Redshirt senior Kaleb Romero focuses during the Ohio State-Virginia Tech match Nov. 11. Ohio State won 18-13. Credit: Katie Good | Asst. Photo Editor
The Ohio State wrestling team took care of business Friday, earning its second win of the season defeating Columbia 33-6 at the Covelli Center.
The Buckeyes got off to a scorching-hot start, earning two major-decision victories in a row to take a quick 8-0 lead.
Senior Malik Heinselman led off the night for the Buckeyes at 125 pounds, setting the tone for the match with three quick takedowns in the first period. He then pulled away in the second with a four-point near-fall, earning the 17-4 victory.
Freshman Jesse Mendez earned his first career win at home with a 12-2 victory over junior Angelo Rini in the 133-pound weight class. Mendez jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, forcing Rini to take risks the rest of the match.
Mendez showed off his endurance late in the match, adding three takedowns in the third period to secure the second major decision.
Buckeye fans welcomed back 141-pound senior Jordan Decatur to the mat for the first time since he suffered a season=ending foot injury in November 2021. Decatur knocked the rust off early in the match with a takedown 30 seconds into the first period.
He then showed his defense had not suffered from the injury, shutting down senior Matt Kazimir to secure a 3-1 victory and extend the Buckeyes lead to 11-0.
Despite earning the win, head coach Tom Ryan believes Buckeye Nation only got a sneak preview of what’s to come from Decatur this season. Ryan believes Kazimir “slowed the mats down a bit” for Decatur, and is still looking for someone to emerge above the rest in the 141-pound weight class.
“Jordan is special. He’s got so much speed, so much ability and awareness.” Ryan said. “We saw some of it tonight. I just want him to go out there and show what he’s got. There are steps to that.”
Redshirt senior Sammy Sasso was absent from the lineup, as he prepares to wrestle in the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic on Tuesday.
This gave redshirt- junior Klay Reeves an opportunity in the 149-pound slot against senior Danny Fongaro. Reeves earned an escape late in the third period to bring him within two points, yet came up just short in a 7-4 loss.
Redshirt freshman Paddy Gallagher and redshirt junior Carson Kharchla got the Buckeyes back in the win column with two victories by decision, giving Ohio State a commanding 17-3 lead in the match.
After No. 6 redshirt senior Ethan Smith suffered a surprising loss at 174-pounds to junior Lennox Wolak, his fellow seniors picked him up by ending the match in dominating fashion.
Senior Kaleb Romero continued to impress at 184-pounds, earning eight takedowns on his way to a victory by technical fall 22-6.
The star of the night was 197-pound redshirt senior Gavin Hoffman, who credited Romero’s impressive performance as “friendly motivation” to one-up him. Although Romero set the bar high for his close friend, a four-point near fall in the third period earned Hoffman a 26-8 win over sophomore Javen Jovero, giving the Buckeyes 27-6 lead as a team.
“It makes me smile when he puts up that many points,” Hoffman said. “It makes me want to go out there and try to get more points than him. It makes it competitive, and it makes it really fun.”
Heavyweight senior Tate Orndorff put an exclamation point on the Buckeyes’ victory, earning the only fall of the night less than four minutes into the match. Orndorff and Columbia senior Danny Conley remained scoreless through the first period, showing off their takedown-defense to start the match.
Orndorff eventually outlasted Conley, muscling him to his back for the six-point pin and 33-6 victory.
Ryan credited the Buckeyes for the ability to “score top-to-bottom” in the lineup, but believes there is improvement to be made in the third period if the team wants to compete for a national title.
“We saw two great periods at 125 (pounds), then a third period that’s just not going to get the job done.” Ryan said. “If you look at the national tournament, a lot of national titles are won in the third period. The standard is: What is going to score us the most points at the national tournament?”
The Buckeyes return to action Sunday at noon as they travel to Chapel Hill to take on North Carolina.
