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RESULTS -- Northern State Dual -- Briar Cliff Brackets
Dickinson State powered through Northern State University on Thursday, winning the dual 31-9, with wins by Angel Olea (125), Blake Hunter (133), Edgar Mercado (141), Jordan Ewen (149), Robert Carothers (157), Cameron Schrempp (174), Brett Mathern (184) and Jake Kallestad (197).
Hunter’s win was by major decision, 15-6. The other wins by the Blue Hawks were decision (five) and one by default (Olea) and another by forfeit (Mathern).
Following that comp0etition, the Blue Hawks competed in the Briar Cliff University Open on Saturday.
Again it was Kallestad who led the way for DSU. In the 197-lb division, Kallestad whipped three opponents to take the division title. His first bout was won by technical fall, out-scoring Nate Lemmings (Bacone College) 17-1 and from there is when he really ratcheted-up his performance. His next two contests both resulted in falls: Matt Bates (Wayne State) suffered a pin at 2:00 and then it was Justin Rau (Grand View University) whose day ended in the same fashion at 6:30 of the championship match.
Additional top performances were turned in by Blake Hunter (133) and Matt Pridgeon (149) who both took 3rd place; and Cameron Schrempp (174) who claimed 4th place in his class.
Hunter collected two falls in his seven wins. He was awarded a third fall by disqualification and also had a technical fall victory over Cameron Ream (Oklahoma City) 16-0 late in the wrestleback rounds. Hunter finally won a decision over Travis Evans (Grand View University) in the third place bout.
Pridgeon won five matches, including a 6-5 decision in the third place bout over teammate Nate Schweitzer who had beaten Pridgeon 3-2 in an earlier match-up. All five of Pridgeon’s wins were by decision attesting to the senior’s sense of perseverance. Solid Showing by Blue Hawks in North Country Open Demonstrates Team Depth
The Blue Hawks had an excellent showing recently at the North Country Open hosted by St John’s University in Collegeville, Minn.
The highest finishers were Cameron Schrempp’s runner-up in the 174-lb division, losing on a 6-3 decision in the finals. Steven Urquizo (165) and Brett Owen (184) took 4th place in their respective weight classes. Edgar Mercado (141) and Robert Carothers (157) claimed 5th place; Colt Goff (174) and Frank Lopez (285) finished 6th; Shane Bennett (174) 7th; and Blake Hunter (133), Jordan Ewen (149) and Robert Elias (285) all ended up in 8th place.
The meet is one of the tougher if not deeper wrestling tournaments in the region, so for Schrempp, a sophomore, to blast through three competitors in a 32-man field was impressive. He pinned his first two foes in the opening periods of each bout in a total of 2:54 (Gabe Vasquez, Waldorf College, 1:10; Dustin Raygor, St John’s, 1:44). Schrempp then dispatched Dennis Reckelberg (Univ. Wisc. Stevens Point) in a 7-3 decision before squaring off against Zach Molitor (Augsburg) for the championship.
Urquizo won four matches on the day. He is proving himself as a quality wrestler with one of his wins coming by fall (Jake Grygelko, Augsburg, 3:13) to get to the 3rd place match, and two of his wins by major decision. The first, 14-1, was against Kurt Salmen (St. Cloud State) and the other was suffered by Tyler Wells (NDSU) by a 14-1 margin.
Owen’s path to 4th place took three victories. He pinned Chris White (Waldorf College) in a brisk 1:27 in Owen’s opening match. Later, he earned a technical fall by piling up an 18-3 margin over James Carlson (St. John’s). Owen was turned back by Will Johnson (NDSU) in the 3rd place bout, 12-6.
Both Mercado and Carothers won their last matches of the day. Although Mercado’s win was granted by forfeit, he had claimed three on-mat wins to get there. Carothers had five wins on the day. After two wins in his 30-man bracket, Carothers was pushed to the wrestle-backs after a 4-0 decision loss to Mike Sandy (Wartburg College). Not to despair however, as Carothers won two more matches and finally ended up wrestling for 5th place against Sandy’s teammate Chris Tims. Carothers perhaps gained a measure of respect, taking a comfortable 13-6 decision over Tims. #12 Blue Hawks Clash With #17 Jimmies at Scott Gym; DSU Prevails 35-3
Intra-state rival Jamestown College arrived at Scott Gym tonight in a North Region tilt that was expected to be tight all the way through the 10 weight classes. DSU prevailed by a surprising 35-3, in a win that should give them confidence as the season winds down to its most exciting six weeks.
Both programs are of high caliber; according to the most recent national polls (January 19), DSU is rated #12 and JC #17 in the NAIA. Additionally both rosters are well-stocked with ranked wrestlers on the national level--the Blue Hawks with four and the Jimmies with three.
In the North Region, the Hawks claim the top team spot, with Jamestown ranked at the third slot. Dickinson State put nine men on the mat tonight that were ranked #6 or better in the region including Robert Carothers (157) and Jake Kallestad (197) who are ranked #1 in their respective divisions. Jamestown put eight men on the mat who are similarly qualified: that octet ranked #5 or better in the region including Joseph Michel (133) and Willie Hernandez (285) who both top their respective divisions.
So tonight held great expectations for both sides and there was plenty of drama too, especially as the fifth match of the dual closed. In it, nationally ranked Sean Blumhardt (125), in Jamestown’s only win of the night, edged Elias Armendariz, 3-2 and the Hawks’ lead was trimmed to 13-3.
There was plenty of mat time left, at the halfway point (The teams started with the 174-lb match and worked through three more upper divisions before the 125-lb bout.). Jamestown's time, if it had a chance to seize momentum of the dual, was now. And certainly they had their opportunity.
However, Dickinson State’s Blake Hunter (133-lbs) turned a 5-1 deficit into an 8-5 win over Jamestown College’s Joseph Michel and that decision turned the momentum back to the Blue Hawks. The final team score was deceptive, because after Hunter’s decision, the Hawks were not to be denied.
In rapid succession, in the final four matches, Edgar Mercado (141) posted a major decision (17-6), Jordan Ewen won by decision (5-0), and then Robert Carothers (157) and Steven Urquizo (165) closed out the night’s competition by pinning their opponents. Carothers had more than one golden opportunity, and in fact, recorded near-fall points before taking Brandon Roehrich at 6:34. Urquizo’s pin against Pat Nord came in a swifter 4:45.
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