Much of American is worrying about the plight of the middle class. There are some who fear it is wasting away.
AU wrestling fans do not need to worry about the middle weights. They are first class.
Wrestling at Tiffin on Friday night (Feb. 11), the Eagles took control in the middle weights, winning at 141, 149, 157 and 165 pounds. That stretch included two major decisions, a technical fall and a pin. The Dragons could never recover from that pounding as the Eagles went on to win, 35-17.
Ashland, ranked 12th in the country, has won six consecutive duals. The Eagles are 13-2-1 with two regular season duals remaining.
At 141, senior Kyle Kanaga (Greensboro, N.C./Ragsdale) stopped David Bolger, 13-2. That major decision put the Eagles in front, 10-6. Moments later at 149, sophomore Dan Genetin (Navarre, Ohio/Massillon Perry) pinned Kyle Begg in 3:26.
Next up was junior Marc Hoff (Liberty Center, Ohio) at 157. Hoff won by technical fall over Marco Gualitieri. His win extended AU's lead to 21-6. At 165, senior Brandon Kelly (Fort Myers, Fla./Newberry) earned a major decision with a 16-3 triumph over Johnny Merryman. That gave AU a 25-6 lead.
That was too much for the Dragons to overcome. AU won two more matches on the evening and did so with head coach Tim Dernlan's treasured bonus points. At 184, freshman Caleb Marsh (Marysville, Ohio) stopped Alex Rivera, 15-3 for a win via major decision. Marsh has been in the lineup for a week.
At 285, junior Jacob Southwick (Bowling Green, Ohio/Otsego) pinned Brian Gelter in 55 seconds. That is Southwick's 16th pin of the season. The school single-season record is 17, done twice by Josh Hendricks.
AU is back on the road on Saturday (Feb. 12), visiting Ohio Valley.
Ashland 35, Tiffin 17
125 – AU wins by forfeit 6-0, AU
133 – Jordan Duckett (TU) wins by forfeit 6-6
141 – Kanaga (AU) maj. dec. Bolger (TU), 10-2 10-6, AU
149 – Genetin (AU) pins Begg (TU), 3:26 16-6, AU
157 – Hoff (AU) tech. fall Gualitieri (TU), 20-4, 6:48 21-6, AU
165 – Kelly (AU) maj. dec. Merryman (TU), 16-3 25-6, AU
174 – Boggio (TU) tech. fall Kerrigan (AU), 21-4, 6:04 25-11, AU
184 – Marsh (AU) maj. dec. Rivera (TU), 15-3 29-11, AU
197 – Hughes (TU) pins Running (AU), 5:16 29-17, AU
285 – Southwick (AU) pins Gelter (TU), 0:55 35-17, AU
AU
WREST/ALK