At 125, #8 Gabe Flores (Madera, Calif.) got the Illini going by winning a major decision against James Knox, 16-8. The Illinois junior scored on three takedowns and three nearfalls in the shootout. Jimmy Kennedy also found himself in a high-scoring match as he won a major decision against Jon Kohler, 16-4. Kennedy (Ingleside, Ill.) posted five takedowns while only allowing Kohler to score on four escapes.
After winning the first five matches, the Illini dropped two in a row at 165 and 174. Roger Smith-Bergsrud lost a heartbreaker against #20 Jason Kiessling, 7-4. In the third period, with Smith-Bergsrud down 6-2, he narrowed the deficit by scoring a takedown to make it 6-4. That was the closest he came, however, as the buzzer sounded to end the match.
At 184, John Dergo (Morris, Ill.) got the Illini back on the winning track as he outlasted Eli Black, 3-1, in sudden victory. The two wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third periods for the only scoring in regulation. In overtime, the two scrambled on the mat with no takedowns awarded. Then, with time running out, Dergo got Black on his stomach but couldn't score because he was out of position. Dergo spun around on Black's back and was awarded the takedown and victory.
The Fighting Illini begin Big Ten action against Northwestern on Friday, Jan. 19 at Huff Hall. Mat time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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