CLARION, Pa. – The overall bouts were tied but it was once again bonus points that made the difference as the Clarion wrestling team fell by a narrow 21-17 margin to the Ohio Bobcats at Tippin Gymnasium on Friday night.
The Golden Eagles (4-9, 1-3 EWL) will host conference rival Bloomsburg in their next action, set for Friday, February 10.
The two teams split the 10 bouts on the mat, with each taking five apiece, but the difference came by way of bonus points. Ohio finished with two pins for six bonus points while Clarion recorded just two bonus points on a technical fall.
The wins the Golden Eagles notched were impressive, however, starting with 30th-ranked Jake Gromacki’s win over 15th-ranked Shakur Laney in the 125 pound bout. The two traded escapes back and forth until the third period, with Gromacki holding a 3-1 lead. Gromacki managed to take down Laney late in the bout to push the advantage, and eventually secured an 8-1 win to set the tone for the rest of the night.
16th-ranked 141-pounder Brock Zacherl also got in on the action of defeating a nationally-ranked opponent, winning a tight one against 27th-ranked Noah Forrider to tie the team match at 6-6. Zacherl took a 3-2 lead after escaping Forrider to start the third period and broke through for a late takedown to open up a 5-2 advantage. He also brought home the ride time advantage in recording the 5-2 decision.
Jake Keller put Clarion ahead by a score of 9-6 with a wild win at 149 pounds, with numerous reversals telling the tale in a 6-4 decision over Kade Kowalski. Keller trailed 4-3 entering the third period and began the final stanza in the down position, and it seemed as though Kowalski might hold that advantage for good. A late reversal turned the tables, though, with Keller taking the 5-4 lead and locking his boots in to ride Kowalski out for the decision.
Ohio won three of the next four matches, including a win by fall at 184 pounds, to take an 18-12 advantage. The lone bright spot in that span was a come from behind victory by Dom Rigous, who rallied from a 3-0 hole to force sudden victory against Arsen Ashughyan. Rigous took Ashughyan down 30 seconds into sudden victory to win 5-3.
Dustin Conti put the Golden Eagles into position to win the team match with a dominant victory in the 197-pound bout, working Devin King over for a 17-0 technical fall midway through the second period to cut Ohio’s lead to 18-17. The Bobcats held on for the team win, though, with Zack Parker taking the heavyweight bout by decision.
Ohio 21, Clarion 17
125: #30 Jake Gromacki (Clarion) over #15 Shakur Laney (Ohio) (Dec 8-1)
133: #16 Cameron Kelly (Ohio) over Roshaun Cooley (Clarion) (Fall 3:50)
141: #16 Brock Zacherl (Clarion) over #27 Noah Forrider (Ohio) (Dec 6-2)
149: Jake Keller (Clarion) over Kade Kowalski (Ohio) (Dec 6-4)
157: Cullen Cummings (Ohio) over Taylor Cahill (Clarion) (Dec 10-4)
165: Austin Reese (Ohio) over Evan Delong (Clarion) (Dec 3-1)
174: Dom Rigous (Clarion) over Arsen Arshughyan (Ohio) (SV-1 5-3)
184: Dontae McGee (Ohio) over Scott Marmoll (Clarion) (Fall 0:54)
197: Dustin Conti (Clarion) over Devin King (Ohio) (TF 17-0 4:22)
285: Zack Parker (Ohio) over Evan Daley (Clarion) (Dec 11-6)
