Ohio State wrestling hosted its annual wrestle-off in Covelli Center Thursday. Team Scarlet beat Team Gray 20-19. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
The Covelli Center hosted the Ohio State wrestling team’s wrestle-offs Thursday to decide who will represent each weight class for the Buckeyes this season.
The nine-bout match saw the Buckeyes split into Team Scarlet and Team Gray, and it came right down to the last two wrestlers, with Team Scarlet earning a 20-19 victory via a fall earned by redshirt senior Tate Orndorff in the 285-pound heavyweight matchup.
Head coach Tom Ryan said he saw wrestle-offs as an opportunity to see where the Buckeyes have improved — such as in weight control, finishing holds and “constantly looking to score.”
“Disciplines that you look for, they surface in competition,” Ryan said. “They’re nonnegotiables.”
Senior Malik Heinselman kicked off the night by defending his claim to the 125-pound weight class, where he outlasted redshirt freshman Andre Gonzales. A takedown by Heinselman in the first period proved to be the difference in a 3-2 decision, giving Team Gray the 3-0 lead.
Team Scarlet quickly recaptured the lead in the 133-pound weight class. Freshman Jesse Mendez, a native of Crown Point, Indiana, where he won four individual state wrestling titles, secured a first-round victory via fall only 58 seconds into the match, putting Team Scarlet ahead 6-3.
Senior Jordan Decatur secured a victory atop the 141-pound weight class for the second-consecutive wrestle-offs when he escaped from redshirt junior Dylan D’Emilio to tie the match at 4-4 with 10 seconds left, then earned a takedown as the buzzer sounded for the 6-4 victory.
After Decatur extended Team Scarlet’s lead to 9-3, redshirt freshman Paddy Gallagher brought Team Gray right back within three points by earning a 4-1 decision win in the 157-pound weight class.
At 165 pounds, junior Bryce Hepner defeated redshirt junior and previous representative Carson Kharchla in a tight-knit 2-1 decision, tying the team scores at 9-9.
Redshirt senior Ethan Smith gave Team Gray its second lead of the night with an impressive performance, recording five takedowns before winning via fall just over two minutes into the match.
The flurry of takedowns continued in the 184-pound weight class where redshirt senior Kaleb Romero earned the only technical fall victory of the night, outscoring redshirt sophomore Gavin Bell 23-8. With the victory, Team Gray took a 15-14 lead.
Redshirt senior Gavin Hoffman extended the lead to 19-14 for Team Gray, defeating freshman Seth Shumate by a major decision at 197 pounds.
The final bout of the night proved to be the deciding match, as defending 285-pound representative Tate Orndorff bested redshirt freshman Mike Misita via fall four minutes into the match, earning Team Scarlet six points and securing the team victory 20-19.
“The guys that executed that looked really good,” Ryan said. “For the guys who didn’t, it’s a great chance to learn.”
The Buckeyes will compete in the Michigan State Open Saturday and begin the season at home against No. 16 Virginia Tech Nov. 11.
