BUENA VISTA- Va, The Southern Virginia University wrestling team lost a hard fought battle against the Maroons of Roanoke College on Wednesday night, 32-12. The contest was just the second dual match of the season for the Knights as they continue to compete in their first year in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
Coaches Quote:
On the general takeaways he saw from the match. "We have a young team, guys are working to get better. I see a lot of areas where we are improving and I'm proud of them for that. We have a lot of things to improve on but I'm proud of the dudes that won a match tonight, the work they put in and the improvements they have made were shown tonight."
Francisco Ramirez got the day started for the Knights in the 125 pound weight class against Jude Robson. The Maroon wrestler got the first points of the match as he got a quick two point takedown and worked the top position for a couple near fall points. Ramirez had a nice reversal for two points but Robson was able to get a reversal of his own and turned the advantage into a fall.
Jack Nelson faced off against a tough opponent in Corey Messick who was able to get a fall against the Southern Virginia wrestler early in the first period.
At 141 pounds Preston Holt went down 4-0 against Nick Kaufmann at the end of the first period. The Roanoke Wrestler was then able to get a one point escape and a quick two points to advance his lead 7-0 to end the second period. Ultimately ending the match with a 12-0 loss.
Elijah Blackwell was engaged in a battle with Andru Boyd both with neither scoring in the first period. Boyd was able to get an escape point early in the round, but Blackwell got a nice two point takedown on the edge of the mat to take the 2-1 lead. Boyd again got a one point escape and tied the score 2-2 at the end of the second. The Southern Virginia wrestler got an escape of his own after starting from the bottom position in the beginning of the third period, holding on for the 3-2 win.
At 157 pounds Weston Hirschi went down early and was unable to fight back, losing by fall in the first period.
Morgan Peterson showed his resilience in his match against Jacob Cherry that saw the Knight wrestler down 2-0 at the end of the first. A quick one point in the beginning of the second period pushed Cherry's lead 3-0. Peterson was able to capitalize on a scoring opportunity with a two point takedown of his own. The Roanoke wrestler again was able to score a one point escape furthering his lead 4-2 at the end of the second. Peterson got a fast one point escape from the bottom position cutting the deficit 4-3. Late match heroics were in store for the Peterson victory as he was able to score a two point takedown in the final seconds of the third period. Securing the win for the Knights 5-4.
Peterson on what was going through his mind at the end of the match; "I knew time was short and tried to go as hard as I could in the final seconds. At the very end I knew I had to stay on his leg and ride out the final seconds, it was a risky move dropping to my knee at the very end but I just knew I had to find a way to hold on."
Tyson Hoopes fought through the first period as he was able to have a 3-2 advantage after an escape and a last second takedown secured his lead. Josh Epperly was able to score some points of his own as an escape and a two point takedown gave him the 5-3 advantage at the end of the second period. Hoopes would not go out without a fight however as he scored an escape point early in the third putting the score 5-4. The comeback fell short though as the Epperly was able to come out on top.
At 184 pounds Ikia Garcia went down early 4-0. An escape by Garcia at the end of second cut the Roanoke lead 12-1. Garcia would end up losing the match 14-3.
Weston Memmott had an exhilarating match of his own that saw him go down early to Cam Cavins at 197 pounds. The Roanoke wrestler had Memmott on his back looking for a first period fall. The Knight wrestler however was able to pull off an incredible feat of athleticism, forcing the Maroon wrestler to his back. Memmott then flexed his strength as he was able to record a first period fall for the Knights.
In the final match of the night Igor Lakicevic lost a close one to Joshua Mancia at 285 pounds. Lakicevic was able to score several points on escape attempts but ultimately lost the match 9-4.
Southern Virginia will now travel to Collegeville, Pennsylvania to compete in the Will Abele Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 14.
For all the most up-to-date information regarding Southern Virginia University men's wrestling, please visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_wrestling on Instagram.
