YPSILANTI, Mich.—The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team made the most of its first home match of the New Year here Sunday, Jan. 11, at Bowen Field House, with a 31-10 rout of the Cleveland State Vikings. The Eagles won seven of ten matches including two by major decision, one by technical fall and one by pin.
The Eagles improved their season record to 4-6 (0-1 MAC) while the Vikings fell to 3-6.
The match started-off at 125 with redshirt freshman Jordan McGuire (Miamisburg, Ohio- Miamisburg) against Jordan Keller. Keller recorded the first four points of the match with takedowns in both the first and second periods. A reversal in the final frame put Keller at a 6-0 advantage. McGuire would tally his only point of the match with an escape late in the third. Three final points in the waining seconds gave Keller a 9-1 major decision and a 4-0 lead for Cleveland State.
Redshirt junior Chris Jenkins (Tecumseh, Mich.-Tecumseh) needed little time to wrap-up the 133 lb. bout as he notched an early pin against Josh Palivoda at 2:28 of the first period. Eastern took a 6-4 lead.
Junior Sean Clair (Turtlecreek, Pa.-Plum) continued the Eagles' winning ways at 141 with a decisive 13-1 major decision against Lawrence Cavello. Clair opened up an early 2-0 lead with a takedown. A near-fall to conclude the first period gave Clair three points and a 5-0 lead. After a scoreless second period, Clair extended his lead to 7-0 with a reversal early in the third. Cavello would end any shutout hopes with a single point, but Clair shored up a major decision with a takedown and near fall. The Eagles lead 10-4 after three matches.
At 149, redshirt freshman J.J. Johnson (Rockford, Mich.-Rockford) gave the Eagles their second consecutive major decision, 19-5, against Antonio Nicholson. Johnson jumped on top of Nicholson 7-1 in the first period as a result of several takedowns and back points. Johnson lead 12-2 at the end of the second and expanded even further on his point total in the final period with seven more. Eastern began to pull away with a 14-4 advantage.
The Eagles claimed a fourth straight victory at 157 as senior Josh Moulton (Grass Lake, Mich.-Napoleon) took care of Corey Carol by a 9-3 score. Moulton controlled much of the first period and took a 4-1 lead into the middle frame. A takedown by Carol with under a minute remaining in the second pulled him to within one point, 4-3. Moulton would then shut the door and respond with five points throughout the closing minutes of the match to record the victory. The Eagles owned a 17-4 lead.
Rob Michaels ended the Eagles' winning streak at 165 with a close 4-2 decision against redshirt junior Justin Brandel (Saginaw, Mich.-Swan Valley). A takedown by Michaels in the first period gave him an early 2-0 lead. An escape by Brandel seconds later put the score at 2-1. Brandel was on offense much of the second period, but a quick reversal by Michaels with 18 seconds remaining put Brandel's deficit at 4-1. An escape put Brandel back with in striking distance, 4-2, He tried to fight back in the final 30 seconds to no avail as Michaels held on to win. The Vikings were back to within 10 points, 17-7.
True freshman Chris Eggert (Dundee, Mich.-Dundee) put the Eagles back in the win column at 174 with a huge 20-5 technical fall over Derek Cummins. Eggert recorded early takedowns as well as back points and a near fall to open up a commanding 9-0 lead in the first period. He then added to his tally with a reversal and takedown in the following period to go ahead 12-0. Cummins earned two escapes and a takedown in the final two minutes, but it proved to be not nearly enough to overcome Eggert, who racked-up eight additional points of his own.
At 184, sophomore Derek Foore (Wadsworth, Ohio-Wadsworth) extended the Eagles lead to 25-7 with a 6-0 shutout decision against J.T. Miller. Both wrestlers battled hard throughout the match, with Foore scoring the only points by way of two takedowns in the opening two periods and an escape plus riding time in the closing seconds of the match.
A forfeit by the Vikings at 197 gave the Eagles and senior John McCulre (Holland, Mich.-West Ottawa) an automatic six team points to put the score at 31-7 for Eastern.
With the victory already in the Eagles' hands, redshirt freshman Wes Schroeder (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Norway) fell short against Rashard Goff in the heavyweight division, 6-2. Goff began the scoring in period one with a two-point takedown. Schroeder earned a single point in the second period, but Goff came back with one of his own to begin the final frame. Goff would put the match out of reach with a takedown later in the period to go ahead, 5-1. The end result was a 31-10 victory for the Eagles.
The Eagles will now go back on the road for a bout against Cornell University Saturday, Jan. 17, in Ithaca, N.Y. The match is slated for 1 p.m.
MATCH RESULTS
125 lbs.: Jordan Keller (CSU) maj. dec. Jordan McGuire (EMU), 9-1 CSU 4, EMU 0
133 lbs.: Chris Jenkins (EMU) pin Josh Palivoda (CSU), 2:28 EMU 6, CSU 4
141 lbs.: Sean Clair (EMU) maj. dec. Lawrence Cavello (CSU), 13-1 EMU 10, CSU 4
149 lbs.: J.J. Johnson (EMU) maj. dec. Antonio Nicholson (CSU), 19-5 EMU 14, CSU 4
157 lbs.: Josh Moulton (EMU) dec. Corey Carol (CSU), 9-3 EMU 17, CSU 4
165 lbs.: Rob Michaels (CSU) dec. Justin Brandel (EMU), 4-2 EMU 17, CSU 7
174 lbs.: Chris Eggert (EMU) tech. fall Derek Cummins (CSU), 20-5 EMU 22, CSU 7
184 lbs.: Derek Foore (EMU) dec. J.T. Miller (CSU), 6-0 EMU 25, CSU, 7
197 lbs.: John McClure (EMU) forfeit EMU 31, CSU 7
HWT: Rashard Goff (CSU) dec. Wes Schroeder (EMU), 6-2 EMU 31, CSU 10
