Beaver Wrestling Supporters,
It
was a great day for the Oregon State Wrestling community on and off the
mat. Prior to the meet, Mike Denison joined The Fall board in the
lobby, greeting fans and handing out bout sheets. It was my first time
seeing him since his massive stroke in early December and while he is
still not able to speak much, his eyes and expressions told me he was
digesting everything as I caught him up on board activity of the past
two months. Very few people have the passion and level of dedication
that Mike has to Oregon State Athletics and we are so lucky to have his
leadership in our community. Welcome back to your native land, Mike!
Thanks to Brett Waner for an entertaining recap of today’s meet.
*****
Brandon Kaylor kicked off Saturday afternoon against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a 2nd
major in as many days. 15 - 4 final score after 2 takedowns in the
first 25 seconds, followed up by 2 rounds of 2 point near falls.
Brandon struggled in the 2nd period as he couldn’t escape the clutches of Jayden Carson and suffered a 2 point near fall during the period. The 3rd
period was all Brandon as he picked up a 4 point near fall and rode the
entire period. Brandon won 8 of his last 9 and is surging at the right
time.
Devan
Turner kept the fans a bit nervous in this one. After a quick takedown
15 seconds into the match, the two wrestlers traded points until the
end. The 8 – 6 final score required some 3rd period strength
and determination for Devan to get the win. Paul Bianchi took a shot
on Devan and despite having the positional advantage was overpowered by
Devan for 2 OSU points. After giving up an escape, Devan then bulled
his way into another takedown with 30 seconds remaining to secure the
win.
Grant Willits rolled to the 2nd
major decision of the day with a 10 – 0 win. The match started with
plenty of action but no scoring until Grant turned what looked to be a
cradle by Conner Ward into a takedown of his own. Grant finished the
period on top and quickly escaped as he summersaulted into freedom. The
3rd period was all Willits as his takedown was followed up by a 4 point near fall and a ride out to end the match.
Lane
Stigall kept things going for the Beavers with a 9 – 3 win. Lane
dominated this match from the start finishing with 2:50 riding time at
the end of the first plus a takedown and 2 back points. The momentum
continued into the 2nd period as Lane started with a reversal
followed by 2 back points. It looked as though Lane might secure
another major decision for the Beavers until a 3rd period cradle by Tyler Brennan ended those thoughts.
Logan
Meek showed signs of life this weekend as he doubled his season win
total with 2 straight victories Logan’s quick single leg takedown was
offset by a reversal and more blow for blow tradeoffs to finish the
period 5 – 5 though Logan’s opponent had over a minute time advantage.
The 2nd was all Logan as his cradle netted him a 4 point
near fall. Another 2 back points in the third followed by an injury
timeout with 15 seconds remaining. Both sides agreed to no action in
the closing 15 seconds to avoid a forfeit. The 12 – 6 final score and 2
win weekend garnered Logan an opportunity to display his speaking
skills at the Fall Club social after the match. There he commanded the
mic just as he did his opponent, confidently responding to whatever
Scott Lewis threw his way.
Aaron
Olmos got to enjoy time on the mat for the first time this weekend in
an 11 – 6 victory after a forfeit win on Friday. Olmos dug deep in his
wrestling arsenal with a cradle, lift and throw and a reversal. He also
managed to power out of a single leg and bulled through his opponent
for a takedown.
Jackson McKinney dominated his opponent ending the match in the 2nd
period with a 15 – 0 victory. McKinney started with a takedown
manufactured by him circling around his opponent. That quickly evolved
into a 4 point near fall and 2 additional back points. The 2nd period included another takedown and 4 more near fall points to end the match.
Colt
Doyle made his presence felt this weekend with 2 straight shutouts.
Saturday’s 16 – 0 performance was pure domination though it started with
the most gentle takedown ever seen by this fan. Colt hung his opponent
in the air by a leg and softly laid him onto the mat for his first 2
points. It ended quickly after that with 4, 4, 2 and 4 near fall points
were awarded to close the match before the first period came to a close
with a tech fall.
JJ
Dixon had the only fall of the night. Random sidenote, JJ’s cousin
gives great Lyft rides in Pittsburgh. The Iwasakis, Jess Lewis, Scott
Lewis and Bob Hawkins were surprised at the NCAAs when their driver
mentioned he had a cousin on the Beaver Wrestling team named JJ Dixon.
JJ started his match with a powerful takedown including 2 back points.
Had Dixon not been at the sideline, he may have pinned during the
opening moments. Action was instead moved back to center. It was in
the 2nd period and after a sequence of 2, 2, and 2 back points that Dixon secured the fall.
Jamarcus
Grant enjoyed a night off as his opponent wasn’t feeling lucky and
opted to head for the bus early. (Jamarcus was awarded a forfeit.)
*****
We
followed the meet with a high-energy social in the Loge. This week we
had enough food, a microphone that worked, great door prizes and an
energetic crowd celebrating the OSU Wrestling program. Shout out to
John Kowalewski who procured the door prizes and for the silent auction,
he crafted a custom OSU Wrestling wooden wine bottle stand that holds 2
wine glasses.
Thanks
to everyone who was there to be a part of this weekend! We encourage
all to join us next Saturday for our final home meet at 1pm vs Cal
Poly. The Fall will host a social after the meet and we are told 4x
All-American, 1980 National Champion heavyweight and OW Howard Harris
will be with us. I’ll get more information from Scott Spiegelberg and
send an update.
Go Beavs!
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