Coming off an exhilarating win, Ohio is ready to face out-of-conference foe West Virginia.
Coach Joel Greenlee paced the length of the mat last week as Joel Shump scrambled around in hopes of preserving a victory for the Bobcats, who needed anything but a fall in order to win the match.
“Don’t give up the big points,” Greenlee said he thought to himself. “Just don’t get pinned. Stay off your back.”
Shump, a 133-pound redshirt freshman, held on, and so did Ohio (8-5, 4-4 Mid-American Conference), securing a 20-18 victory over Northern Iowa.
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The win was not only crucial for the Bobcats in terms of MAC play, but it was also important in terms of getting back into a rhythm.
“I think it’s a win we needed,” Greenlee said. “We’ve had a pretty tough stretch. We’ve had some guys that haven’t been healthy.”
On Sunday, the Bobcats will take their momentum on the road to Morgantown, West Virginia, as they take on the Mountaineers.
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Ohio and West Virginia (7-8) have met as out of conference opponents the past eight years, with each squad earning four victories.
Despite the familiar face, Greenlee expects a different Mountaineers team than he and his team are used to in Sammie Henson’s first year at the helm for West Virginia.
“They have a new coach so their style is going to be different,” Greenlee said. “I know their coach fairly well. His guys are going to go out and wrestle well and push the pace. They’re going to do everything we’re going to try and do. I think they’re a much improved West Virginia team.”
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The Mountaineers will host the Bobcats after coming off of a 27-7 loss to No. 8 Iowa State. They’ll only bring one nationally ranked wrestler to the lineup, 141-pound No. 16 Michael Morales.
Ohio will bring three nationally ranked wrestlers to Morgantown, including 174-pound redshirt junior No. 9 Cody Walters, 149-pound redshirt junior No. 12 Tywan Claxton and 197-pound redshirt junior No. 17 Phil Wellington.
Despite the multiple nationally ranked wrestlers in the lineup for the Bobcats, the most important may be a wrestler who took the mat for the first time in a month just last week.
Junior Kagan Squire battled with injury throughout the season, but returned to the lineup last week with a bang, earning a crucial pin late in the match to put the Bobcats in the lead.
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His pin was a symbol of the motto that Greenlee has given to the team for the second half of the season.
“Our motto throughout the last half of the year has been ‘Do your job’,” Greenlee said. “Some guy’s job is to go out and get bonus points, some guy’s job is to win, some guy’s job is to not give up bonus points. I expect the same things. Go out and do your job.”
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