KEARNEY, Neb. – A pair of senior veterans came through with clutch falls to propel top-ranked Central Oklahoma past No. 2 Nebraska-Kearney 21-18 in a thrilling showdown between long-time Division II powerhouses Friday night.
Gabe Johnson's first-period pin at 157 pounds and Hunter Jump's late third-period fall at 174 proved to be the difference for the Bronchos, who improved to 14-1 overall and 3-0 in the MIAA with their 29th straight league win.
UCO also got wins from 125 Eli Kirk, 133 Jason Henschel and 197 Garrett Wells in beating the Lopers for the ninth consecutive time. The five-time defending conference champion Bronchos move on to Hays, Kansas Saturday afternoon to face Fort Hays State.
"That was a great dual and I'm really proud of our guys," head coach Todd Steidley said. "There were a lot of really tough matches that could have gone either way, but bonus points are big in duals like this and obviously the difference was the falls by Gabe and Hunter.
"It was a great atmosphere and a big win for us. Now we have to move on and get ready for tomorrow."
Kirk gave UCO the early lead, using takedowns in the second and third periods to claim an 8-2 win over Caleb Coyle. The top-ranked Henschel struck for a takedown just 23 seconds into his bout with Zach Ourada and the two traded escapes in the final two periods, with Henschel adding a riding time point for a 5-1 victory.
UNK took the next two matches in surge in front 9-6, with third-ranked Joseph Airola clipping No. 8 Josh Taylor 2-1 in the overtime tiebreaker at 141 before Daniel DeRosier scored a first-period fall over Bam West.
The top-ranked Johnson continued his dominating senior season with a first-period pin to put the Bronchos back on top. Johnson took down No. 5 Cael Robb in the opening seconds then gave up an escape before taking Robb to his back to get the fall at the 2:14 mark. It was the 27th straight win for the two-time national champion and gave UCO a 12-9 lead.
The Lopers tied it at 165 when sixth-ranked Trenton Munoz trimmed No. 10 Bryce Dauphin 6-3. Dauphin took a 3-1 lead on a takedown midway through the third period, but Munoz escaped seconds later and scored a late takedown before adding a riding time point.
Jump responded with his clutch third-period fall to push the Bronchos back on top 18-12. The fourth-ranked junior trailed No. 8 Otgonbayar Batsuuri 3-2 entering the final two minutes but easily controlled Batsuuri before forcing him to his back and getting the ball 34 seconds before the final buzzer for his 10th straight win.
UNK made it 18-15 with fifth-ranked Kaden Hart's 4-3 win over No. 3 Branson Britten, with Hart's second-period takedown the difference.
The third-ranked Wells came through with another clutch win for the Bronchos at 197, edging No. 4 Jackson Kinsella 1-0. Wells escaped 13 seconds into the second period and that was the only score as Kinsella didn't get close to a takedown after electing to go neutral in the third period
That win clinched the dual after Kinesella was penalized a team point for throwing his headgear following his loss, giving UCO a 21-14 lead heading into the final match.
UNK's top-ranked Crew Howard scored a 14-1 major decision at heavyweigh to arrange the final margin.
UCO 21, Nebraska-Kearney 18
125 – Eli Kirk, UCO, dec. Caleb Coyle, 8-2.
133 – Jason Henschel, UCO, dec. Zach Ourada, 5-1.
141 – Joseph Airola, UNK, dec. Josh Taylor, 2-1 (TB).
149 – Daniel DeRosier, UNK, pinned Bam West, 2:02.
157 – Gabe Johnson, UCO, pinned Cael Robb, 2:14.
165 – Trenton Munoz, UNK, dec. Bryce Dauphin, 6-3.
174 – Hunter Jump, UCO, pinned Otgonbayar Batsuuri, 6:24.
184 – Kaden Hart, UNK, dec. Branson Britten, 4-3.
197 – Garrett Wells, UCO, dec. Jackson Kinsella, 1-0.
Hvy – Crew Howard, UNK, major dec. Ryan Nichols, 14-1.
