No. 6 Buckeyes Drop 24-13 Decision to No. 3 Minnesota

Ohio State returns to St. John Arena for conference matchup vs. Purdue at 7 p.m. Thursday

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 6 Ohio State wrestling team lost, 24-13, to No. 3 Minnesota Sunday afternoon at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minn. A trio of freshmen in Hunter Stieber, Cam Tessari and Josh Demas garnered wins for the Buckeyes. 

 

A Monroeville, Ohio, native Stieber earned the first win of the afternoon for the Buckeyes at 141 pounds with his victory over No. 15 Nick Dardanes. Stieber owned a 5-3 lead at the end of the first period and after a pair of takedowns, an escape and a riding time advantage, recorded the 11-8 victory.

 

Tessari was up next at 149 pounds and the Monroeville, Ohio, native, who is ranked 16th, immediately trailed No. 9 Dylan Ness, 6-2, in the first period. Tessari then cut Ness’ lead to 6-4 on a takedown, but not before Ness answered with a reversal for an 8-4 lead. It was not long after Tessari scored a reversal before putting Ness on his back and pinning him.   

 

Redshirt freshman Demas won the Buckeyes their third-consecutive match of the day at 157 pounds when he downed Alec Ortiz, 13-5. Entering the third period, Demas, a Central Ohio native from Westerville, owned a 6-2 lead, before winning by the major decision.

 

The day began at 174 pounds and after a scoreless first period, No. 5 Nick Heflin, a redshirt sophomore, chose bottom in the second, but was unable to escape as Storley, ranked 11th in the nation, earned a couple of back points to take a 2-0 lead. However, the Buckeye from Massillon, Ohio, answered with a reversal to end the period. Entering the final period tied, 2-2, Storley managed an escape for a 3-2 advantage and a riding time of 1:39. With time ticking away, Heflin attempted a shot but could not finish and Storley won the match, 4-2.

 

Receiving the starting nod at 184 pounds for the second-consecutive match, freshman and Columbus native Craig Thomas faced eighth-ranked Kevin Steinhaus and lost, 18-3. With the Minnesota victory, the Gophers jumped out to an 8-0 lead.

 

Despite an early takedown by No. 3 Sonny Yohn in the first period of the 197-pound match, Andrew Campolattano, a freshman from Bound Brook, N.J., answered with an escape and the period ended, 2-1, in favor of Yohn. An escape by the Gopher in the second period lifted Yohn to a 3-1 lead and with his escape the only scoring in the second period, Campolattano chose neutral to start the third. Similar to the previous two periods, very little scoring occurred until Yohn recorded a takedown in the final seconds of the match to win 5-1.

 

With Minnesota owning an 11-0 lead, No. 17 Peter Capone and No. 4 Tony Nelson were up next at heavyweight. Capone, a redshirt sophomore from Johnson City, N.Y., and Nelson concluded the first period in a scoreless tie. Nelson chose bottom to start the second period and escaped to take a 1-0 lead. The Gopher carried his slim 1-0 advantage into the third period, but Capone was ridden out and lost, 2-0. 

 

Up next, freshman Johnni Dijulius faced No. 1 Zach Sanders at 125 pounds. In a fast-paced match, Sanders jumped out to a 2-0 lead with 40 seconds left in the first period. However, Dijulius, an Aurora, Ohio, native who is ranked 15th in the nation, answered with an escape and takedown for a 3-2 lead to end the opening period. In the second stanza, Dijulius chose bottom and earned the escape for a 4-2 advantage, but Sanders quickly recorded the takedown to tie the score at 4-all. Another Dijulius escape, followed by a takedown by Sanders, put the Gopher in the lead, 6-5. Dijulius rebounded with an escape, but Sanders ended the period with a takedown for an 8-6 lead. Choosing bottom to start the third period, Sanders scored an escape and a pair of takedowns for a 13-8 lead over Dijulius. At that point Sanders was in full control of the match and the final score was 20-10.

 

Suffering his first loss of the season, redshirt freshman and second-ranked Logan Stieber dropped a 5-3 decision to Chris Dardanes at 133 pounds. Stieber, who hails from Monroeville, Ohio, jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first period after scoring a takedown. In the second period, Dardanes chose bottom and escaped to cut Stieber’s lead to, 2-1, and then scored a takedown for a 3-2 advantage. Stieber chose bottom in the final period and recorded the escape to tie the score at three with 1:20 left in the match. With both wrestlers battling for the win, the score remained tied at, 3-3, with about 35 seconds left before Dardanes scored the takedown as the clock ticked down to zero.

 

With the Gophers up 21-13, the 165-pound match between freshman Derek Garcia and No. 6 Cody Yohn concluded the afternoon. Yohn took a slim 2-0 lead into the second period before adding another point on an escape. Garcia, who hails from Sedro Woolley, Wash., got on the board in the third period with a takedown to cut Yohn’s lead to 4-2 before Yohn won the match, 5-3, courtesy of riding time.   

 

Up next, Ohio State will host Purdue at 7 p.m. Jan. 12 in St. John Arena in continued Big Ten Conference action. The match will air on BTN.com.

 

The evening also will serve as Military Appreciation Night. Fans who present their Military ID will receive a discounted admission price of $4, instead of the usual $8. Purchase Tickets Additionally, donations of various items, including food, snacks, personal hygiene items and reading materials for Operation Buckeye are welcomed. Operation Buckeye, located in Westerville, Ohio, “was formed with the sole purpose of sending boxes to our troops as a way to thank them for their efforts and to bring a touch of home to them.” Finally, fans will have an opportunity to send a letter of thanks and encouragement to troops overseas at a letter writing station on the St. John Arena concourse.

 

No. 6 Ohio State (7-2; 1-2 Big Ten) 13 at No. 3 Minnesota (5-2; 2-0 Big Ten) 24
2 p.m. ET Sunday Jan. 8, 2012
Sports Pavilion

Minneapolis, Minn.


174 – No. 11 Logan Storley DEC No. 5 Nick Heflin, 4-2

184 – No. 8 Kevin Steinhaus TECH FALL Craig Thomas, 18-3

197 – No. 3 Sonny Yohn DEC Andrew Campolattano, 5-1

HWT – No. 4 Tony Nelson DEC No. 17 Peter Capone, 2-0

125 – No. 1 Zach Sanders  MAJ DEC No. 15 Johnni Dijulius, 20-10

133 – Chris Dardanes  DEC No. 2 Logan Stieber, 5-3

141 – No. 6 Hunter Stieber DEC No. 15 Nick Dardanes, 11-8

149 – No. 16 Cam Tessari PINNED No. 9 Dylan Ness

157 – Josh Demas MAJ DEC Alec Ortiz, 13-5

165 – No. 6 Cody Yohn DEC Derek Garcia, 5-3