Huskies drop first dual of 2022-23 in hotly-contested match with Rangers
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – In a dual that came all the way down to a sudden-victory final bout at heavyweight, No. 3 St. Cloud State Wrestling lost 20-19 by a criteria point to No. 9 UW-Parkside on Thursday evening at Halenbeck Hall.
Tied at 19-19 after the conclusion of the evening’s 10 bouts, the Rangers were awarded the criteria point on individual matches won with a 6-4 edge. The loss marks the Huskies’ first at Halenbeck Hall since February 14, 2010, snapping a 53-match home winning streak. SCSU also saw their 88-match NSIC dual win streak cut short with Thursday’s result.
SCSU began the evening by dropping their opening match at 125, taking an 11-3 major decision to fall into a 4-0 hole. No. 12 Caleb Meekins injected life into Halenbeck with a fall of Matthew Chi late in the second period of the 133 bout. Meekins opened up early on Chi with a pair of takedowns in the first, then caught him in a snapdown try with a cattlecatcher to earn the fall with just seconds to go in the second period.
The Huskies’ two point lead would not last long, as UW-Parkside earned back-to-back stunning decisions at 141 and 149 for a 10-6 advantage. Late period tilts were key in both matches as Parkside’s 141-pounder earned a 5-3 decision with two swipes as the clock counted down in the third while four backpoints at the end of the first gave the Rangers the edge at 149.
Banged-up No. 4 Nick Novak stepped up to keep St. Cloud State in it at 157, earning a 5-2 decision over No. 12 Ben Durocher. After entering the third period tied at two, Novak chose down and earned his escape before adding one on a stall warning then scoring a late takedown.
Jimmy Pierandozzi wrestled up a weight for St. Cloud State at 165, earning a bout with No. 1 Shane Gantz. Pierandozzi electrified the crowd with a takedown and a two-point nearfall after escaping in the second, adding his escape in the third to send the match to sudden victory tied at seven. Gantz earned the 9-7 decision to spoil the upset bid, extending the Rangers’ lead to 13-9.
No. 1 Abner Romero stepped up at 174, rolling to a 16-1 tech fall with a classic display of tilts with three four-point nearfalls. He closed out his match at 4:14, retaking the lead for SCSU at 14-13. The Huskies then dropped their 184-pound match by a 6-3 decision, falling behind 16-14 in the team score.
At 197, No. 4 Dominic Murphy bulldozed Joe Swanson with a 19-4 tech fall. The Huskies’ takedown leader went to work on the single leg, scoring six takedowns in his bout along with a reversal and a four-point nearfall. Murphy’s tech put St. Cloud State back in front 19-16 and set up a decisive bout at heavyweight – UW-Parkside already held the edge at 5-4 in individual matches, with a decision earning the criteria point.
The dual’s final bout went to sudden victory after both heavyweights earned their escape point, ending with a takedown for No. 10 Lloyd Reynolds near the edge of the circle off a scramble to clinch the win.
No. 9 UW-Parkside 20, No. 3 St. Cloud State 19
Jan. 12, 2023 | Halenbeck Hall | St. Cloud, Minn.
125: No. 9 Shane Corrigan (UWP) MD No. 6 Paxton Creese (SCSU), 11-3
133: No. 12 Caleb Meekins (SCSU) fall Matthew Chi (UWP), 4:59
141: Cayden Henschel (UWP) dec. No. 8 Alyeus Craig (SCSU), 5-3
149: No. 10 Jalen Spuhler (UWP) dec. No. 4 Joey Bianchini (SCSU), 12-6
157: No. 4 Nick Novak (SCSU) dec. No. 12 Ben Durocher (UWP), 5-2
165: No. 1 Shane Gantz (UWP) dec. Jimmy Pierandozzi (SCSU), 9-7 SV-1
174: No. 1 Abner Romero (SCSU) TF Crosby Schlosser (UWP), 16-1 at 4:14
184: No. 10 Reece Worachek (UWP) dec. Bryce FitzPatrick (SCSU), 6-3
197: No. 4 Dominic Murphy (SCSU) TF Joe Swanson (UWP), 19-4 at 7:00
HWT: No. 10 Lloyd Reynolds (UWP) dec. Elijah Novak (SCSU), 3-1 SV-1
Quotables – St. Cloud State head coach Steve Costanzo
“Parkside did a great job of controlling the pace of the match, controlling tie-ups, attacking – they were ready to wrestle. They wanted it more. I think we have some better wrestlers, but they had tougher wrestlers, and it definitely showed in their performance today.”
“Our upperclassmen know what’s on the line. They had an opportunity to go out and score some big bonus points like Abner at 174. He goes out and gets the tech where he easily could have just went out, wrestled and got the win – but he knew our team needed five or six, and he went out and got the tech. Dom went out there and did the same thing, performed really well at 197. We had a great performance at 157. That kid…Nick wasn’t even supposed to be there tonight, but he stepped up for his team. He got it done for us. That’s the kind of competitor that he is.”
“I don’t think we learned anything about Parkside. We knew they were going to be tough – I certainly didn’t overlook them at all. I don’t think our guys even did. They were the better team tonight, they showed up and maybe we thought it was going to be an easy match. Those guys are tough, they’re competitors, and they had a great performance.”
“We’ll see where we go from here on Sunday. We’ll see how we bounce back, see what kind of character they have and go from there.”
Up Next
The Huskies continue NSIC action on Sunday, January 15 at home against (RV) Augustana. First whistle is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CT at Halenbeck Hall.
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.