MSU wrestling clobbers Clarion, 23-9, Sunday

CLARION, Pa. - Michigan State wrestling won the first two bouts on the way to tying a season-high by winning seven bouts on the afternoon to defeat Clarion, 23-9, Sunday afternoon at Marwick-Boyd Auditorium in Clarion's Throwdown at the Theater.

With the win, the Spartans are 3-0 in the state of Pennsylvania this season after opening with a pair of wins at Bloomsburg and Lock Haven on Nov. 5. MSU is now 4-7 on the season after Sunday's non-conference victory, which was the Spartans' second-straight Sunday win and their second win in the last three matches. Michigan State is also 4-2 all-time against Clarion, breaking a two-match win streak by the Golden Eagles in the series. Clarion had a three-match win streak snapped and is now also 4-7 overall.

"For the first time this year I felt like all 10 guys wrestled and competed for seven minutes.  We've been talking about that expectation every week throughout the year," MSU head coach Roger Chandler said. "There were a lot of tough, hard fought matches today and ours guys kept battling the entire time."

Sunday's match was the second non-conference action of the weekend, and MSU will resume Big Ten Conference competition next weekend.

"We need to carry this over to next weekend and continue to challenge ourselves to create scoring opportunities," Chandler said.

Redshirt junior Mitch Rogaliner started the Spartans' string of victories with a 9-4 decision over Clarion's Jake Gromacki at 125 pounds. It was Rogaliner's first dual since Dec. 3 and his first overall action since Dec. 18, in improving to 11-8 on the season.

At 133, redshirt sophomore Austin Eicher scored late for a 4-2 decision over Roshaun Cooley of Clarion. It was Eicher's second-straight win to improve to 16-11 overall, and is tied for fourth in both overall wins and dual wins (5).

Senior 149-pounder Nick Trimble defeated Clarion's Jake Keller in a 10-2 major decision. Trimble's win snapped a five-bout losing streak, but had faced a ranked opponent in four of those previous five bouts. The Spartan posted his third major decision of the season and his fourth extra point victory this season.

Redshirt freshman Austin Thompson matched Trimble with a major decision, defeating Taylor Cahill of Clarion, 12-3, in the 157 bout. Thompson now holds the team lead for victories single-handedly with his 21st win of the season, pulling away from a tie with redshirt junior 141-pounder No. 19 Javier Gasca, who was upset, 3-1, Sunday by Brock Zacher of Clarion. It was Thompson's 11th win in his last 15 bouts, posting three falls and four major decisions in that stretch.  Thompson registered his team-leading sixth major decision victory and 12th bonus-point win of the season, and is now second on the team with seven dual wins.

At 165, freshman Drew Hughes pitched his second shutout in a row with a 1-0 decision over Evan DeLong of Clarion, scoring on the riding time after a scoreless bout. Hughes now has won by shutout in nine of his last 11 victories, having won 15 of his last 18 bouts to improve to 20-4 overall and 8-3 in duals, ranking tied for second on the team in overall wins, while leading the team with eight dual wins and 34 dual points.

Redshirt-sophomore 184-pounder Shwan Shadaia doubled up Clarion's Scott Marmoll in a 4-2. It was Shadaia's sixth win in his last 10 bouts, in improving to 9-9 overall and 5-3 in duals.

Sophomore heavyweight Jacob Cooper controlled his bout with Clarion's Evan Daley throughout and won on a 10-4 decision to snap a five-bout losing skid. The win was Cooper's first dual victory this season and is now 10-15 overall.

Sunday's 23-9 score was also the first time since a 27-6 win at Northern Illinois on Dec. 5, 2014, that MSU's opponent was held to single digits.

After this weekend's pair of non-conference matches with Friday's home match vs. CMU and Sunday's match at Clarion, Michigan State returns to Big Ten action and has its third-straight weekend with Friday-Sunday action. The Spartans open the weekend by heading to Champaign, Ill., to tangle with No. 12 Illinois on Friday, Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. ET, then return home to host Rutgers on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. ET.

Bout-By-Bout

125: Mitch Rogaliner (MSU) dec. Jake Gromacki (CU), 9-4

Rogaliner opened with a takedown and an early 2-0 lead before Gromacki escaped to slice the gap in half and the score stayed 2-1 through the remainder of the first period and all of the second and into the third. The Golden Eagle escaped from the third period starting position and added a takedown to go up 4-2, before Rogaliner got an escape to close to 4-3 and then got a late takedown and a four-point near fall for a 9-4 decision victory.

133: Austin Eicher (MSU) dec. Roshaun Cooley (CU), 4-2

Eicher opened with a takedown for a 2-0 advantage and hung on to that lead into the second stanza. The Spartan got an escape point from the second period starting position and the 3-0 lead held into the third period. Cooley got a takedown with less than 30 seconds to go but Eicher escaped and won on a 4-2 decision.

141: Brock Zacherl (CU) dec. No. 19 Javier Gasca (MSU), 3-1

Gasca controlled most of the first period action, before the match was delayed with 11 seconds remaining in the opening frame after Clarion's coaching staff challenged the call. After the official's review, the rule of no score was upheld and the bout stayed scoreless through the rest of the first period and into the second. Zacherl got an escape and added a takedown at the midway point of the second stanza and a 3-0 lead that held up to the end of the frame and into the third and final period. Gasca got on the board with an escape to cut to 3-1, but couldn't score any more points and suffered the defeat.

149: Nick Trimble (MSU) maj. dec. Jake Keller (CU), 10-2

Trimble earned the first two points of the bout with a takedown in the first minute of the bout. The Spartan's 2-0 lead held into the start of the second period before adding an escape out of the second period starting position and a 3-0 advantage. Trimble built on to his lead with a takedown and a 5-0 lead. After Keller got on the board with an escape, Trimble posted another takedown in the final seconds of period number to and a 7-1 lead heading into the third. Trimble tacked on another takedown and a 9-1 lead, before Keller escaped for a point, but Trimble added the riding time point for a 10-2 major decision.

157: Austin Thompson (MSU) maj. dec. Taylor Cahill (CU), 12-3

Thompson sandwiched a pair of takedowns around a Cahill escape to take a 4-1 lead, before Cahill added another escape but Thompson countered with another takedown and a 6-2 lead after the opening period. The Spartan escaped from the starting position for a 7-2 advantage, and another takedown opened up a 9-2 Thompson lead. Cahill scored an escape with just over a minute remaining in the second stanza, but Thompson tacked on another takedown with just over 30 seconds left in the period, adding the riding time for a 12-3 major decision victory.

165: Drew Hughes (MSU) dec. Evan DeLong (CU), 1-0

The bout was full of back-and-forth action, but no points were scored and was scoreless through all three periods, but Hughes got the riding point for the 1-0 decision.

174: Dom Rigous (CU) dec. Logan Ritchie (MSU), 7-2

Ritchie got on the board with a takedown, but a Rigous reversal evened the bout at 2-2 after the first frame. Rigous scored two more points on another reversal for a 4-2 lead and that remained the score to the end of the period. The Golden Eagle posted a takedown in the first minute of the third period for a 6-2 gap and riding the riding time point for a 7-2 decision.

184: Shwan Shadaia (MSU) dec. Scott Marmoll (CU), 4-2

The bout was scoreless through the first period, before Mormoll got an escape to start the second. Shadaia tallied a takedown for a 2-1 lead, but another Marmoll escape leveled the bout at 2-2 after two periods. The Spartan scored a point for Marmoll stalling and added an escape to open a 4-2 lead with less than a minute to go and Shadaia hung on for the decision win.

197: Dustin Conti (CU) dec. Matt Okaiye (MSU), 7-2

Conti scored a takedown in the final seconds of the opening period and added an escape and a takedown in period number two for a 5-0 lead. Okaiye got on the board with an escape, before the grapplers traded stalling penalty points for a 6-2 score, but the Spartan couldn't any more points, and Conti added the riding time tally for the 7-2 decision.

HWT: Jacob Cooper (MSU) dec. Evan Daley (CU), 10-4

Cooper scored a takedown for a 2-0 lead, but Daley later escaped for a 2-1 score. Daley was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct twice, for two points for Cooper and a 4-1 advantage after the first period. The Clarion wrestler got an escape to close to 4-2, but then Cooper tallied a takedown and a two-point near fall before Daley escaped for an 8-3 score. Cooper was hit with a stalling penalty for a point for Daley, but then scored a takedown in the final seconds of the bout for a 10-4 decision to seal the victory for the Spartans.

Michigan State 23, Clarion 9

125: Mitch Rogaliner (MSU) dec. Jake Gromacki (CU), 9-4; MSU leads, 3-0

133: Austin Eicher (MSU) dec. Roshaun Cooley (CU), 4-2; MSU leads, 6-0

141: Brock Zacherl (CU) dec. No. 19 Javier Gasca (MSU), 3-1; MSU leads, 6-3

149: Nick Trimble (MSU) maj. dec. Jake Keller (CU), 10-2; MSU leads, 10-3

157: Austin Thompson (MSU) maj. dec. Taylor Cahill (CU), 12-3; MSU leads, 14-3

165: Drew Hughes (MSU) dec. Evan DeLong (CU), 1-0; MSU leads, 17-3

174: Dom Rigous (CU) dec. Logan Ritchie (MSU), 7-2; MSU leads, 17-6

184: Shwan Shadaia (MSU) dec. Scott Marmoll (CU), 4-2; MSU leads, 20-6

197: Dustin Conti (CU) dec. Matt Okaiye (MSU), 7-2; MSU leads, 20-9

HWT: Jacob Cooper (MSU) dec. Evan Daley (CU), 10-4; MSU wins, 23-9

Attendance: 423

From MSU Athletic Department