St. Cloud State wins nine of 10 matches with two ranked victories
ABERDEEN, S.D. – Two ranked Wolves went down as No. 5 St. Cloud State cruised to a 30-3 win over No. 20 Northern State at Wachs Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Huskies won the first six matches and dropped just one bout – a tight sudden-victory loss – in a dominant win over their conference foe.
Six Huskies earned the riding time point as SCSU piled up 24 takedowns, giving up just three to Northern State. The Huskies added six nearfalls on the afternoon.
No. 7 Paxton Creese started things off strong at 125, winning a 10-2 major decision over Landen Fischer. The Huskies’ 125-pounder opened the first with a pair of takedowns, adding another in the second and third plus the riding time and his escape for the bonus-point win.
No. 11 Sam Spencer rode the early momentum to build a 4-1 lead through one against Teagan Block at 133. Spencer rode hard in the second and earned his escape in the third before staying tough on his feet and wrestling through ties to keep Block off the board and win a 6-3 decision.
At 141, No. 11 Alyeus Craig ran into trouble early after taking down Kolton Roth, giving up a rare reversal and finding himself on his back for four swipes. Craig chose down in the second and got up before taking Roth down, giving up a late reversal then earning a penalty point. Settling back into his skill in the controlling position, Craig rode out the third with a pair of tilts for a 13-8 decision.
Tasked with a ranked opponent in No. 7 Wyatt Turnquist, Huskies 149-pounder and No. 8-ranked Joey Bianchini went to work and took care of business. Bianchini opened the first 4-1 with two takedowns, added another in the second then wrestled strong on his feet in the third to lock in a 7-2 decision – earning collegiate win No. 70.
Blake Legred drew the start at 157 for the second-straight night and stayed red-hot, dragging down Robert Coyle III early and riding out the first. Legred chose down in the second, earning his escape then adding another takedown and two tilts for an 11-0 lead through two. Starting neutral in the third, Legred shot in for another two and tilted Coyle III again for a 15-0 tech fall at 5:56. The redshirt junior has now won each of his last nine matches, outscoring opponents 68-2 in that span with eight shutouts, two tech falls and a major decision.
Anthony Herrera gave the Huskies a 6-1 decision over Chase Bloomquist at 165, moving just one win away from his 75th collegiate victory, then Bryce Dagel dropped a tight 8-6 decision to Kelby Hawkins in SV-1 at 174. Bryce FitzPatrick scored a late takedown at 184 to win a 4-3 decision over Sam Kruger, pushing the SCSU lead to 24-3.
197 provided a big test for No. 10 Dominic Murphy, drawing No. 3 Cole Huss. True to form, Murphy came out firing early in the first and brought down Huss with a pair of takedowns. Murphy turned Huss for a four-count, piling up an 8-1 lead before cutting him. The SCSU 197-pounder earned his escape in the second and added another takedown in the third, winning ties and staying strong on his feet for an 11-4 decision. Elijah Novak closed out the dual with a 5-2 decision at heavyweight, handling Northern’s Nathan Schauer.
Jan. 28, 2023 | Wachs Arena | Aberdeen, S.D.
No. 5 St. Cloud State 30, No. 20 Northern State 3
125: No. 7 Paxton Creese (SCSU) MD Landen Fischer (NSU), 10-2
133: No. 11 Sam Spencer (SCSU) dec. Teagan Block (NSU), 6-3
141: No. 11 Alyeus Craig (SCSU) dec. Kolton Roth (NSU), 13-8
149: No. 8 Joey Bianchini (SCSU) dec. No. 7 Wyatt Turnquist (NSU), 7-2
157: Blake Legred (SCSU) TF Robert Coyle III (NSU), 15-0 at 5:56
165: Anthony Herrera (SCSU) dec. Chase Bloomquist (NSU), 6-1
174: Kelby Hawkins (NSU) dec. Bryce Dagel (SCSU), 8-6 SV-1
184: Bryce FitzPatrick (SCSU) dec. Sam Kruger (NSU), 4-3
197: No. 10 Dominic Murphy (SCSU) dec. No. 3 Cole Huss (NSU), 11-4
HWT: Elijah Novak (SCSU) dec. Nathan Schauer (NSU), 5-2
Quotables – St. Cloud State head coach Steve Costanzo
“We had a little bit more energy than we did last night. We had a couple different bodies on the mat today, but overall it was a pretty good performance.”
“Dom just did a great job with handfighting. When he got ahead, he had a nice body lock to his back and was up pretty good there. The thing I liked about him the most was that he continued to attack when he was ahead. That impressed me. He didn’t hang on to a 8-1 lead, he continued to attack – that really made the difference.”
“You go out, Paxton wins the match 10-2 and gets the major – you win those first five weights, it’s such a momentum buster. It makes a huge difference. It makes the energy level very high for the next five matches, especially in duals. Momentum is the key, you have to keep momentum, and we did that.”
“What I’m seeing in Blake is a guy who’s waited his whole career for this opportunity. Four years later by sticking with it, keeping a good attitude and working hard, things are starting to pay off for him. I’m very happy for him, stepping in the lineup two nights in a row and getting wins for us – just really proud of him.”
“I liked what I saw out of Joey. He needed a good win against a quality opponent – he controlled the entire match, was never in any trouble. I’m really pleased with where he was at today both from a wrestling perspective and a mental perspective. It was a good win for him against a quality opponent.”
“We have to rest here a little bit. Take some time to rest our bodies and minds, come back on Monday in the weight room and Tuesday back on the mat. Go down there and just look forward to the challenge – it’s going to be a challenge. Upper Iowa’s a good team, I think they’re a top-five type team. It’s a hostile environment, we’ve been there before and know what to expect – we’re looking forward to it.”
Up Next
The Huskies continue their road stretch of conference duals with a Thursday tilt against No. 10 Upper Iowa. First bout is set for 7:00 p.m. CT in Fayette as SCSU looks for their fifth-straight NSIC win.
Information regarding single dual and season tickets can be found at scsutickets.com. For all the latest on St. Cloud State Wrestling, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.