No. 1 Minnesota Outlasts Cowboys, 19-15

In its tightest dual so far this season, Minnesota took six matches from Oklahoma State to defeat the Cowboys, 19-15. The victory is Minnesota’s first against a ranked opponent this season and improves the team’s record to 5-0. With the win, the Gophers have now taken three straight in the series, tied for the longest winning streak the Maroon and Gold have ever posted over the Pokes.

No. 2 Chris Dardanes scored the only bonus points for the Gophers on the night, posting a major decision at 133 over Brian Crutchmer, 20-8. Dardanes clearly knew the situation and had bonus points on his mind in the third period, as he repeatedly took down his opponent and released him to set the stage for more scoring opportunities. Over the final two minutes, Dardanes scored 13 points.

“I felt good about [how I wrestled tonight],” said Dardanes. “There’s always room for improvement [but] … in the third period, it was one of those deals where I’m always looking for those extra points. It felt good.”

Dardanes’ was the sixth match of the dual, which began at 174 and opened with three consecutive wins for the Gophers. No. 1 Logan Storley won an 8-1 decision over No. 19 Kyle Crutchmer in the night’s opening bout. Storley’s win maintained his perfect record on the season, but was his first in nine matches that didn’t include bonus points for the Gophers. No. 15 Brett Pfarr stretched Minnesota’s lead when he handed Nolan Boyd his first loss on the season, winning a 5-1 decision. No. 1 Scott Schiller followed and put the Gophers ahead 9-0 in the dual by knocking off No. 19 Austin Schafer, 11-4.

The Gophers suffered their first loss of the night at 285, where Michael Kroells fell to No. 5 Austin Marsden in a 6-2 decision. In the last match before the halftime intermission, Eddie Klimara pinned No. 18 Sam Brancale at 4:58, scoring the only bonus points for the Cowboys on the evening and leveling the dual at nine at the break.

Following the intermission, Dardanes put the Gophers ahead by four with his major decision victory and his brother, No. 3 Nick Dardanes, earned a 9-5 decision over previously undefeated Dean Heil to extend the Gopher lead to seven, 16-9, with three matches remaining.

At 149, Jake Short hung tough with No. 3 Josh Kindig throughout their match, bringing the Pavilion crowd to its feet as he trailed by just a single point, 2-1, in the contest’s final minute. Short took a few shots but was unable to score a takedown, falling to Kindig 4-1.

No. 1 Dylan Ness took on Anthony Collica at 157 with the dual score now 16-12 and never looked back after an early takedown led to more than two minutes of first-period riding time. Ness took the match by decision, 6-0, and clinched the victory for the Gophers with one match remaining. That match, at 165, pitted No. 15 Nick Wanzek against No. 1 Alex Dieringer, the defending National Champion at 157. Wanzek earned a rousing ovation from the crowd for competing hard against Dieringer, but fell 9-2, cementing the dual’s final score at 19-15.

After three consecutive home events, the Gophers will hit the road this week and compete in the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday. Be sure to follow Gopher Wrestling on Twitter for updates throughout both days of competition and check back here on GopherSports.com for daily recaps.

Match Results
174: No. 1 Logan Storley (Minn) dec. No. 19 Kyle Crutchmer (OSU), 8-1 / Minnesota 3 – Oklahoma State 0
184: No. 15 Brett Pfarr (Minn) dec. Nolan Boyd (OSU), 5-1 / Minnesota 6 – Oklahoma State 0
197: No. 1 Scott Schiller (Minn) dec. Austin Schafer (OSU), 11-4 / Minnesota 9 – Oklahoma State 0
285: No. 5 Austin Marsden (OSU) dec. Michael Kroells (Minn), 7-2 / Minnesota 9 – Oklahoma State 3
125: Eddie Klimara (OSU) fall (4:58) No. 18 Sam Brancale (Minn) / Minnesota 9 – Oklahoma State 9
133: No. 2 Chris Dardanes (Minn) maj. dec. Brian Crutchmer (OSU), 20-8 / Minnesota 13 – Oklahoma State 9
141: No. 3 Nick Dardanes (Minn) dec. Dean Heil (OSU), 9-5 / Minnesota 16 – Oklahoma State 9
149: No. 3 Josh Kindig (OSU) dec. Jake Short (Minn), 4-1 / Minnesota 16 – Oklahoma State 12
157: No. 1 Dylan Ness (Minn) dec. Anthony Collica (OSU), 6-0 / Minnesota 19 – Oklahoma State 12
165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (OSU) dec. No. 15 Nick Wanzek (Minn), 9-2 / Minnesota 19 – Oklahoma State 15