The visiting Aggies, wrapping up a two-day trip to Iowa where they forged a 2-0-1 record with wins over fourth-ranked Coe and 19th-ranked Luther to go along with the tie against the Knights, used back-to-back late combination-point moves to score wins at 125 and 133. Fourth-ranked Chris Scheetz rallied past sixth-ranked sophomore Mark Kist of Eagle Grove 5-4 with a takedown and two-point nearfall in the final 45 seconds, while sixth-ranked Brandon Clemmer did the same thing to second ranked junior Matt Kelly of Dubuque in a 9-7 victory, scoring a takedown and three-point nearfall as the clock ran out.
Wartburg (13-2-1), closing a dramatic weekend where they battled top-ranked Augsburg College of Minneapolis, Minn., to the wire in a 21-16 loss on the road Friday, Jan. 30, scored the next 14 points. Second-ranked senior Zach McKray of Iowa City and second-ranked senior Jacob Naig of Emmetsburg were 10-4 and 8-2 winners, respectively, and senior 157-pounder Aaron Wernimont of Pocahontas, coming in ranked No. 1 in the nation, upped his win streak to 72 with a 7:00 technical fall to give Wartburg its first lead. Top-ranked senior 165-pounder Justin Hanson of Dakota City added to the advantage with a 12-7 win.
The final four bouts saw plenty of see-saw momentum. Delaware Valley's No. 5-ranked 174-pounder Rocky Mantella used an overtime takedown to subdue senior Grant Jenkins of Manchester 9-7, while in the battle of number one and two at 184. Mike Wilcox stopped senior Romeo Djoumessi of Waverly's 35-match win streak with a first period fall. Freshman 197-pounder Byron Tate of Clinton turned the tide for the Knights with a thrilling 5-4 win, riding out Delaware Valley's Martin Porter the entire final period for the decision. Sophomore heavyweight John Helgerson of West Union and the Aggies' Kyle Bilquist, each ranked in the top four nationally, closed the dual with another nail-biter. A Bilquist escape in the final minute led him to the 2-1 win and the draw in the team score.
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