“I thought we wrestled really well up and down the lineup,” head coach Gary Taylor said about the overall effort tonight. “We wrestled hard and smart and set the pace and did the kinds of things that I know we are capable of. This was a match that we thought we had to have and the kids responded well. Princeton has a very good team this year. They’ve had a great year. Their kids were fighting but so were ours.”
For Rider (14-8, 4-2 EWL), sophomore Robert Deutsch (Cherry Hill, NJ/Eastern Regional), who is ranked 7th in the nation at 125, won by fall over Ryan Cash to give the Broncs a 6-0 lead. The win improves Deutsch’s overall record to 27-4.
“Rob did a great job of starting the team out,” Taylor said. “That’s what you want out of your 125 pounder. We actually drew for that weight. Normally you don’t get lucky and draw at the weight class that you want to start at, but we did tonight and Rob did a great job of getting the team out to an early lead, which helps everyone else.”
Rider junior Chuck Zeisloft (Woodbury Heights, N.J./Gateway), ranked 27th in the nation at 133 won by a 3-2 decision over Garrett Frey.
It took a takedown in overtime, but 141-pound redshirt freshman Paul Kirchner (Somerville) defeated Jordan Laster 8-6 to further the Broncs lead to 12-0.
“Paul had a really beautiful shot in overtime right after he countered a shot in overtime,” Taylor said about the victory.
Not to be outdone on their home mat, Richard Krop and Kevin Moylan were victorious over sophomore Curt Delia (Mullica Hill, NJ/Delsea) and freshman Wayne Stinson (Wrightstown, NJ/Northern Burlington Regional). Delia, who is ranked 31st at 149, lost by a 10-4 decision while Stinson lost by decision, 9-5. The pair of Princeton victories closed the Rider lead to 12-6.
Rider senior Ramon Santiago (Sayreville, N.J./Sayreville), who is ranked 32nd at 165, got the Broncs back on their winnings ways by picking up a 5-3 decision over Judson Ziegler. The win improved Santiago’s overall record to 17-12 in his final regular season dual of the season.
“I expected Ramon to win. I wasn’t surprised in any way, shape or form by it,” Taylor said about his senior wrestler.
Bronc sophomore Connor Brennan (Brick, NJ/Brick Twp.) won for the 12th time in a row, picking up a 7-3 decision over Ryan Callahan. Brennan, ranked 16th at 174, bolstered the Rider lead to 18-6.
Rider junior Clint Morrison (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cedar Cliff), ranked 19th in the nation at 184, picked up his 16th win of the season in overtime, 10-8, when he was able to secure a takedown against Brett Harner to extend the Rider lead to 21-6.
“Clint does a great job of wearing people down and that’s what he did in that match,” Taylor sad.
Rider redshirt junior Donald McNeil (Plainville, Mass./UNC-Greensboro/Wyoming Seminary) lost at 197 by injury default at 4:05 to cut the lead to 21-12.
Sophomore Greg Velasco (Union Beach, NJ/Keyport) lost by decision to Raymond O’Donnell 4-2 for the final score.
This is the fifth season in a row the Broncs have faced Princeton (11-3, 3-1 Ivy), with the Broncs going 5-0 against the Tigers.
Rider now prepares for the EWL Championship, which begin March 8 in Cleveland, Ohio, hosted by Cleveland State.
“We are going to take a day off first to settle down because they have been working hard this week” Taylor said. “Then we will get right back to work. Things shift a little because now you’re going into tournament competition and you’re getting a little more individual. You’re really trying to fine tune things and hit it right. We will be ready to go.”
Results:
125 Robert Deutsch-R wbf Ryan Cash-P 1:14 6-0
133 Chuck Zeisloft-R dec. Garrett Frey-P 3-2 9-0
141 Paul Kirchner-R dec. (OT) Jordan Laster-P 8-6 12-0
149 Richard Krop-P dec. Curt Delia-R 10-4 12-3
157 Kevin Moylan-P dec. Wayne Stinson-R 9-5 12-6
165 Ramon Santiago-R dec. Judson Ziegler-P 5-3 15-6
174 Connor Brennan-R dec. Ryan Callahan-P 7-3 18-6
184 Clint Morrison-R dec (OT) Brett Harner-P 10-8 21-6
197 Abram Ayala-P injury default Donald McNeil-R 4:05 21-12
285 Raymond O’Donnell-P dec. Greg Velasco 4-2 21-15
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