Forfeits at 125 pounds have become a regular thing for the wrestling team. The match on Friday against Kent State was no exception, and the Bulls lost 21-13.
Buffalo has been unable to fill the hole in their line-up in five of their last six Division I match-ups, automatically giving up six team points and creating a pre-match hole for the team.
Friday's meet started out well for the Bulls. Heavyweight Harold Sherrell won a hard-fought match 1-0 against freshman Jermail Porter, before Kent States' Chad Sporelli took his ceremonial hand-raise at 125 pounds.
The Kent State victory improved its home record to 4-0 overall, while the Bulls' defeat dropped their record to 9-5 overall and 2-3 in the MAC.
According to head coach Jim Beichner, the meet could have easily gone the other way.
"There were three or four matches that we lost, but could have won," Beichner said.
After taking six of eight victories in the 125-pound through 165-pound weight classes, the Golden Flashes put the final nail in the coffin with two close wins in the 174- and 184-pound weight classes.
At 174 pounds, Aaron Miller defeated sophomore Mike Ragusa 5-1, and then at 184 pounds the 13th-ranked Alex Camargo scored a takedown with 47 seconds left, to secure a victory over senior Garrett Hicks.
Hicks didn't get the win on Friday but he landed himself third-place on Buffalo's All-Time list for reversals, maneuvering the 33rd in his career against Camargo.
Beichner said that although his team was unable to pull out another close victory, he was pleased with the effort of his wrestlers.
"We had a hard-fought competition," Beichner said. "But this wasn't the MAC or NCAA Championship, so this is the place to make mistakes."
In addition to Sherrell, the Bulls did see victories in their usually dominate weight classes as junior Mark Budd, sophomore Mickey Moran and senior Kyle Cerminara all had wins at Kent State.
"The 133 weight class with Mark Budd and the 197 with Kyle Cerminara had the strongest showings," Beichner said.
The 13th-ranked Budd tied the team score after the forfeit at six, with a 6-0 victory over Kent State senior Drew Opfer in the 133-pound weight class. Budd's victory raised his individual record to 33-4, and 13-1 in dual meets.
Senior Kyle Cerminara earned an 11-1 major decision victory. The performance by the fourth-ranked Cerminara came as a strong rebound after he suffered his first loss of the season last week to Central Michigan's No. 1-ranked Wynn Mickalak in Alumni Arena.
Cerminara had two takedowns and a three-point near fall early, as he sailed through the match. Friday's victory marked the All-American's 35th on the season.
Moran provided Buffalo's most compelling match all evening as he faced off against Jason McGee in the 165-pound weight class.
"During Mickey's match, he hurt his knee. He took a long timeout, came back, battled, and won," Beichner said.
Moran led 4-1 early in the match, but McGee tied the score 4-4 in the second period. Moran took the down position going into the third period and injured his knee, forcing him to use injury time. Moran managed to even up the score after his recovery, and earned a pivotal takedown in overtime to win 7-5. Moran has now won 25 matches this season.
Even with the loss, Beichner maintains that the team has "lots of potential."
"We are a group of small guys who did not perform to potential tonight," Beichner said. "But that's why we practice."
The wrestlers will continue to practice for their next meet in Slippery Rock, Pa. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday and will be the final dual meet for the Slippery Rock wrestling. The school is dropping its program at the end of the season.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
