Huskies win seven of 10 bouts with a fall and a forfeit in 27-9 road victory
FAYETTE, Iowa. – No. 5 St. Cloud State Wrestling won seven of 10 matches with a forfeit and a fall to earn a 27-9 win over No. 10 Upper Iowa in Fayette on Thursday evening. The Huskies won four matches decided by two points or less, grinding out a tough win at Dorman Gymnasium.
The Huskies opened the match at heavyweight, where Elijah Novak dropped a tight 2-0 decision to No. 10 Zach Ryg. Paxton Creese brought the team score even at three with a 5-3 decision over Colby Lopez at 125, dominating early in the match to put together a lead.
Caleb Meekins made a big statement at 133, dragging down Kaden Anderlik twice early in their bout and controlling on top. The Huskies’ 133-pounder found his way to a cow catcher midway through the second, flattening Anderlik for the fall at 3:27.
No. 11 Alyeus Craig dropped a 4-2 decision to No. 4 Tate Murty at 141, then No. 8 Joey Bianchini squared off with Ethen Doty at 149. Bianchini bounced back from a 4-0 deficit early after giving up a takedown and two back points, turning a reversal and proceeding to outscore Doty 5-0 for a 5-4 decision.
Blake Legred recorded his seventh straight shutout at 157, blanking Eric Faught 5-0 as he dominated in the controlling position. A two-point tilt in the second helped Legred keep momentum, breaking Faught down then wrestling strong on his feet to close out the decision.
A key milestone was reached at 165 as Anthony Herrera earned his 75th collegiate win with a 5-3 decision over Ryan Steffen. Bryce Dagel followed with a 3-2 decision over Scott Kellenberger at 174 thanks to a strong second where he earned his escape and turned back around to score a takedown.
Bryce FitzPatrick got to his offense early to build up a 5-1 lead over Colter Bye at 184 before a wild third sent the match to sudden victory, where Bye earned a 8-6 decision. The Peacocks forfeited at 197, wrapping up the 27-9 Huskies victory.
St. Cloud State and Upper Iowa have wrestled their final conference dual as the Peacocks depart to the GLVC next season, ending the all-time NSIC series with the Huskies leading 13-2.
No. 5 St. Cloud State 27, No. 10 Upper Iowa 9
HWT: No. 10 Zach Ryg (UIU) dec. Elijah Novak (SCSU), 2-0
125: No. 7 Paxton Creese (SCSU) dec. Colby Lopez (UIU), 5-3
133: Caleb Meekins (SCSU) fall Kaden Anderlik (UIU) at 3:27
141: No. 4 Tate Murty (UIU) dec. Alyeus Craig (SCSU), 4-2
149: No. 8 Joey Bianchini (SCSU) dec. Ethen Doty (UIU), 5-4
157: Blake Legred (SCSU) dec. Eric Faught (UIU), 5-0
165: Anthony Herrera (SCSU) dec. Ryan Steffen (UIU), 5-3
174: Bryce Dagel (SCSU) dec. Scott Kellenberger (UIU), 3-2
184: Colter Bye (UIU) dec. Bryce FitzPatrick (SCSU), 8-6 SV-1
197: No. 10 Dominic Murphy (SCSU) by forfeit
Quotables – St. Cloud State head coach Steve Costanzo
“I thought overall it was a pretty good performance. We had a couple hiccups in there that could have gone our way but didn’t – overall we were happy to get out of there with the W.”
“There was a lot of matches that could have gone either way, on both sides. Fortunately seven of the 10 went our way. I think a couple situations came down to riding, a couple turns here or there that made the difference.”
On Caleb Meekins’ pin… “He wants the job. He’s going out there, he’s focused and he’s on a mission. We’ve got some competition there at that weight class to see who the starter’s going to be. He took advantage of his opportunity.”
“Nothing rattles them. This group has kept their composure all year. We went into so-called enemy territory in Fayette, Iowa, and they weren’t intimidated by it at all. They showed it in the way they competed.”
“We’re going to keep wrestling them. We’ll keep our duals going with each other. It doesn’t make any difference whether they’re in the conference or not, we’re still going to compete against them.”
“It’s a big month for us. We’re finishing up our dual campaign with three left, we have the regional tournament at the end of the month – we have to get some guys healthy, we have to continue to keep improving. That’s what we’re going to keep doing.”
Up Next
The Huskies will send a corps of wrestlers to the Don Parker Open at UW-Eau Claire on Saturday before returning to dual action next weekend at No. 14 Mary and (RV) Minot State.
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.