Orange Overwhelms Black For Ranking Match Win At OSU

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Josh Maxson (OSU Sports INfo.)
11/10/2000


STILLWATER, Okla.     An upset at 165 pounds helped propelled the Orange team to a dominating 28-11 win over the Black squad in Oklahoma State¹s 11-boutOrange and Black ranking matches Friday night at Stillwater High School.    "These guys work out with each other every day," said head coach John Smith.  "For the first time to make weight, I thought we looked good at some weights. At other weights, I thought we looked a little bit sluggish, our performance a little under par.  "I thought it was a match going into next week we really needed. We needed to make weight, we needed to wrestle. This performance should help us a lot going into next week," said Smith.    The upset of the night came at 165 pounds where Tony Gansen rode out returning starter Ty Wilcox for a 2-1 sudden victory win. Gansen moved down to 165 pounds after starting most of last season at 174 pounds.    "It (the Gansen win) might be a upset in the fans mind, but not in Gansen¹s mind," said Smith. "He wrestled a good tactical match, and avoided a couple of situations that allowed him to win the match."    The much anticipated heavyweight match up between D.J. Radnovich and James Huml ended with a 4-3 decision going the way of Huml, a two-time NJCAA champ. Huml's second period takedown proved to be the difference.    The Orange team's Matt Brown opened the 2000-01 season for the Cowboys with a 5-3 decision of Cody Stites to earn the starting nod at 125 pounds for the opening dual of the season against Missouri.    In a defensive battle, incumbent starter Charles Walker defended his starting spot at 133 pounds with a 3-2 win over John Thompson. Walker's first period takedown was the difference, as the Black tied the match up at 3-3.     At 141 pounds, Jerrod Sanders locked up the weight class with a impressive 14-6 major decision of freshman Clark Shouse.    Two-time All-American Reggie Wright earned a 20-5 technical fall win over freshman Brett Munson. Wright used five takedowns in the first period and a trio of near falls in the second period in his overpowering win.    Shane Roller defended his starting spot at 157 pounds with a 5-4 decision of Billy Gabel. Roller's win widened the Orange squad¹s lead to 16-8.    Junior college transfer Chad Reid put up a tougher than expected fight, but yielded in the end as redshirt freshman Tyrone Lewis scored a 7-3 decision to extended the Orange¹s lead  to 22-8. The win earned Lewis his first start in a Cowboy singlet at 174 pounds.    Pat Popolizio decisioned Tony D'Amico for the starting nod at 184 pounds for the Cowboys season opener. Returning starter Daniel Cormier will sit out the opening match due to disciplinary actions stemming from last season¹s NCAA Championships.    All-American Mark Muñoz went about business as usual decisioning Will Gruenwald 14-7. With the win, Orange cut into Black's lead 25-11.    A pair of exhibition matches wrapped up the competition, with Cormier picking up a 16-5 major decision win over freshman Michael Christian. Skylar Holman, a transfer from North Carolina, recorded a fall at the 6:04 mark over Ronnie Delk in the evening¹s final match.    Olympic champion Rulon Gadner was also on hand for the evening¹s events, after attending the Cowboy Coaching Clinic earlier today.    Orange 28, Black 11  Wt.    Results  125    Matt Brown (Orange) dec. Cody Stites (Black), 5-3  133    Charles Walker (Black) dec. John Thompson (Orange), 3-2  141    Jerrod Sanders (Orange) maj. dec. Clark Shouse (Black), 14-6  149    Reggie Wright (Black) tech. fall Brett Munson (Orange), 20-5  157    Shane Roller (Orange) dec. Billy Gabel (Black), 5-4  157    Matt Ellis (Orange) inj. def. Casey Dalton (Black)  165    Tony Gansen (Orange) dec. Ty Wilcox (Black), 2-1, 2 OT  174    Tyrone Lewis (Orange) dec. Chad Reid (Black), 7-3  184    Pat Popolizio (Orange) dec. Tony D¹ Amico (Black), 7-0  197    Mark Muñoz (Orange) dec. Will Gruenwald (Black), 14-7  Hwt    James Huml (Black) dec. DJ Radnovich (Orange), 4-3