WICHITA, Kan. — The Newman wrestling team ended the match with a bang, scoring three straight decisions in bouts that came down to the wire, but was unable to slip by Central Oklahoma Tuesday night, falling 29-12 in MIAA action at Fugate Gymnasium.
Freshman Heath Gray and sophomores Kyle Ryan and Dalton Weidl each scored the final takedown of their bouts in the third period to either break ties or stretch a narrow lead. Gray continued his bounce back after a slow start to the dual season, collecting three takedowns to top Mason Thompson, the No. 6 wrestler in Super Region 4, at 174 pounds.
Ryan followed at 184, using his quickness to register two takedowns to top Dylan Harmon, and Weidl made it three in a row in the bout of the night, which featured each grappler scoring four straight points at one point and the Jet countering for the winning takedown.
Junior Dustin Reed made it 10 straight wins with a workmanlike 4-1 decision over Zac D'Amico at 125. Nearly as impressive, Weidl's victory made it six straight wins in as many days for the sophomore.
Senior Colton Duhr actually started off a string of four competitive bouts to end the night after relative blowouts at the first six weights, battling despite giving up weight against the region's third-ranked wrestler at 165, Danny Carrillo.
The Jets get a few days off before hosting the Kansas Cup Sunday at Fugate Gymnasium, with action starting at 9 a.m.
Central Oklahoma 29, Newman 12
285: Kyle Factor, UCO won by forfeit.
125: Dustin Reed, NU dec. Zac D'Amico 4-1.
After a first three minutes that featured hand-fighting and little else as the two felt each other out, D'Amico earned the first point on an escape early in the second period. Reed didn't take long to go on the offensive this time, turning a single into a takedown 12 seconds later, riding D'Amico out and fighting off the tying takedown over the final 20 seconds of the bout to seal the win.
133: Blake Dauphin, UCO dec. Jake Gentzler 6-1
A quick escape after going down to start the second period netted Dauphin the first point of the match, and a tough ride to start the third eventually ended in a four-point nearfall on a tilt. Gentzler nearly popped through for the reversal, but could only manage the escape.
141: Joshua Ailey, UCO pinned Garrett Whitson 2:38
A quick takedown put Ailey ahead and in control. After getting turned Whitson for four back points, Whitson was able to escape to get on the board, but Ailey got back in on another takedown and was able to finish off the fall.
149: Spencer Rutherford, UCO tech. fall Forlanda Parker 5:28 (16-1)
Rutherford, the third-ranked wrestler in Super Region 4, took the pressure to Parker early, building up a 6-1 lead after one period and adding six more points by the end of the second on another two nearfalls. A takedown from neutral and another turn for two points ended the bout.
157: Jeromy Davenport, UCO won by forfeit.
165: Danny Carrillo, UCO dec. Colton Duhr 4-2.
Carrillo hit a takedown early in the first period and couldn't manage much more than that the rest of the way. After giving up an escape to make it 3-0 early in the second, Duhr countered a shot and ended up getting a takedown of his own to make it 3-2. Selecting neutral to start the third, Duhr got in on two deep shots against the No. 3-ranked wrestler in the region, but one was whistled out of bounds and the other was cut short by the final horn.
174: Heath Gray, NU dec. Mason Thompson 8-5.
Gray surrendered the first takedown of the match, but not much after that in topping the No. 6 wrestler in the region. A takedown with 15 seconds left in the first gave the freshman the lead, and he took the lead for good with another takedown on the edge midway through the second to make it 5-3. A quick escape and another takedown in the third period locked up the victory.
184: Kyle Ryan, NU dec. Dylan Harmon 4-3.
With an action-filled first period about to go scoreless, Ryan converted a shot into a takedown with less than 20 seconds left in the opening stanza. Harmon would escape before the horn, and quickly bounce out from under to start the second as well to tie things up at 2-2 before Ryan caught his leg midway through the third for what would be the winning takedown, holding off Harmon's final shots.
197: Dalton Weidl, NU dec. Brody Largent 6-5.
A takedown at the edge of the mat gave Weidl an early lead, but two straight escapes and a takedown from Largent put the UCO wrestler up 4-2. Weidle managed an escape near the end of the second period, and tied things up with one to start the third. The sophomore brought the most exciting match of the night to an end by wiggling his way out of a Largent shot and countering for a takedown of his own to break the tie and hold on for the one-point win.
