Huskies win first six matches to take final road dual of 2022-23
MINOT, N.D. – No. 5 St. Cloud State Wrestling won their first six matches on their way to a dominant 24-12 win over Minot State at the MSU Dome on Saturday afternoon, closing out their road schedule a perfect 6-0.
No. 11 Sam Spencer opened the dual with a thrilling bout at 133, earning a tight 8-7 decision over James Davis with the riding time point deciding the match. At 141, No. 11 Alyeus Craig wrapped things up quickly – tech falling Isaac Ortega 18-0 with 21 seconds to go in the first period. Craig jumped in for two early and put on a clinic in the controlling position, tilting Ortega for four nearfalls to secure the tech fall.
No. 8 Joey Bianchini added an 8-4 decision at 149 over Kelby Armstrong, scoring three takedowns in addition to the riding time point and his second-period escape. 157-pounder Blake Legred extended his shutout streak to eight with a 5-0 decision over Nathan Baca. Legred rode out the second period after a takedown and a two-point tilt in the first, locking in his 11th consecutive win.
Jimmy Pierandozzi gave the Huskies their second bonus-point win of the dual at 165, earning a 12-2 major decision over Austin Frantzich on the strength of five takedowns. Bryce Dagel grinded out a 7-2 decision over Cannon Potts at 174, riding out the second after a takedown and finishing the third by adding another takedown and riding out following a neutral start.
Minot State earned their first bout win at 184 as Cayden White earned an 8-4 decision over Shaeden Scheidt. No. 10 Dominic Murphy helped the Huskies bounce right back at 197, winning a 6-4 decision over Dustin Swisher. Elijah Novak lost a hard-fought 2-0 decision to No. 9 Jake Swirple at heavyweight before SCSU forfeited at 125, closing out the 24-12 Huskies win.
The Huskies added a fall in an extra match as 184-pounder Tyson Meyer pinned Shane Hanson at 4:39.
Feb. 11, 2023 | MSU Dome | Minot, N.D.
No. 5 St. Cloud State 24, (RV) Minot State 12
133: No. 11 Sam Spencer (SCSU) dec. James Davis (MSU), 8-7
141: No. 11 Alyeus Craig (SCSU) TF Isaac Ortega (MSU), 18-0 at 2:39
149: No. 8 Joey Bianchini (SCSU) dec. Kelby Armstrong (MSU), 8-4
157: Blake Legred (SCSU) dec. Nathan Baca (MSU), 5-0
165: Jimmy Pierandozzi (SCSU) MD Austin Frantzich (MSU), 12-2
174: Bryce Dagel (SCSU) dec. Cannon Potts (MSU), 7-2
184: Cayden White (MSU) dec. Shaeden Scheidt (SCSU), 8-4
197: No. 10 Dominic Murphy (SCSU) dec. Dustin Swisher (MSU), 6-4
HWT: No. 9 Jake Swirple (MSU) dec. Elijah Novak (SCSU), 2-0
125: Oscar Nellis (MSU) by forfeit
Quotables – St. Cloud State head coach Steve Costanzo
“I thought we performed fairly well today. We did a good job in our first few matches controlling tieups and controlling the pace. We got some bonus points in there out of Alyeus and Jimmy, I really liked how those guys wrestled. And of course Blake Legred, who still has not allowed a point in I don’t know how many matches – he has done a phenomenal job filling in for Nick Novak at 157 pounds.”
On Blake Legred’s eight straight shutouts… “I don’t really recall a stretch of dominance like that in terms of not allowing a point – there’s always been guys that would come in and get falls, majors and tech falls, but for an individual to not allow a point is pretty significant.”
On winning the first six matches… “Momentum is so powerful – I’ve talked about that before. We actually discussed that before the match, starting off strong. Starting at 133 pounds with Sam Spencer, he got a W there against a pretty decent kid, and from there we just fed off each other and really got the ball rolling in our favor. It took Minot out of the match early, and it took their fans out of the match as well.”
On Alyeus Craig’s stellar season at 141… “He just continues to build confidence. He’s a nice-sized 141-pounder, he’s filled into the weight class pretty well. I think he’s getting bigger as we speak – he’s continuing to grow, and therefore he’s getting stronger. When you combine that with the fact he’s having success and building that confidence, it will definitely go in his favor towards the end of the year.”
On Bryce Dagel’s effort at 174… “He’s gaining confidence and gaining experience. Filling in for Abner Romero, it’s been a great opportunity for him. These matches are invaluable in terms of gaining experience. He’s taken advantage of the time he’s been given, and he’s done a nice job for us.”
“We have to continue to improve. We always tell our guys – there’s not a lot of time left, but there’s a lot of hours left. There’s plenty of hours left to continue to improve. And we have to get healthy. We’ll be spending the next week and a half here trying to heal our guys up, trying to get healthy and ready for the Regional Tournament.”
Up Next
The Huskies return home for their regular-season finale at Halenbeck Hall against No. 22 Southwest Minnesota State on Thursday, February 16. SCSU will honor their seniors and begin the dual at 7:00 p.m. CT in St. Cloud.
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.