"It was a little nerve racking for a while" Head Coach Jim Andrassy said of the first five matches. "You're going to have ups and downs with a young team, but as long as everyone isn't down on the same day we're going to be fine. And our upper weights were pretty solid today."
Tice ignited the comeback with a 6-0 shutout of Nick Milano. A redshirt sophomore, Tice (15-5) turned Milano with a tilt and never let him free.
Redshirt freshman Keith Witt (174) followed with a 4-2 win over Steven Cressley to cut Clarion's lead to 15-13. Witt improved to 13-7 on the year.
Momentum completely swung back the Flashes' way when Dustin Kilgore tore apart Clint Podish with an 18-1 technical fall in just two periods. Kilgore, a redshirt sophomore, jumped out to an 8-0 lead after the first period and put Podish on his back four different times. Now 13-0 on the season, Kilgore has totaled seven pins, two tech falls and one major decision.
"They had wrestled three other times prior to this season and each time it got closer," Andrassy said of Kilgore and Podish. "So you can tell how much better Dustin's gotten. He was dominant again."
Redshirt freshman Adam Cogar (197) worked his front headlock to perfection in an 8-4 win over Alex Thomas. Cogar improved to 12-3, while Thomas fell to 10-4 as the Flashes took a 21-15 advantage into the final match.
Redshirt sophomore Brendan Barlow (285) never let Quintas McCorkle threaten in a 6-1 victory, the Flashes fifth straight win of the afternoon. Barlow improved to 16-3 as McCorkle dropped to 9-6.
Sophomore Troy Opfer (125) gave KSU an early lead with a 4-0 blanking of Joe Waltko.Senior Danny Mitcheff (13-0) extended the team lead to 7-0 with a 13-5 major decision over Jay Ivanco at 133.
"Danny & Dustin are really the strong part of our lineup," Andrassy said. "They've been leaders for us no matter who we're facing."
Redshirt freshman Chase Skonieczny (141) led by as many as three and trailed by only a point before getting pinned by Cameron Moran with just one second left in the match. Moran's pin brought the crowd to life and cut the lead to 7-6.
Freshman Tommy Sasfy (149) then had his seven minutes cut short in a 15-0 technical fall loss to James Fleming. Redshirt freshman Mallie Shuster (157) suffered the Flashes third straight setback, a 9-1 major decision to Hadley Harrison. The Golden Eagle senior improved to 14-3, dropping Shuster to 10-4.
"This has traditionally been a tough week for us following finals," Andrassy said. "We only practiced three times, but now this team can concentrate more on wrestling for the next few weeks."
The Golden Flashes now have over a week to prepare for their toughest test of the season at the Southern Scuffle Dec. 29-30 in Greensboro, N.C.
Results:
125- Troy Opfer (KS) dec. Joe Waltko, 4-0 3-0
133- Danny Mitcheff (KS) maj. dec. Jay Ivanco, 13-5 7-0
141- Cameron Moran (CL) pin Chase Skonieczny, 6:59 7-6
149- James Fleming (CL) tech fall Tommy Sasfy, 15-0; 6:25 7-11
157- Hadley Harrison (CL) maj. dec. Mallie Shuster, 9-1 7-15
165- Ross Tice (KS) dec. Nick Milano, 6-0 10-15
174- Keith Witt (KS) dec. Steven Cressley, 4-2 13-15
184: #2 Dustin Kilgore (KS) tech. fall Clint Podish, 18-1, 4:59 18-15
197: Adam Cogar(KS) dec. Alex Thomas, 8-4 21-15
285: #14 Brendan Barlow (KS) dec. Quintas McCorkle, 6-1 24-15
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