Redshirt freshman Jermail Porter (Akron/Firestone) dropped a 1-0 struggle to 15th ranked Harold Sherrell at heavyweight to start the evening. Porter got to his feet from the bottom position on several occasions in the second period but failed to to get an escape. Sherrell's riding time would be the only point scored in the match.
Junior transfer Chad Sportelli (Easton, Pa./Easton/Nebraska) took a forfeit at 125 to put the Flashes up 6-3. Sportelli improved to 23-8 and 2-1 in MAC duals.
Buffalo's Mark Budd knotted the score at 6-6 with a 6-0 decision of senior Drew Opfer (Sandusky/St. Mary). Budd, ranked 13th at 133 pounds improved to 33-4 and 13-1 in dual meets.
Sophomore Drew Lashaway (Bowling Green, Ohio/Eastwood) stayed aggressive for seven minutes and came away with a 6-2 victory over Cliff Smith at 141. With the match tied 2-2 entering the third period, Lashaway earned a quick escape and takedown to give KSU the lead (9-6) for good.
Senior Jason Bake (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) tallied first and third period takedowns in a 6-5 decision over Dana Gingerich at 149. Bake's third period takedown broke a 4-4 tie. After a Gingerich escape, Bake fended off a flurry of late period shots to improve to 2-1 in the MAC.
Sophomore Kurt Gross (North Royalton, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) extended his winning streak to 11 matches and put KSU up 15-6 with an 8-5 decision of John Cummings. Gross (24-6, 3-0 MAC) earned a takedown in each period and added two escapes at 157.
The night's most sporadic match came at 165. Junior Jason McGee (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Cuyahoga Falls) fell to UB's Mickey Moran 7-5 in overtime. McGee trailed 4-1 in the early going but tied the match at 4-4 in the second, when he was awarded two back points as he was about to turn Moran, when the referee blew a whistle for injury time. A third period escape gave McGee a 5-4 lead but he was hit with two stalling calls in the final 13 seconds to send the match into OT. Moran (25-7) was awarded his final takedown as both wrestlers neared the edge line.
"Jason worked so hard," said Head Coach Jim Andrassy. "He's in great shape and it seems like there hasn't been a call going his way this year. Sooner or later things will start to change for him."
Junior Aaron Miller (Uniopolis, Ohio/Wapokoneta) controlled the pace throughout his 174-pound bout but had just one takedown in a 5-1 decision of Mike Ragusa. Miller (27-5, 3-0 MAC) leads the Flases in victories and dropped Ragussa to 21-14.
Senior Alex Camargo (Brook Park, Ohio/Berea) sealed the the team victory with a 7-5 decision of Garrett Hicks at 184. A first period takedown and three-point tilt gave Camargo a 5-0 lead but Hicks (21-9) answered with two reversals and five straight points of his own. In what looked like would be a certain Hicks takedown in the third period, Camargo (26-3, 3-0 MAC) turned into one of his own. He earned career victory 117, inching closer to Nick Nemeth's career school record of 121 victories.
Junior Ardian Ramadani (Garfield, NJ/Garfield) suffered his first MAC loss after running into 4th ranked Kyle Cerminara at 197. Cerminara (35-1) was inches away from a first period pin but settled for an 11-1 major decision.Ramadani (17-9, 2-1 MAC) was not scored on in the third period.
"We wrestled alright," said Andrassy. "The opponent always knows you well in a conference match. We looked a bit flat but I feel pretty comfortable heading to OU."
Individually, the Golden Flashes are 28-12 in home matches. Gross, Miller and Camargo, who ranked #1 in the MAC Coaches' Poll, improved to 3-0 in conference duals. KSU has not lost a dual meet since falling to No. 10 Missouri (22-15) on Jan. 14.
Andrassy's Army takes just one day off before traveling to Athens Sunday (Feb. 12) to face arch-rival Ohio University (11-9) with a 2:00 start in front of the rowdy Bobcat crowd.
Kent State 21 Buffalo 13
285: Sherrell (B) dec. Porter (K), 1-0
125: Sportelli (K) won by forfeit,
133: Budd (B) dec. D. Opfer (K), 6-0
141: Lashaway (K) dec.Smith (B), 6-2
149: Bake (K) dec. Gingerich (B) , 6-5
157: Gross (K) dec. Cummings (B), 8-5
165: Moran (B) dec. McGee (K), 7-5 OT
174: Miller (K) dec. Ragusa (B), 5-1
184: Camargo (K) dec. Hicks (B), 7-5
197: Cerminara (B) maj. dec. Ramadani (K) ,11-1
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