Senior Wrestlers Compete in Final Home Dual Against Rival Ohio
2/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
KENT, Ohio - A pair of teams atop the Mid-American Conference will collide Friday night when the Golden Flashes and the Bobcats do battle. It will also be the last home dual for a successful senior class, head coach Jim Andrassy's first recruits.
Last Time Out:
Takin' the Bulls by the Horns
KENT, Ohio - Any hope Buffalo may have had for an upset of Kent State quickly ended nine minutes into the match.
After a close match at 125 where sophomore Nic Bedelyon defeated Dan Bishop 6-3, Mitcheff put the Golden Flashes up big with a fall over Taylor Golba in 2:39 into at 133.
Fifth-year senior Drew Lashaway got the takedown with about 20 seconds remaining in the first period and roled to a 6-1 win over Mark Lewandowski at 141.
Buffalo would cut the deficit to 12-4 with Desi Green's 16-5 major at 149 over redshirt junior Jeremy Depoy, but any UB momentum was quickly disposed of by redshirt freshman Ross Tice at 157. Tice rode out the Bulls John Martin-Cannon in the second and added the tilt for the 3-0 lead. He added two escapes and the riding point for the 6-1 win.
Redshirt junior Obie Simpson all but sealed the match with an exciting takedown with just seconds left against Ron Majerus for the 4-3 win and the KSU 18-4 lead.
At 184, the match featured redshirt freshman Dustin Kilgore and Buffalo's Micky Moran, The match was all Kilgore as he secured the major with a tilt with 10 seconds left for the 11-1 win.
With the match in hand, two fifth-year KSU seniors Golden made quick work of the Bulls in the final two matches. Eric Chine easily won 5-1 over James Hamel, who Chine only beat by tie-breaker early in the season. Jermail Porter wasted no time in defeating Brett Correll at 285 by fall in 1:31.
Last Year:
Flashes Lower Boom On Ohio
ATHENS, Ohio - Those two words describe the Kent State wrestling team's 33-3 win over MAC-rival Ohio Friday night at the Convocation Center. The Flashes won the meet's first nine bouts and came up just five points shy of a shutout.
At 197 pounds, Michael Blackwell led Chris Iammarino 5-3 with inside of five seconds remaining in the match. An unsuccessful counter of a takedown attempt by Iammarino tied the bout up at five as time ran out. In OT, Blackwell needed just 14 seconds of the 60-second overtime to notch the match-winning takedown. Jermail Porter then held off Jason Marshall by a 3-1 count at 285.
At the top of the order, Nic Bedelyon found himself trailing early on against Heath Allen. But in the second, he forced Allen to count the lights and the pin was called at the 3:23 mark.
With a 24-0 lead, Dan Mitcheff exchanged points with Quentin Keyes throughout the first period. However, the veteran Mitcheff eventually pulled away for the 8-3 win.
At 141 pounds, Drew Lashaway looked to notch the 4-2 win but was hit with two stalling calls and the match would go to OT. Lashaway had little trouble notching the takedown in overtime.
Collecting takedowns and escapes, Sponseller nit and picked his way to a 6-0 win to set the stage for the night's final match. However, the Bobcats would get the decision in the final match to avoid the shutout.
Cannot Make it to the MAC Center?
If you cannot make it to the MAC Center for the final home meet for a very successful senior class, log on to Kentstatesports.com for free video of the event. The match will also be covered by Kent State's own television station, TV-2.
A Class for the Ages
Friday night at 7:05 p.m. in the M.A.C. Center will be the final home dual of their collegiate career for six Kent State seniors. They will battle the Ohio Bobcats, who are tied with KSU and Central Michigan atop the Mid-American Conference standings at 2-0
The 2008-09 seniors, the first recruits in the Jim Andrassy era, are one of the most successful classes in school history. They have a combined individual-match record of 438-253 (.634 percentage) and have a team record of 53-16-1 (.768). They are currently 14th in the nation with a 10-4 record and 2-0 in the MAC.
Ranked third in the nation individually, 285-pounder Jermail Porter (Akron, Ohio/Firestone) currently has a 23-1 record. Earlier this season en route to the Southern Scuffle title, Porter became the seventh Kent State wrestler to eclipse the 100-win mark. Porter is looking for his third consecutive bid to the NCAA championships and end Kent State's 23-year All-American drought.
Drew Lashaway (Bowling Green, Ohio/Pemberville Eastwood), a four-year starter for KSU at 141 pounds, went from unranked in the preseason to 11th in the nation with a 24-5 record. Lashway looks to make his second consecutive appearance at the NCAA wrestling Championships. He is 84-45 for his Kent State career.
Looking to make his first trip to the NCAA tournament, Eric Chine (Austintown Ohio/Austintown Fitch) is ranked 23rd in the nation with a 17-9 record. Earlier this season, Chine became only the eighth wrestler to eclipse the 100-win mark at Kent State. Chine is 101-48 in his KSU career.
Rounding out the senior class are 197-pounder Michael Blackwell (Beachwood, Ohio/Beachwood), 149-pounder Clint Sponseller (Glenmont, Ohio/Millersburg West Holmes) and Clayton Stark (Westlake, Ohio/Lakewood St. Edward). Blackwell is 46-34 in his career with a runner-up finish at 197 pounds at the 2008 MAC Championships. Sponseller, who transferred to Kent State from Air Force, is 72-48 in his collegiate career and finished fourth at the 2008 MAC Championships.
Stark, who was Andrassy's first commit at Kent State, is 26-37 for his career with a fourth place finish at the 2008 Body Bar Invite and a fourth at the 2005 MAC Championships in the 133-pound weight class.
Middleweights to take Center Stage
Rankings-wise, the best match-up of the dual will occur at 184 when fifth-ranked, redshirt freshman Dustin Kilgore does battle with 25th-ranked Erik Schuth of Ohio. Both wrestlers are 3-0 against common opponents Joe Budi of Old Dominion, Mickey Moran of Buffalo and Brad Deickhaus of Northern Illinois.
However, many matches look to be close, according to the monthly MAC rankings. Redshirt freshman Ross TIce is second while Clay Tucker of Ohio is third at 157 pounds. At 165, redshirt junior Obie Simpson currently sits third and Tommy Weinkam is second. At 174, Jacob Ison is second while redshirt sophomore Chris Estep is third.
History Achieved
With a 7-5 win Jan. 31 over Matthew Wilps of Pittsburgh, fifth-year senior Eric Chine becomes the second grappler this year and eighth overall to record 100 wins in their Kent State career.
On Dec. 29, fifth-year senior Jermail Porter joined the exclusive club with a pin of Dustin Porter of Gardner-Webb in 3:51. It was also Porter's 20th pin of his KSU career, which ties him for ninth on the all-tine career pins list.
The 100-Win Club
1. Alex Carmago 126 2001-06
2. Nick Nemeth 121 1999-2003
3. Jermail Porter 111 2004-Present
4. Steve Reedy 110 1977-81
4. Mike Tolar 110 1999-2004
6. Kurt Gross 107 2003-08
7. Jim Andrassy 106 1990-94
8. Eric Chine 101 2004-Present
Another Champion Bites the Dust
Fifth year senior Drew Lashaway, who had only six pins in his career going into this season, continues to record falls at critical times for Kent State.
If pinning returning national champion J. Jaggers at Ohio State was not enough, Lashaway also pinned Patrick McLemore of Northern Illinois (1/24), who defeated him 8-6 last year in the MAC Tournament.
Next Up for the Golden Flashes
Kent State will have a quick turnaround when they travel to Ypsilanti, Mich. to take on the Eastern Michigan Eagles Sunday at 4 p.m.
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