Kent State took Buffalo to the mats on Saturday, as the Bulls fell to the 21st-ranked Golden Flashes 23-9. Buffalo (8-6-1) saw their Mid-American Conference record fall to 1-4 in their final MAC dual match of the season.
"We aren't happy about the game," said Buffalo head coach Jim Beichner. "We had some pretty close calls...we could have done better."
Beichner also mentioned that the team has had some extremely skilled competition the last few games, facing teams ranked as 21st, 15th, and 5th in the nation.
"The players put their best foot forward, but some just need more fight," he said.
The Golden Flashes won the first four matches, giving themselves an early lead. Freshman Nicholas Bedelyon scored Kent State's first win against sophomore Dan Bishop in the 125-pound weight class. Bishop took down Bedelyon early in the first period, but lost his leverage in the second and third periods, losing the match 4-2. Bedelyon remains undefeated in MAC matches.
In the 133-pound weight class, Kent State grappler Dan Mitcheff won with a score of 9-2 over Buffalo junior Joe Wilson. For the third time this season, Kent State's Drew Lashaway defeated Buffalo junior Andrew Stella in the 141-pound weight class. Clint Sponseller finished the Flashes' four-match winning streak with his 8-2 victory against Buffalo senior Ryan Needle in the 149-pound category.
Senior John Cummings earned Buffalo's first victory of the match with a 5-1 victory over Kent State sophomore Sli Bostelman in the 157-pound weight class. This Buffalo victory started a win-loss alternation; the rest of the matches would follow suit.
Kent State countered the Bulls' win by gaining the 165-pound class victory between Kent State senior Kurt Gross and Buffalo junior Scott Rendos.
Buffalo won the next match in the 174-pound category with senior Mike Ragusa's victory over Kent State's Chris Estep, 6-4.
The 184 and 197-pound class matches both proceeded into overtime. Kent State junior Eric Chine took the win in an extremely close match against junior Mickey Moran, 7-5 in the 184-pound weight class. Buffalo freshman Jimmy Hamel took the win by a 5-1 decision against Golden Flashes junior Michael Blackwell in the 197-pound class. Hamel made a four-point move in overtime when they were tied at one to secure the win.
The final match of the dual was won by Kent State junior Jermail Porter, who was able to pull off three takedowns and an escape to earn a 7-2 win against Bulls senior Jeff Parker in the heavyweight round.
Beichner made mention of exceptional team members, including John Cummings and Jimmy Hamel, stating that they each played a very strong game. Coach Beichner also praised Hamel in his ability to beat Michael Blackwell, after having lost to Blackwell twice already this season.
The tough competition the team has faced the last few games will hopefully motivate the players to avenge their losses at the MAC championships in March, Beichner said.
Buffalo will next travel to Edinboro on Friday night for their match against the Fighting Scots. The match is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
