow for a 3-2 decision win to push
OSU’s lead to 1-6, but the Sports Pavilion crowd was clearly impressed
with the effort of the Minnesota heavyweight.
Minnesota’s seventh-ranked Zach Sanders recorded a takedown in the last
20 seconds of his match to gain a 7-6 decision win over Oklahoma
State’s 14th-ranked Obenson Blanc at 125 pounds. After Blanc broke a
tie with an escape to take a 6-5 lead midway through the final stanza,
Sanders needed a takedown for a win. The Wabasha, Minn. native got the
takedown he needed with just seven second left in the match to take the
7-6 lead. Sanders was able to control the Cowboys’ senior for the last
seconds of the match to help the Gophers cut the Cowboys’ lead to 16-9.
Jayson Ness cut the Cowboys’ deficit to 16-13 with a 15-5 major
decision win over Chris Notte at 133 pounds. Ness improved his season
record to 16-1 with the victory, his second by major decision to go
along with 11 pins this season.
Oklahoma State’s No. 18 Jamal Parks all but secured the dual victory
for his squad with a 10-7 decision victory over the Gophers’
seventh-ranked Mike Thorn in the 141 pound bout. Parks managed Parks’
win pushed the Oklahoma State lead to 19-13.
The Cowboys’ Luke Silver controlled the 149-pound match against
Minnesota’s Brian Peterson throughout, parlaying a pair of first period
nearfalls to a 12-4 major decision victory. Silver’s win capped off
OSU’s 23-13 win.
Minnesota returns to action Saturday at the Lone Star Duals in the
Dallas, Texas metro area. The Gophers’ next home dual is set from Jan.
23 against Michigan State at the Sports Pavilion. Tickets can be
purchased by calling 1-800-U-GOPHER or by contacting the Gopher Ticket
Office at 612-624-8080.
