The Bobcats round out the regular season with a win over Cleveland State
If you’re looking for a microcosm of the Ohio’s season, look no further than Sunday’s victory over Cleveland State.
The nationally ranked wrestlers for the Bobcats shined, going undefeated on the evening, while the other weight classes struggled to hold their own, winning just two of the six matches against the Vikings.
But whatever came the Bobcats way, they prevailed over an opponent that they faced.
Down 15-3 with three weight classes to go, it was 149-pound redshirt junior No. 11 Tywan Claxton who again stole the show for the Bobcats, earning a pin over Nick Montgomery and giving the Bobcats a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
“Up until that point,” coach Joel Greenlee said. “It was pretty back and forth. We got the opportunity to come back and for Tywan, that’s his usual. That’s his first pin of the year.”
Claxton’s victory pushed his record on the year to 25-3.
The other nationally ranked wrestlers who won included 174-pound redshirt junior Cody Walters, who kicked off the match with a win via an injury default, 197-pound redshirt junior No. 17 Phil Wellington, who earned a 16-5 major decision, and 165-pound No. 25 Harrison Hightower, who ended the match with a 7-0 decision.
The Bobcats were down 11-10 halfway through the match as Cleveland State’s nationally ranked wrestlers, 285-pound No. 17 Riley Shaw and 125-pound No. 17 Ben Willeford won back-to-back matches.
Those wins by the Vikings were no surprise, as the Bobcats have struggled at weight classes held by freshmen: 285-pound Jesse Webb, 125-pound Zak Hassan, and 141-pound Joel Shump.
Josh Parrett, 133-pound freshman, was the only freshman to win on the evening, claiming a 3-1 decision, his first duel win of the season.
With duel competition now over, Ohio has two weeks to get prepared for the Mid-American Conference tournament in Columbia, Missouri on March 7.
Greenlee thinks that entire team has potential to surprise during the conference tournament, not just those who are nationally ranked.
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