Freshman Kevin Malone (Carrollton, Ohio) led off for Chattanooga in the heavyweight match. He was facing a tough task against No. 5 Jeremy Johnson. Johnson defeated Malone (5-1) at the Hokie Open earlier in the season, but today's bout was much closer. Trailing 2-0 in the closing seconds, Malone appeared to tie the score at 2-2 with a late takedown. However, a stalling caution back in the first period gave Johnson the deciding point and the 3-2 win.
The Bobcats went up 7-0 after Gabe Ramos scored a major decision (11-0) over freshman Blake Thomas (Brentwood, Tenn.) at 125. Chattanooga got on the board at 133 with freshman Nick Soto's (Spring Hill, Fla.) 4-0 shutout over Jake Wojcik.
"Nick is off to a good start for a true freshman," added Eslinger. "He is seeing the benefits of his hard work in all areas, on the mat and in the classroom. When you put in the work, good things happen."
Ohio took the 141 match with Darrin Boing winning a major decision (14-6) over Shawn Greevy (Mechanicsburg, Pa.), increasing the Bobcats lead to 11-3. Greevy had defeated Boing 5-4 at the Hokie Open, but could not duplicate the result tonight.
With an eight point deficit to overcome, Chattanooga would have to ride its three seniors to get back into the match. The Mocs did just that, winning the next three matches, all decisions by seniors. Those three wins - Kelly Felix (Franklin, Tenn.) at 149, Dan Waddell (Chattanooga, Tenn.) at 157 and Brandon Wright (Germantown, Tenn.) at 165 - got the crowd going and gave UTC a 12-11 lead. Waddell's 2-0 win over Harrison Hightower was payback for a 9-4 loss at the Hokie Open.
"I am proud of the way our seniors responded tonight," added Eslinger. "We needed them to step up and get us back in the match and they came through. We expect that of this group and it is nice to see it happen on the mat."
The excitement was short-lived however as sophomore Levi Clemons (Kissimmee, Fla.) was pinned at 174 by No. 13 Nick Purdue. That put the Mocs in a 17-12 hole and needing wins in the last two matches to stay alive.
Fresh off a first place finish at the Davidson Open, junior Robert Prigmore (Southlake, Texas) continued his hot streak with a great match tonight. He shocked the crowd and Ohio's Ryan Garringer with a quick takedown and three near-fall points at 184. He competed hard for the rest of the match and held on for the 5-3 win to start the final rally.
For the second time this season, junior Niko Brown (Kissimmee, Fla.) took the mat with a chance to clinch the team victory. He came through again tonight, defeating Beau Wagner 10-4.
UTC now hits the road for its final dual of the calendar year at No. 11 Illinois. The Mocs visit the Illini on Sunday, Dec. 18, at 2:00 p.m. Chattanooga hosts the Southern Scuffle in McKenzie Arena on Jan. 1-2, 2012. Tickets are available now on GoMocs.com or at the UTC Ticket Office by calling (423) 266-MOCS (6627).
Results:
285: No. 5 Jeremy Johnson (Ohio) - Dec. 3-2 - Kevin Malone (UTC) - Ohio 3-0
125: Gabe Ramos (Ohio) - MD 11-0 - Blake Thomas (UTC) - Ohio 7-0
133: Nick Soto (UTC) - Dec. 4-0 - Jake Wojcik (Ohio) - Ohio 7-3
141: Darrin Boing (Ohio) - MD 14-6 - Shawn Greevy (UTC) - Ohio 11-3
149: Kelly Felix (UTC) - Dec. 13-9 - Brad Squire (Ohio) - Ohio 11-6
157: Dan Waddell (UTC) - Dec. 2-0 - Harrison Hightower (Ohio) - Ohio 11-9
165: Brandon Wright (UTC) - Dec. 4-1 - Miles Chapman (Ohio) - UTC 12-11
174: No. 13 Nick Purdue (Ohio) - Fall 2:17 - Levi Clemons (UTC) - Ohio 17-12
184: Robert Prigmore (UTC) - Dec. 5-3 - Ryan Garringer (Ohio) - Ohio - 17-15
197: Niko Brown (UTC) - Dec. 10-4 - Beau Wagner (Ohio) - UTC 18-17
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