For the fourth straight year, No. 2 Ohio State (16-0, 4-0 Big Ten) took down its rival Michigan (8-3, 4-1 Big Ten) as the Buckeyes defeated the Wolverines 26-16 Sunday afternoon at the Covelli Center in Columbus.
Ohio State got off to a red-hot start at 125 pounds as No. 2 Nic Bouzakis opened the dual with a win by fall at 3:47 over Michigan’s No. 24 Diego Sotelo, giving the Buckeyes an early 6-0 lead and igniting the crowd at the Covelli Center. Bouzakis led 3-1 after the first period.
No. 2 Ben Davino continued Ohio State’s success as six takedowns and an escape fueled a 19-4 technical fall over Gauge Botero.
Davino said Ohio State has built its momentum throughout the season, and he and his fellow Buckeyes are focused on maintaining their intensity and the foundation of their training.
“We’re rolling right now and we’ve been rolling the whole season,” Davino said. “So I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing, trust the work ethic, trust what we’re doing in practices and just keep it going.”
At 141 pounds, Ohio State’s No. 1 Jesse Mendez earned a 19-3 technical fall over Michigan’s No. 25 Dylan Ragusin. Mendez led 13-3 after two periods and used two takedowns in the third frame to extend the Buckeyes’ lead to 16-0.
Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan highlighted how crucial it is for the Buckeyes’ lightweight wrestlers to produce bonus points.
“It’s a big luxury,” Ryan said. “They get you off to a good start. They take pressure off the rest of the team.”
The Wolverines battled back as No. 13 Lachlan McNeil defeated Buckeye Brogan Fielding via a 15-3 major decision at 149 pounds. Michigan then continued its rally in the 157-pound weight class as 14th-ranked Cameron Catrabone defeated Landon Desselle by fall in just 1:26, cutting Ohio State’s advantage to 16-10. Catrabone led 3-0 prior to pinning Desselle.
No. 17 Paddy Gallagher flipped the momentum back in Ohio State’s favor at 165 pounds. Fueled by two takedowns in the first period, Gallagher defeated Michigan’s Justin Gates by an 8-2 decision to extend the Buckeyes’ advantage to nine.
Michigan 174-pound wrestler No. 11 Beau Mantanona got off to a strong start against Ohio State’s No. 5 Carson Kharchla, earning a 4-2 advantage after a takedown in the first period. Two three-point takedowns in the second frame helped Kharchla earn an 8-6 advantage and ultimately a 9-6 win by decision to put the Buckeyes up 12.
After a scoreless opening period at 184 pounds, Ohio State’s No. 7 Dylan Fishback got on the board against Michigan’s No. 9 Brock Mantanona with an escape early in the second. However, an escape and a takedown with just under 10 seconds left allowed Brock Mantanona to secure a 4-1 victory by decision for Michigan. Ohio State attempted to challenge the late Wolverine takedown, but it was ruled unsuccessful, as Michigan pushed the score to 22-13.
At 197 pounds, No. 10 Luke Geog officially clinched Ohio State’s victory, defeating No. 18 Hayden Walters with an 11-3 major decision.
In the heavyweight class, Ohio State’s No. 3 Nick Feldman and Michigan’s No. 7 Taye Ghadiali were deadlocked at 1 after three periods as each claimed an escape. In the first sudden-victory period, Feldman held a solid position, but Ghadiali broke through for a takedown to claim a 4-1 victory for Michigan and seal Ohio State’s 26-16 win.
Davino said Feldman’s late loss was disappointing, but he believes the Buckeyes’ overall performance shows the team is trending in the right direction as it prepares for a challenging stretch over the next two weeks.
“It sucks that we lost the last one, but overall our team wrestling was pretty good,” Davino said. “So there’s a lot to look forward to in the next couple weeks. We have Iowa at home, then Penn State and Maryland. So it’s gonna be an exciting next couple of weeks. I’m looking forward to that.”
Ohio State remains at home on Friday at 8 p.m. when the Buckeyes take on No. 4 Iowa (9-4, 2-2 Big Ten) at the Covelli Center.
