It appeared as though UB's wrestling team was going to let another close match slip through its fingers on Friday night until sophomore Jake Blowers stepped on the mat at 165 pounds and electrified the crowd.
The Bulls (2-10 overall, 1-4 in the Mid-American Conference) were trailing Kent State (7-13 overall, 1-2 MAC) 16-9 when Blowers, in the second-to-last bout of the night, tossed Nick Brenner with a head-lock throw and then wrapped him up so tight that the fans began to gasp for air.
"I wasn't really planning on that but he was pushing pretty hard so I went for it. I knew once I had it, I had a lot of time," said Blowers.
It didn't take long for Blowers to force Brenner's shoulders to the mat and record a pin with 1:29 left in the first period.
"Jake Blowers, Jake Blowers, Jake Blowers. Jake Blowers came back when we needed somebody to do something and he threw one of the best head-locks I've seen in my coaching career and he pins the guy," said head coach Jim Beichner.
Blowers' six team points cut Kent State's lead to one, making the score 16-15 for freshman Nate Rock going into the final bout of the day.
Rock, who hasn't wrestled since Jan. 8 because of an LCL injury, was put in an all-too-familiar position for the Bulls. The struggling Bulls have lost three matches in the past month that came down to the last bout of the day, but on Friday their luck finally changed.
Buffalo put its faith in Rock, and the freshman wrestled a solid technical match against Kent State's aggressive Aaron Miller, pulling out a 7-2 victory. Rock's win at 174 pounds gave the Bulls the three team points they needed for an 18-16 win over the Golden Flashes.
"Nate Rock comes in and has to finish it for us, (he) hasn't been on the mat for weeks with a knee injury. Then he tweaked it again. He finished it off and did a great job finishing it off," said Beichner.
Leading up to the dramatic ending, the Bulls teeter-tottered with Kent. Junior Garrett Hicks led off for the Bulls at 184 pounds and lost in double overtime to the nationally ranked Alex Camargo.
"I thought that one of our guys that is doing real well this year is Garret Hicks. He's wrestling extremely well," said Beichner. "That guy was ranked one in the MAC, he is a very good competitor and we almost beat him too."
Junior Harold Sherrell then picked up the Bulls' first three team points beating Nick Hiller 3-2 at 197 pounds.
Following a loss in the heavyweight match, the ever-consistent sophomore Mark McKnight easily beat Drew Opfer 6-2. The 20th ranked McKnight, who beat Opfer last year in the MAC finals, dominated the 125-pound match with a single-leg ride.
Following McKnight's win Buffalo picked up a close win at 133 pounds. With 10 seconds left in the match, sophomore Mark Budd took down Mike Compton to win the bout 9-8. Budd, who is on an eight match-winning streak, attributes his last second heroics to his conditioning.
"The hard work is just starting to pay off. I've been working hard all summer and it's just starting to pay off right now," said Budd.
After Budd's dramatic ending, the Bulls dropped three straight bouts from weight classes 141-157, making the score 16-9 heading into Blowers' match.
Riding the momentum of Friday's victory the Bulls hope to pick up another win against Slippery Rock before entering the MAC tournament.
"We're looking for another win and certainly a more lopsided one," said coach Beichner.
The Slippery Rock match is scheduled for Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. in Alumni Arena.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
