Mavericks surprise flat Bison

The Forum, Fargo, North Dakota

02/03/1996

Mavericks surprise flat Bison
By Jay Osmundson

North Dakota State started out behind the eight ball Friday night and couldn't quite escape its shadow.

The Bison wrestlers, going without injured 126-pounder Jeff Kapusta, forfeited at that weight. They also suffered unexpected losses at 142 and 190 and fell 23-19 to Mankato State in a North Central Conference dual at the Bison Sports Arena.

After Ross Johnson pinned NDSU's Ryan Wolters at 190 in 4:36 to forge a 19-19 tie, Tony Kenning won it for the Mavericks with a 12-3 superior decision over Kelly Greger at heavyweight.

The Bison, ranked second in the latest NCAA Division II poll, dropped their second straight dual. They're now 0-2 in the NCC and 3-3 overall.

Seventh-ranked Mankato is 4-2 in the league, 8-2 for the year.

Wolters, the defending national champion, was pinned for the second time in as many outings. In last Saturday's 21-15 loss to third-ranked Nebraska-Omaha, Wolters virtually pinned himself. Friday night, he became Johnson's 12th victim of the season.

Earlier, John Alexander scored a key win for Mankato with an 8-3 decision at 142 over two-time All-American Jeremy LaVigne. Trailing 3-1 going into the third period, Alexander tied it with an escape and a point for LaVigne's stalling, then won it with a takedown and a 3-point near-fall.

LaVigne, considering his predicament, did well to avoid being pinned. But that was hardly any consolation to Bison coach Bucky Maughan.

"We knew we had our backs to the wall when lost Jeff (Kapusta) last night -- we thought that was a nine-point swing," Maughan said. "But we still had enough people to win it. We just didn't get the job done. We have to make some lineup changes." The Bison claimed the first two matches actually wrestled, Kris Nelson taking a wild 14-8 decision over Jason Peirce at 118 and George Thompson topping Travis Shives 6-4 at 134. Thompson won by scoring a takedown with only 12 seconds remaining.

But NDSU had to forfeit at 126 because Kapusta, unbeaten so far this year, injured an ankle in practice Thursday. With no time to get anyone else ready, the Bison had to give up six points.

After LaVigne bowed at 142, Jason Cuperus beat Mankato's Justin Kipp 7-4 at 150. Then Bison senior Scott Peterson, wrestling at 158 because Mark Pazdernik was out with a bad ankle, took a 10-2 superior decision over Kelly Block.

Peterson, basically a pinch hitter during his career and wrestling above his best weight of 150, scored a late takedown to make it 9-2. He got the eight-point spread needed for a superior decision by earning one point for riding time.

Those four team points put NDSU ahead 13-9. But Mankato's Steve Friedrichs, the top-ranked 167-pounder in the nation, pulled the Mavericks even with a 15-3 superior decision over Jeremy McCrank.

Mike McCormick, the Bison 177-pounder, then put Maughan's club in good shape by pinning Roy Mokosso in 18 seconds -- the fastest fall in McCormick's collegiate career and his sixth this year.

McCormick, who fell 11-4 to Omaha's Corry Royal last Saturday, was eager for his next match. Especially after a long week in the wrestling room.

"The last match didn't go the way I wanted it to," McCormick said. "And Bucky really put the corkscrew to us in practice, worked us tough." McCormick's strategy against Mokosso? "I just tried to cradle him up and go for the fall," McCormick said. "The team needed it." McCormick's quick work, however, was negated by Johnson's pin and Kenning's victory over Greger. Kenning's triumph came as no surprise: he's the defending NCC champion and ranked first in the nation this year.

"We've got to start pulling it together -- there's not much time left," McCormick said. "In a couple matches tonight people just shut down. I think our guys were better but they didn't show it."