"We were solid if not spectacular today," Illinois head coach Jim Heffernan said. "Daryl Thomas got a nice win at 133 and Dergo looked really good. For the most part, we took care of business today."
No. 9 Patrick Bond started off the dual for the Illini against Northwestern’s John Schoen and Bond had a few shots in the first period but wasn’t able to land any as the pair went scoreless to the second period. Bond started down in the second and got up and out quickly off the whistle for a 1-0 lead. With 30 seconds left in the second, Bond picked Schoen’s ankle, lifted it and tripped the Wildcat on the edge of the mat, earning the takedown before the pair fell out of bounds for a 3-0 lead. Bond was hit with a stalling warning for not trying to move up from Schoen’s leg while riding him and the period ended. Schoen started down in the third and got out quickly to cut Bond’s lead to 3-1 but Bond shot and got a leg on the edge. Schoen was able to sprawl his right leg off the mat and avoid the takedown, though. But Bond kept after it, getting a leg on the edge and finishing the takedown to go up 5-1. Bond cut Schoen loose then got to a leg and finished the takedown with 15 seconds left to go up 7-3. Bond got in on a leg with three seconds left but wasn’t able to tack on two more, winning by that 7-3 score to take a 3-0 team lead.
Marty Smith was clearly the aggressor in the first period against Marcus Shrewsbury but wasn’t able to connect on any offense as the two were scoreless after three minutes. Smith started down in the second and got out quickly for a 1-0 lead. Smith the locked up Shrewsbury and passed by his elbow before grabbing a leg, but Shrewsbury managed to keep his balance and work out of it. Shrewsbury was hit with a stalling warning as the two went out of bounds with 1:07 left in the period but Shrewsbury got in on a double-leg and finished it for a takedown. Smith escaped to tie it 2-2 with 40 seconds left in the second period then passed by once again and got an ankle. Shrewsbury danced at the edge of the mat for nearly 15 seconds but Smith upset his balance with one second left for the takedown and a 4-2 lead. Shrewsbury started down in the third and got out, cutting Smith’s lead to 4-3. Smith got a leg and worked it into a double-leg for the takedown on the edge with 28 seconds left and a 6-3 lead. Shrewsbury escaped quickly, then took a good shot with 10 seconds left but Smith was able to sprawl out and seal the 6-4 win, pushing Illinois’ team lead to 6-0.
At 125, John Deneen squared off with Levi Mele and Mele got in on a double-leg with 1:40 left, but he got Deneen on his shoulders and lifted him up before the referee broke the hold. Mele got in on another double-leg, which Deneen fought off and nearly turned for a takedown of his own, but Mele fought him off and worked to a stalemate after a nice scramble. Mele tossed Deneen and got behind him for a takedown at the buzzer and a 2-0 lead. Mele started down in the second and Deneen rode him for nearly a minute before getting hit with a stalling warning before a stalemate. Deneen continued to ride hard and look for a tilt but Mele got out with 31 seconds left in the period. Mele took a shot on the edge and got in on a leg but Deneen kept his waistlock and fended off the scoring opportunity, heading into the third period down 3-0 but with 1:29 of riding time. Deneen started down in the third and Mele rode him out for the 3-0 win, cutting Illinois’ lead to 6-3.
Daryl Thomas got a leg early against Eric Metzler at 133 and finished the shot for the takedown with 2:12 left. But Metzler reversed him off a restart to tie the bout 2-2. Thomas escaped quickly and fended off a shot and went to the second period with a 3-2 lead. Thomas started down in the second and got out with 1:05 left in the period to go up 4-2. Thomas got in on a shot with 15 seconds left and got a leg but Metzler kept a high crotch and worked to a stalemate to end the period neutral. Metzler started down in the third and got out quickly to cut Thomas’ lead to 4-3. Metzler was warned for stalling as he dodged a shot by Thomas with 1:39 left, then the Wildcat took a shot of a restart that Thomas worked out of. Thomas Sprawled away from another Metzler shot to earn a stalemate with 59 seconds left and the pair repeated the same maneuver with 32 seconds left. Thomas was warned for stalling with 12 seconds left and the pair had a restart with six seconds left but Thomas fended off the last shot by Metzler for the 4-3 win and a 9-3 team lead. Vince Vercelli accepted the forfeit win at 141 and the Illini went into intermission with a 15-3 team advantage.
In the day’s marquee match, No. 20 Eric Terrazas took on Northwestern’s No. 14 Andrew Nadhir at 149. After a good deal of hand-fighting, Terrazas blocked a shot by Nadhir and passed him by for the takedown with 30 seconds left. Terrazas rode him out for a 2-0 lead after a period. Nadhir started down in the second and Terrazas rode him for 42 seconds, getting his advantage up to 1:13, before Nadhir escaped. Nadhir popped Terrazas in the forehead, leading to an injury timeout, and Terrazas shot off the restart but Nadhir fended him off to keep the Illini sophomore’s lead at 2-1 heading into the third. Terrazas started down in the period and escaped in 15 seconds to go up 3-1, but Nadhir got the Illini’s ridign time down to 56 seconds, negating any advantage. Terrazas got a leg once again and Nadhir sprawled out, but Terrazas pulled him back in and Nadhir gave up his right ankle, allowing the Illini to score the takedown on the edge for a 5-1 lead. Terrazas got his riding time up to 1:05 before Nadhir escaped to cut his lead to 5-2 and Nadhir finally connected on a shot and got a takedown, cutting his lead to 5-4. Terrazas got out after a restart but gave up a quick takedown, which tied the bout 6-6 and wiped out Terrazas’ riding time advantage, sending the bout to sudden-victory time, where Nadhir took a shot off the whistle and finished the shot just six seconds into overtime for the 8-6 overtime win, bringing the Wildcats within 15-6.
Clint Arlis and Kevin Bialka started off with a couple of scrambles at 157 before Arlis locked up a takedown for an early 2-0 lead. Arlis rode him for over a minute before the pair got into another scramble that the referee broke for a potentially dangerous hold. Arlis rode him out for the 2-0 lead with 2:19 of riding time after the first period. He started down in the second and scrambled through for a reversal before Bialka needed injury time. Arlis kept riding him hard and rode him out for a 4-0 advantage with 3:51 of riding time after five minutes. Bialka started down in the third and Arlis cut him loose after 24 seconds but the Illini senior got a leg and tripped Bialka at the edge for a takedown and a 6-1 margin. Arlis let him up again and got a takedown with five seconds left before adding the riding-time point for the 9-2 win and an extension of Illinois’ team lead to 18-6.
In his first match at 165 since Dec. 12, Conrad Polz got a takedown against Robert Kellogg with 2:05 left and rode him for 54 seconds before cutting him loose. Polz got a leg and took down Kellogg before letting him up again with 40 seconds left in the period. The two ended the first three minutes neutral with Polz leading 4-2 with 56 seconds of riding time. Polz started down and escaped quickly before blocking a shot by Kellogg and spinning behind him for a takedown. He cut Kellogg loose again before getting in on a leg and taking him down for a 9-3 lead at the end of the period. Kellogg started down in the third and Polz cut him loose 30 seconds in. The two ended the bout neutral with Polz taking the 10-4 win and increasing the Illini’s lead to 21-6.
Blanton got a leg early against Brian Roddy at 174 and tripped him on the edge of the mat for a takedown. He cut Roddy loose and Roddy got in on a shot and Blanton nearly fended it off, but Roddy tripped him on the edge for a takedown and a 3-2 lead. Blanton got out quickly Blanton got a leg and worked into a takedown at the horn for a 5-3 lead after the first. Roddy started down in the second and escaped in 16 seconds. Blanton got a leg and tripped Roddy, but the Wildcat sprawled out on the edge, forcing Blanton to drag him back in and cover for the takedown and a 7-4 lead. Roddy escaped after a restart but Blanton nearly locked a cradle near the edge, scoring the takedown instead for a 9-5 lead with 16 seconds left. Roddy escaped after a restart and hustled around the corner for a takedown at the horn to cut Blanton’s lead to 9-8 after to periods. Blanton started down in the third and Roddy cut him loose to go up 10-8 with 53 seconds of riding time. Blanton blocked a shot attempt and grabbed Roddy’s ankle before getting his head and pulling him to the mat for the deciding takedown. Roddy reversed him on the edge with two seconds left but Blanton added riding time for a 13-10 win, moving Illinois’ lead to 24-6.
At 184, No. 2 John Dergo took down Aaron Jones quickly and got him on his back, earning the fall in 1:15 to put an exclamation mark on Illinois’ 30-6 win.
The Illini return home to face two ranked foes next weekend as they welcome No. 5 Minnesota to Huff Hall in a match that will be televised live by the Big Ten Network Friday at 7 p.m. before hosting No. 12 Wisconsin Sunday at 1 p.m.
Results:
197: No. 9 Patrick Bond (ILL) dec. John Schoen (NU), 7-3 (3-0)
HWT: Marty Smith (ILL) dec. Marcus Shrewsbury (NU), 6-4 (6-0)
125: Levi Mele (NU) dec. John Deenen (ILL), 3-0 (6-3)
133: Daryl Thomas (ILL) dec. Eric Metzler (NU), 4-3 (9-3)
141: Vince Vercelli (NU) wins by forfeit (15-3)
149: No. 14 Andrew Nadhir (NU) dec. No. 20 Eric Terrazas (ILL), 8-6 SV1 (15-6)
157: Clint Arlis (ILL) dec. Kevin Bialka (NU), 9-2 (18-6)
165: Conrad Polz (ILL) dec. Robert Kellogg (NU), 10-4 (21-6)
174: No. 14 Jordan Blanton (ILL) dec. Brian Roddy (NU), 13-10 (24-6)
184: No. 2 John Dergo (ILL) pinned Aaron Jones (NU), 1:15 (30-6)
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