Oregon defeats Oregon State in Civil War
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Allison Ross (Oregon Sports Info.)
12/14/2000
The 17th ranked University of Oregon wrestling team upset No. 14 Oregon State 22-16 in front of 1,310 fans at McArthur Court Wednesday. Oregon improves to 3-0 overall, 3-0 Pac-10 and Oregon State is 2-2, 1-1. "On paper we had five solid weight classes that we knew we could win," Oregon head coach Chuck Kearney said. "We got the extra win at heavyweight and that really gave us momentum. We want to keep moving up and we looked at this match as an opportunity to move up. We're trying to put Oregon on the map and I'm pleased with the progress we're making." Top to bottom, the two squads couldn't have been more equally matched with four weight classes featuring ranked wrestlers on both sides. Sophomore Eric Webb (Hwt.) gave Oregon the early edge when he pinned No. 2 Jason Cooley at 6:52 to give the Ducks a 6-0 lead. Webb had a slight 4-3 lead heading into the third period and was ahead 7-4 when he pinned Cooley with just eight seconds remaining, which ignited the crowd. "It was exciting," Webb said. "I finally wrestled my match. It was me controlling the match and I was mentally prepared. It means everything. It's the Civil War and we realize that we're right up there with everyone else." No. 4 Shaun Williams (125) and No. 13 Brian Watson (133) built on the Ducks' lead, winning their bouts by decision to give Oregon a 12-0 lead. Williams defeated No. 17 Nathan Navarro 12-7 to improve to 13-1 on the season and Watson beat Ben Richards 4-2 to improve his overall record to 12-1. Oregon State started a comeback at 141 when No. 20 Shane Cunanan pinned Casey Hunt at 0:45 to narrow the gap 12-6. Oregon sophomore Tony Overstake then won a 5-2 decision over Casey Horn at 149 to halt Oregon State's momentum. But the Beavers responded by winning the next three competitions and taking a 16-15 lead. No. 7 Eric Jorgensen won a 5-0 decision against Oregon's Eugene Harris at 157 and Jed Pennell won a 3-1 decision over Oregon freshman Luke Larkin to pull the Beavers within three points, 15-12. Oregon State took the lead after No. 15 Nathan Coy won by major decision against Leif Williams at 174. In the final two matches, No. 5 Doug Lee won 6-1 against No. 16 Iasaac Weber of Oregon State and No. 6 Chael Sonnen won by major decision over the Beavers' Jason Lovell to secure the Oregon victory. "We are a team that cares about each other," Kearney said. "When guys see Eric Webb go out there and win like that they want to do the same thing. He took the pressure off other guys and we were able to do what we needed to."