Ohio (6-5, 2-3 Mid-American Conference) was able to rally after a strong start from Kent State (5-14, 1-4 Mid-American Conference) to win 34-15 in the rivalry named "The Grudge Match."
125-pound class:
Kent State began the night with a defiant win in the 125-pound class. Bryce Skinner lost Ohio’s first match by a major decision to Adan Benavidez. This allowed the Golden Flashes to take an early 4-0 lead.
133-pound class:
Kent State kept its intensity up in the second bout of the night. Pablo Castro was able to secure 6 points for the Golden Flashes due to a first-period pin on the Bobcats' Malachi O’Leary.
141-pound class:
Ohio’s chances of victory appeared to dwindle with the conclusion of the third match of the evening. A tech fall by Kent State’s Billy Meiszner against Aidan Waszak would give Kent State a 15-0 lead with all the momentum needed to defeat Ohio.
Despite the score, it would be nothing but green the rest of the way.
149-pound class:
Derek Raike began the turnaround for the Bobcats. He would put Ohio on the board with a 12-9 decision victory against Matthew Ryan. The Bobcats would cut the lead to 12 at 15-3.
157-pound class:
Peyton Kellar was up next and showed the MAC why he’s ranked No. 1 in the conference in the 157-pound class. He manhandled the opposing Keegan Knapp with an impressive tech fall. This would improve Kellar’s record in the conference to 5-0.
165-pound class:
Using the momentum from the previous two results, Garrett Thompson was able to narrowly win by a decision 10-7. He pulled away late due to a takedown in the final seconds over Aaron Ferguson, netting 3 more points in the Bobcats charge. Thompson, like Keller, has yet to lose in the MAC.
174-pound class:
Sal Perrine was able to snag a win after losing his last match to the top wrestler in the MAC, Alex Cramer. Perrine was able to pin AJ Berkhart with help from his amazing use of the boundary to put Ohio in a position to take the lead during the next match at 17-15 Kent State.
184-pound class:
Previously 11-0 MAC wrestler Zayne Lehman improved his perfect record with a dominant tech fall. The fabulous effort put the Bobcats in a position to clinch the dual.
197-pound class:
Ohio would put the nail in the coffin for the Golden Flashes as Austin Starr was able to pin the red-hot Blake Schaffer in the second period to cement the comeback. Starr had been struggling recently but was able to rebound with the pin. Ohio clinched the match at 28-15.
285-pound class:
Although the dual was out of reach, Jordan Greer returned for the Bobcats after sitting out last week and kept the foot on the gas. He notched a first-round pin over the Golden Flashes' Josh Boggan to put 34 unanswered points over Kent State.
Ohio completed its comeback and won the dual by a final score of 34-15.
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