Ohio (5-2, 3-0 Mid-American Conference), after having wrestled nearly 10 hours away from home in the Mid Major National Duals, returned back to Athens Sunday to compete against Edinboro (7-3, 1-2 MAC) in a conference dual.
Coming in, Edinboro looked like it had the upper hand, especially with a 7-2 record compared to Ohio’s 5-2 record, but that didn’t intimidate Ohio one bit. In the end, the Bobcats prevailed over the Fighting Scots 26-14, but there’s more to the story than just that.
There were struggles early in the contest for some of Ohio’s lower-weight divisions. In the 125 lbs. division, Ohio’s sophomore Ryan Meek simply didn’t have enough power to stop Edinboro’s freshman Chris Vargo. Vargo would win in a 14-6 major decision.
In the 133 lbs. weight division, Ohio’s redshirt senior TJ England faced similar issues to that of his peer against graduate student Colton Camancho. England tried his best, but Camancho would pull away with the win by a 15-4 major decision.
At this point, the score was 8-0 Edinboro, and it scored more after sophomore Anthony Ferraro and Ohio’s redshirt freshman Kaden Jett clashed in the 141 lbs. weight division.
The outcome doesn’t match the intensity and grittiness between these two wrestlers. Jett was an even matchup for Ferraro — he just couldn’t execute when he had to. Ferraro won in a 6-1 major decision. From this point forward, Ohio took control of its own arena.
“From 149 (weight division) on up, I really, really liked it,” Ohio coach Joel Greenlee said. “They went out there with some energy and scored some points. They tried to score early and often.”
The first Bobcat to do so was Ohio’s redshirt sophomore Derek Raike in the 149 lbs. weight division. Raike’s opponent, junior Colin Roberts, had no answer to Raike’s fierce competitiveness. Raike would score big for his team, winning in a 20-7 major decision.
The score was 11-4, which was still in favor of Edinboro, but that didn’t last long. In the 157 lbs. weight division, Ohio’s redshirt sophomore Logan Cravatas got the most cheers from those watching in the stands when he pinned Edinboro’s redshirt senior Ryan Michaels with 1 minute, 42 seconds left in the third period. His coach had some good words for him.
“I am so proud of that kid,” Greenlee said. “He comes in and works his tail off every day and has stepped in, and done an amazing job with it.”
In the 165 lbs. weight division, Ohio’s redshirt sophomore Jack Lledo knew the answers to the test when he faced junior Max Kirby. To Kirby’s credit, he didn’t go down without a fight. Lledo was on the verge of losing but managed to keep focused and eventually win 8-6 by decision.
Ohio was now on top with a score of 13-11. Redshirt junior Garrett Thompson, in the 174 lbs. weight division, was a master in his duel against Edinboro’s sophomore Brody Evans. The final result was a 15-0 technical fall by Thompson.
In the 184 lbs. weight division, one of Ohio’s better wrestlers lately, redshirt freshman Jeremy Olszko, was like trying to contain a bull in a china shop but in the best way possible. Edinboro’s Jared McGill couldn’t even make it to the end of the second period. Olszko would win by a 20-3 technical fall.
The 197 lbs. weight division saw Edinboro’s senior Nick Lodato challenge Ohio’s redshirt sophomore Austin Starr. This was a close duel, but Starr would come short, and Lodato won in an 8-6 major decision.
To end the afternoon on a high note, Ohio’s redshirt senior Jordan Greer bested Edinboro’s redshirt freshman Aden Roe in a matchup which felt like it lasted more than 7 minutes. Greer would eventually come out on top and win in a 5-3 decision.
Ohio’s next wrestling duel is back in The Convo Saturday to compete against Northern Illinois.
