Huskies win all ten bouts with seven bonus-point wins in regular-season finale
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – No. 5 St. Cloud State Wrestling dominated No. 22 Southwest Minnesota State on Thursday evening at Halenbeck Hall, winning all ten bouts with seven bonus-point wins en route to a 48-0 regular-season finale. The Huskies led 19-1 in takedowns and recorded three nearfalls to the Mustangs’ zero, recording four falls, a major decision and a tech fall alongside a forfeit at 133.
No. 7 Paxton Creese went to work right away in the first match of the night at 125, earning a fall of Ben Emrich. Creese built up a 6-2 lead through two and began the final period down, quickly winning a scramble to turn around into a reversal. The junior found himself in a great position and finished things off by sticking Emrich early in the third. Robby Horsman earned a forfeit win at 133, extending the lead to 12-0. No. 11 Alyeus Craig added a 5-3 decision over Hunter Pfantz at 141, wrestling strong on his feet to grind out the win.
Cameron Riggs went to work quickly at 149 in a match with Tyler Soltau, winning a quick scramble near the edge of the circle and dragging him down for two. Riggs rode out the first, then earned his escape in the second before adding two takedowns before the end of the period. The senior scored two more takedowns in the third to lock in a 12-4 major decision.
Blake Legred earned his ninth straight shutout at 157, blanking Sean Howk with a 1-0 decision with an escape in the second. Anthony Herrera cruised through Lucas Hodges at 165, scoring three nearfalls and dominating on top to finish a 16-0 tech fall at 5:51.
At 174, No. 1 Abner Romero made his return to the mat a short one – lulling Elijah Sterner into a trap, snapping him down on a switch and flattening him for the fall just 34 seconds in. Bryce FitzPatrick added a first-period fall at 184, pinning Kevin Bostwick near the edge of the circle after powering through for a takedown.
197-pounder and No. 10 Dominic Murphy made it three straight pins with a fall at 5:48 of Carter Marx, battling through multiple tieups to get into a good position and finish the match off. Elijah Novak capped things off with a ranked win at heavyweight, scoring a late takedown in the first period on a blast double to earn a 2-1 decision over No. 11 Jacob Dykes.
The Huskies added a bonus-point win in an extra match at 184 as Tyson Meyer earned a 13-2 major decision.
Feb. 16, 2023 | Halenbeck Hall | St. Cloud, Minn.
No. 5 St. Cloud State 48, No. 22 Southwest Minnesota State 0
125: No. 7 Paxton Creese (SCSU) fall Ben Emrich (SMSU) at 5:36
133: Robby Horsman (SCSU) by forfeit
141: No. 11 Alyeus Craig (SCSU) dec. Hunter Pfantz (SMSU), 5-3
149: Cameron Riggs (SCSU) MD Tyler Soltau (SMSU), 12-4
157: Blake Legred (SCSU) dec. Sean Howk (SMSU), 1-0
165: Anthony Herrera (SCSU) TF Lucas Hodges (SMSU), 16-0 at 5:51
174: No. 1 Abner Romero (SCSU) fall Elijah Sterner (SMSU) at 0:34
184: Bryce FitzPatrick (SCSU) fall Kevin Bostwick (SMSU) at 2:35
197: No. 10 Dominic Murphy (SCSU) fall Carter Marx (SMSU) at 5:48
HWT: Elijah Novak (SCSU) dec. No. 11 Jacob Dykes (SMSU), 2-1
Quotables – St. Cloud State head coach Steve Costanzo
“It’s always nice – we had 11 matches, 10 with the exhibition and one forfeit – it’s nice to come out of here winning all of those matches and take a little momentum with us into the regional tournament.”
On momentum being so critical at the end of the regular season… “Confidence is so huge this time of year. I just want our guys feeling good, feeling good about where they’re at by the end of the season and be ready to give their best performance of the year next week.”
On the three straight falls… “We put ourselves in good positions to get those falls. The nice thing is when we put them on their back, we didn’t let them off. A lot of matches this year, we’ve been in good situations where we’re on top and looking for a fall but we let it slip away. It was good to put guys on their backs and keep them there to get the falls.”
On the Huskies earning eight bonus-point wins… “That’s what it’s all about. I’m always pleased when our guys are scoring points and putting up major decisions, getting falls – I’m always pleased. We just need to keep that going.”
On celebrating the seven seniors… “It’s really nice. I’m really proud of all seven guys. To be able to wrestle in college for four, five, even six years – it’s super difficult, and it says a lot about of their character. They’re some of the toughest guys on the planet, and I give them a lot of credit.”
On the leadership of the seniors… “They have good leadership. A lot of them lead by example. Some kids don’t say a lot, but we have a lot of guys who live good lifestyles and do things the right way, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Looking ahead to the Super Regional… “Just going out and scoring points. Letting it fly, not holding back and taking advantage of our opportunities. It’s not every day you get to wrestle in the regional championships – there’s only 10 of our guys who get that opportunity. Take advantage of that opportunity and go out and do the best you can.”
UP NEXT – The Huskies and Mustangs both travel to Aberdeen, S.D., to compete at the Super Region V Championships starting at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25.
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.