Logan Stieber of Ohio State defeated Tony Ramos of Iowa, 7-0 at 133 pounds

from Danielle Warner, Ohio State

Buckeyes win five consecutive matches en route to first win over Iowa since 1966

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Behind seven wins, the No. 7 Ohio State wrestling team downed No. 2 Iowa, 21-9, Friday night in front of 5,684 fans in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes (9-2; 3-2 Big Ten) handed the Hawkeyes their first conference loss of the season.  

“It’s great,” Tom Ryan, head coach, said. “These guys put so much time into what they do. They have six o’clock mornings, they have eight hours of sleep and studying. They have so many things going on in their lives, this was great. It was about time we beat them.”

The last Buckeye victory against the Hawkeyes came Feb. 12, 1966, 46 seasons ago. 

“When I left my previous position, we came here for this,” Ryan said. “This one is called the sleeping giant. I know the guys on the other side of the mat. Those men were teammates. I know how they react when they get punched in the nose, they do not fall down, they punch back. The nice thing is the battle is on. Ohio State is officially in a fist fight. I am very proud of this group of guys.”

Down 3-0 early following the opening match at 125 pounds, the Buckeyes won five consecutive matches to take a 15-3 lead entering the 174-pound bout. Included in the string of wins was a 7-0 shutout by Buckeye redshirt freshman Logan Stieber over No. 2 Tony Ramos at 133 pounds. Stieber, ranked fourth in the nation, scored a 3-point nearfall, takedown and escape, in addition to compiling 1:57 of riding time, in his 19th victory of the season. 

Freshman 141-pounder Hunter Stieber posted an impressive 4-2 decision over No. 3 Montell Marion to follow up his older brother’s performance. Up 4-1 after two periods, H. Stieber, No. 7 in the country, allowed Marion, a two-time senior All-American, only two escapes for the match.     

At 149 pounds, freshman and No. 16 Cam Tessari continued the winning trend when he decisioned Mike Kelly, 9-4. The score was tied, 4-4, after the second period, but after Tessari scored an escape to open the third, he went on to record a takedown and a 2-point nearfall.

A trio of takedowns and an escape helped redshirt freshman Josh Demas beat Derek St. John at 157 pounds. Demas, a Columbus, Ohio, native surrendered a takedown and escape to St. John in his 7-3 victory. 

The Buckeyes entered the 15-minute intermission with the momentum and freshman Derek Garcia maintained Ohio State’s edge with his dramatic 6-5 win over No. 6 Mike Evans at 165 pounds. Garcia entered the final period with a 6-4 lead and despite Evans’ escape just one second into the third period, Garcia was able to hold on for the win. 

With redshirt junior C.J. Magrum unable to wrestle at 184 pounds, sophomore Joe Grandominico received the start at 174 pounds, while redshirt sophomore Nick Heflin started at 184 pounds. In his first dual match of the season, Grandominico suffered a 7-1 setback, but fought hard in not giving up the major decision to No. 9 Ethen Lofthouse. After a scoreless first period, Heflin, No. 8 in the nation, and Vinnie Wagner traded scoring in the second and third periods, but the Buckeye from Massillon, Ohio, scored his final takedown with 30 seconds remaining to seal the victory.     

Freshman Andrew Campolattano’s 8-6 win over Grant Gambrall at 197 pounds officially locked up the win for the Buckeyes. The score was tied, 5-5, in the third period, but Campolattano scored a takedown with 45 seconds remaining for a 7-5 lead. Although Gambrall scored an escape with 15 seconds left, a technical violation on the Hawkeye gave Campolattano the 8-6 final. 

In the final match of the evening, redshirt sophomore and heavyweight Peter Capone lost, 6-2, to Blake Rasing, while 125-pounder Johnni Dijulius was edged by NCAA Champion and two-time All-American Matt McDonough, 5-2.

The Buckeyes are back in action Jan. 29 when they wrestle No. 3 Penn State in State College, Pa., at 2 p.m. The match will air live on BTN.com.

Notes 

· The Buckeyes’ match vs. the Hawkeyes was streamed live on BTN.com and is scheduled to air on BTN at noon Tuesday, Jan. 24.   

· Ohio State football defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Luke Fickell was in attendance. Fickell was a three-time Ohio High School wrestling state champion

from Chris Brewer, Univ. of Iowa

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The University of Iowa wrestling team dropped a 21-9 decision to No. 7 Ohio State tonight inside St. John Arena. Ohio State won seven of 10 matches, including five in a row, to end a 34-dual losing streak to the Hawkeyes.

“We’ll take our medicine,” said head coach Tom Brands. “Seven (losses) and three (wins) hasn’t happened in a long time and it’s a low point. They wrestled perfect and we let them wrestle perfect. We let them dictate everything. That would be a perfect summation of what happened.”

The Hawkeyes got victories from junior Matt McDonough (125), sophomore Ethen Lofthouse (174) and senior Blake Rasing (285). McDonough opened the dual with a  5-2 decision over Johnnie Dijulius before Ohio State strung together five straight wins to take control.

Ohio State’s fourth-ranked Logan Stieber scored a 7-0 decision over No. 2 Tony Ramos to tie the team score, 3-3, before his brother, seventh-ranked Hunter Stieber gave the Buckeyes the team lead with a 4-2 win over No. 3 Montell Marion. The losses were just the second of the season for both Ramos (19-2) and Marion (17-2).

Iowa’s Mike Kelly (149), Derek St. John (157) and Mike Evans (165) then dropped consecutive decisions as Ohio State (9-2, 3-2) built a 15-3 team lead. Kelly fell to Cam Tessari, 9-4; Evans dropped a 6-5 decision to Derek Garcia; and St. John fell 7-3 to Josh Demas. 

St. John was making his first appearance since suffering a knee injury Dec. 8 in a dual against Northern Iowa. The loss was the first of the season for the second-ranked 157-pounder (11-1). 

Lofthouse eventually ended the Buckeyes’ run with a 7-1 win over Joe Grandominico. Lofthouse, ranked No. 9 at 174 pounds, scored takedowns in the first and second periods and added an escape and a point for stalling to improve to 4-0 in Big Ten duals. He earned the final 7-1 decision with 2:32 of riding time. 

The Buckeyes sandwiched together a pair of wins at 184 and 197 before Hawkeye senior Blake Rasing closed the dual with a 6-2 decision at 285. Rasing, the defending 285-pound Big Ten champion, earned his second conference win in as many appearances by scoring a pair of takedowns, adding an escape and accumulating 1:54 of riding time. 

McDonough’s win was his 12th straight. He allowed an escape before scoring a takedown in the second period and opening the third frame with a reversal. He then surrendered an escape before collecting a point for riding time (2:22) to improve to 20-1 overall, 10-1 in dual competition. 

The Hawkeyes (9-2, 4-1) return to the mat Sunday at 1 p.m. (CT) when they face No. 3 Penn State in University Park, Pa. The dual will be televised on a tape-delay on BTN at 9 p.m. (CT).

NOTES: Attendance was 5,684… Iowa’s loss was its first in 50 road duals and the first against a Big Ten opponent in 39 duals.

#7 Ohio State 21, #2 Iowa 9 

125 – Matt McDonough (I) dec. Johnni Dijulius (O), 5-2

133 – Logan Stieber (O) dec. Tony Ramos (I), 7-0

141 – Hunter Stieber (O) dec. Montell Marion (I), 4-2

149 – Cam Tessari (O) dec. Mike Kelly (I), 9-4

157 – Josh Demas (O) dec. Derek St. John (I), 7-3

165 – Derek Garcia (O) dec. Mike Evans (I), 6-5

174 – Ethen Lofthouse (I) dec. Joe Grandominico (O), 7-1

184 – Nick Heflin (O) dec. Vinnie Wagner (I), 7-4

197 - Andrew Campolattano (O) dec. Grant Gambrall (I), 8-6

285 – Blake Rasing (I) dec. Peter Capone (O), 6-2