OSU redshirt senior Johnni DiJulius (left) sizes up his opponent during a match against Arizona State on Nov. 20 at St. John Arena. OSU won 28-9.
Credit: Mason Swires | Lantern Reporter
Ohio State’s premier wrestlers delivered on Friday night as the team outmatched Arizona State 28-9 at St. John Arena.
Another dual ended in another win, complete with another assertive effort from the nation’s fifth-ranked team.
Taking seven of 10 matches — four via bonus points — the Buckeye lineup, consisting of seven top-20 wrestlers, dictated the night.
It took the Sun Devils 12:00 to get six points.
It took Bo Jordan 1:54.
Within a period, the top-ranked 174-pounder scored a takedown, a four-point near fall and then a fall to defeat Zach Smith.
The redshirt sophomore, now 4-0 on the season, said he measures one thing to find out how he’s performing.
“I assess how I’m doing with my effort level,” Jordan said. “It’s hard to assess where you are at with wins and losses and how many points you’ve scored. I really just try to assess my whole effort throughout the match. If I have a lot of effort, that’s great.”
Redshirt junior Nick Tavanello (285) added three points, scoring a tiebreaking takedown within the final 10 seconds of the heavyweight bout against Tanner Hall.
Nathan Tomasello (125), the top-ranked wrestler in his weight class, scored six takedowns in a 16-6 major decision over Ares Carpio.
“I just let it fly and went after it,” the redshirt sophomore said. “I think I wrestled a lot better than I did last week. The effort level was a lot better. I’m still working on improving on different things, but I put a lot of points on the board and it was overall a good match.”
Johnni DiJulius (133), ranked fifth in his weight class, matched Tomasello’s six points with a 16-0 tech fall over Cord Coronado. Scoring 12 points in the first period, the redshirt senior sealed his 103rd career win.
Redshirt freshman Micah Jordan (141), who is also Bo’s brother, completed the dominant three-match run between him, Tomasello and DiJulius with an 18-6 major decision over Robert Mathers.
Pleased with the growth and energy he sees from Micah and the other young Buckeyes, Tomasello said, “I just know when I’m watching I’m excited because I was in the shoes of those younger guys last year.”
Failing to win the third, one of the team’s focal points, Cody Burcher’s record is no longer unblemished. In a heartbreaker at the buzzer, the redshirt freshman scored a last-second takedown before finding himself in a headlock with no time left. Subsequently, the 157-pounder fell to Matt Kraus in a 4-2 decision.
Ending the night, the final match included Jake Ryan (157) and a dramatic finish. Instead of winning the third, the redshirt freshman won in double overtime with a 2-1 decision over Oliver Pierce with an escape.
OSU coach Tom Ryan applauded his guys for their aggressive, on-the-attack approach.
“I think pursuing your opponent is the best way to win wrestling matches, and our guys who did that tonight were successful,” Tom Ryan said. “We need to continue to develop that instinct to attack, be aggressive and score as many points as possible. Overall, it was a good win for us.”
The Buckeyes are set to return to the mat Tuesday when they head north to take on Cleveland State.
