Ohio (11-9) earned half its points in the first two matches with a pin at 125 pounds and an overtime decision at 133. Just a little over a minute into the opening match, Caleb Metcalf scored a takedown against WVU's Scott Stuart and 11 seconds later got a two-point near fall. Leading 5-1 in the second period, the sophomore from Waterville, Ohio, registered another takedown and this time produced a pin with 21 seconds remaining in the period.
"Right when I took him down the first time, I knew that I was going to win," said Metcalf about his fourth pin and seventh victory in his last eight matches. "He was leading his right leg and was really heavy on it so I hit an ankle pick and he went down. Then I just worked hard on top and got an arm bar to work for me to pin him."
Redshirt freshman Terry Jackson followed that up with a 4-2 sudden-victory decision in the next match. After giving up a takedown just 20 seconds into the bout, the Uhrichsville, Ohio, native shut out Mountaineer 133-pounder Seth Lisa the rest of the way. Jackson, who has won five of his last six contests, scored escapes in both the first and second periods before winning the match on a takedown with just 12 seconds remaining in the first overtime period.
"I was kind of slow at the beginning because my legs weren't feeling that great so he got a quick takedown," Jackson said. "From there on out, I knew it was going to be a battle and I just had to keep my head in it. The coaches kept telling me that my single-leg would be there so I just needed to set it up and hit it because one shot was going to win it."
Ohio's run was halted at 141 pounds, though, as seventh-ranked Brandon Rader recorded a 15-5 major decision over Albert Madsen, a redshirt freshman from Strongsville, Ohio. Madsen's only points came on two illegal hold calls and three escapes.
The Bobcats bounced back, however, when junior co-captain Aaron Gomoll recorded a 9-5 decision over Teddy Adams at 149 pounds. The Bay Village, Ohio, product scored an early takedown and then hit a single-leg takedown midway through the second period for a 4-2 lead. Gomoll then registered two more takedowns in the third to add to his 3:09 in riding time.
"I think Aaron is finally getting on a roll after slumping a little bit," said Greenlee, who improved his career coaching record to 100-69-4 in nine seasons at Ohio. "The wins at 125, 133 and 149 were all really huge for us."
At 157 pounds, Bobcat redshirt freshman Jake Frerichs gave second-ranked Matt Lebe a run for his money. After allowing a first-period takedown, the Uniontown, Ohio, native escaped twice to even the score at 2-2 heading into the third period. Frerichs allowed another takedown with 42 seconds left in the match but escaped with 26 second remaining and was on the attack when he was awarded a stalling point with just five ticks left. Although the match was tied 4-4 when the clock expired, Lebe won with 1:25 in riding time.
West Virginia (4-5) then got on a roll by winning the next two matches as well. Larry Hall managed a 6-1 decision over Ohio freshman Kent Smith (Bowling Green, Ohio) at 165 pounds and 13th-ranked Kurt Brenner pulled out a wild 14-7 victory over Ryan Knapp (McConnelsville, Ohio) at 174 to give the Mountaineers a 13-12 edge with three matches remaining.
When it was time for Ohio's other co-captain - Brian Cesear - to step up, he did. The 184-pound junior from Amherst, Ohio, used a single-leg and back trip to record a first-period score and then got another takedown in the second period. After an early escape in the third gave him a 5-0 lead, he responded to a Chance Litton takedown with an escape and takedown of his own to seal the match with 11 seconds to go. With 1:53 in riding time, he pulled out a 9-3 victory.
After a 2-0 decision by WVU's Jared Villers over Bobcat junior Nick Terbay (Dayton, Ohio) at 197 pounds gave the Mountaineers a 16-15 lead, it came down to the final match of the night to decided the outcome.
In Ohio's last dual meet, junior heavyweight Marcus Adelman lost a 3-2 decision with the outcome on the line and the Bobcats suffered an 18-15 loss at Virginia. This time, the Alliance, Ohio, native delivered a 5-3 decision over WVU's Matt Holsopple.
After trailing early, Adelman took a 3-2 lead with a takedown late in the first period. He extended his lead to 4-2 with an early escape in the second and managed to stay on top in the third until there were just three seconds remaining. His final point was awarded for 1:52 in riding time.
"You could see Marcus gain some confidence and really feel good about himself," Greenlee said about his heavyweight. "He needs to just keep getting in better shape because those six weeks off with the ankle injury really hurt him. He's getting there and hopefully in two weeks we'll get him to where he needs to be."
Friday night's win kicked off a weekend of special activities for the Ohio wrestling program. A reception honoring former national champion and long-time Ohio head coach Harry Houska will be held Saturday evening at the Ohio University Inn Banquet Room. The free event will begin at 8 p.m. and is open to the public.
The Bobcats will then host Kent State at 2 p.m. Sunday in their home finale. At the meet's midway point, Houska will be presented with a mantle clock made of maple trees from the Ohio University campus to announce the wrestling room's Harry Houska Wall of Champions, which recognizes all NCAA and Mid-American Conference champions from Ohio University.
"What Harry accomplished at Ohio University is pretty phenomenal because his teams dominated the MAC and did really well in the NCAA Tournament," Greenlee said about his predecessor. "Over 80 former Bobcat wrestlers are coming back to honor him. Harry really drilled his guys about getting their names on the wall because it meant they were a champion and that became a huge motivation for them."
Admission is free to Sunday's home wrestling dual at the Convocation Center. Live results will be posted at ohiobobcats.com as they happen.
Ohio 18, West Virginia 16
125 - Caleb Metcalf (Ohio) fall Scott Stuart, 4:39
133 - Terry Jackson (Ohio) dec. Seth Lisa, 4-2 SV
141 - #7 Brandon Rader (WVU) major dec. Albert Madsen, 15-5
149 - Aaron Gomoll (Ohio) dec. Teddy Adams, 9-5
157 - #2 Matt Lebe (WVU) dec. Jake Frerichs, 5-4
165 - Larry Hall (WVU) dec. Kent Smith, 6-1
174 - #13 Kurt Brenner (WVU) dec. Ryan Knapp, 14-7
184 - Brian Cesear (Ohio) dec. Chance Litton, 9-3
197 - Jared Villers (WVU) dec. Nick Terbay, 2-0
HWT - Marcus Adelman (Ohio) dec. Matt Holsopple, 5-3
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