Wrestling Falls to Ohio in Home Finale
KENT, Ohio — Ohio University won seven of the 10 matches, including the final three, and easily defeated the Kent State University wrestling team, 22-9, in the Golden Flashes’ home regular season finale this afternoon (Feb. 13) at the M.A.C. Center in Kent.
Ohio improves to 10-11-1 overall and 3-1 in the Mid-American Conference with the win while Kent State falls to 7-14 overall, 1-3 MAC.
Despite the loss, junior Alex Camargo (Brook Park, Ohio/Berea) won his career best 30th match and improved to 30-4 on the season with a 13-6 victory over Brian Cesear at 184 pounds. Junior heavyweight Tomas Rodriguez (Orange, Ohio/Orange) won his ninth straight match with a 3-0 decision over Jeremiah Beltran to improve to 19-2, inching closer to the 20-win plateau.
Junior Jason Bake (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) had given Kent State a 3-0 lead with a 7-2 decision over Mike Allen at 149 pounds. But Ohio won the next three matches to take a commanding 10-3 lead.
Three-time All-American Jake Percival returned to action and earned a 15-3 major victory over redshirt freshman Kurt Gross (North Royalton, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) at 157 pounds to give Ohio the lead. Tony DeAna and Ryan Knapp then posted back-to-back decisions at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively.
After Camargo’s victory at 184 cut the lead to 10-6 and two matches later Rodriguez got KSU back within four points at 13-9. But Caleb Metcalf upset junior Drew Opfer (Sandusky, Ohio/St. Mary’s Central Catholic) at 125 pounds to start a string of three straight Bobcat victories to seal the victory.
Kent State, which will host the MAC Championship March 4-5, closes out the regular season on Friday night, Feb. 18, at defending conference champion and No. 9 Central Michigan University.
MATCH NOTES: Rodriguez is 15-0 in dual meet competition, including a 4-0 MAC record… Camargo won 29 matches as a redshirt freshman in 2002-03… the trio of Rodriguez (15-0), Bake (13-1) and Camargo (17-2) is 45-3 in dual meets overall and 10-2 in MAC duals… Bake has won four straight and 13-of-14 overall… Opfer had not lost two matches in a row all season… Percival had missed Ohio’s dual meet Friday night at West Virginia.
Ohio 22, Kent State 9
Feb. 13, 2005 “¢ M.A.C. Center (Kent, Ohio)
157: Jake Percival (O) maj. dec. Kurt Gross (K), 15-3
165: Tony DeAna (O) dec. Nick Brenner (K), 4-2
174: Ryan Knapp (O) dec. Ardian Ramadani (K), 4-3
184: Alex Camargo (K) dec. Brian Cesear (O), 13-6
197: Joel Weimer (O) dec. Nick Hiller (K), 3-1
Hwt: Tomas Rodriguez (K) dec. Jeremiah Beltran (O), 3-<0br> 125: Caleb Metcalf (O) dec. Drew Opfer (K), 8-3
133: Matt Smith (O) dec. Clayton Stark (K), 5-3
141: Jim Fowler (O) dec. Jason McGee (K), 7-2
Records:
Ohio (10-11-1, 3-1 MAC)
Kent State (7-14, 1-3 MAC)
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