The Buffalo wrestling team proved why they should not be overlooked in the Mid-American Conference on Saturday. After losing their first two conference matches, Buffalo sought out a much-needed win against the Ohio Bobcats.
They got what they needed, as Buffalo trampled the Bobcats by a score of 24-9. Buffalo (8-4-1, 1-2 MAC) started Saturday's duel at 184 pounds with junior Mickey Moran. Moran entered his match tied for eighth in the nation with 27 victories and then added another, with a 4-1 victory over Erik Schuth. Moran used two takedowns to help him secure his 11th consecutive win.
"I trained all summer to win as much as I can, which will also help the team do well," Moran said.
Moran's strong start obviously rubbed off on the rest of his teammates. The Bulls went on to score the next nine points, kicked off by a 12-6 win by 197-pound red-shirt freshman Jimmy Hamel. Hamel landed five takedowns in his match against Tim Samson.
Senior Jeff Parker was able to pull out a tight 2-1 victory in the 285-pound heavyweight match. Parker fell behind 1-0 after two periods to Jason Marshall, but came back in the third with a reversal to get the win.
"That was a good start for us," said Bulls head coach Jim Beichner. "Mickey did what we needed him to do... win."
The match of the day came in the fourth match between the Bulls 125-pound sophomore Dan Bishop and Ohio (4-11, 0-2 MAC) freshman Heath Allen. With 1:43 left in the match, Bishop put his team up six points with a pinfall victory.
"One of the significant matches to me was the fall at 125," Beichner said. "If we would have lost any of those swing matches, the pin would have given us the win if we split."
The Bobcats fought back with back-to-back wins by 133-pound red-shirt freshman Quentin Keyes and 141-pound freshman Germane Lindsay. Keyes defeated junior Joe Wilson 8-2, while Lindsay fought off sophomore Andrew Stella 4-3. These two victories climbed the Bobcats to within nine points, down 15-6.
Buffalo's senior Pat Lloyd won his match at 149 pounds, over Kevin Christensen 2-0. Lloyd claimed the victory with a riding time point and an escape point. Lloyd's escape point puts him at 70 for his career, and it moves him closer to breaking the school record of 79, held by former Bull Mark Crays (1988-91).
Even with a loss in the eighth match when senior John Cummings was beaten 4-1 by Clay Tucker, the Bulls were too tough for the Bobcats to handle. A 3-2 victory in the 165-pound match by junior Scott Rendos, and a 7-5 victory by 174-pound senior Mike Ragusa helped secure the win for the dual contest.
"It's tough winning in the MAC," said head coach Jim Beichner. "We're taking this win and moving forward."
The Bulls will hit the mats again Saturday, Feb. 2 when they battle fifth-ranked Central Michigan. The match is set to begin at 1 p.m. in Alumni Arena.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
