Ohio State sophomore Sammy Sasso ties up his opponent during the Ohio State-Rutgers match on Jan. 24. Ohio State won 19-14. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Ohio State wrestling started its busy weekend with a crucial victory over Michigan State.
The No. 11 Buckeyes (3-1) won 7-of-10 matches and defeated the No. 23 Spartans (1-2) 24-9 to claim the team’s third straight victory over a ranked opponent.
“There were some really good things tonight, and we want to celebrate those things, but there’s always things we can work on,” Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan said.
Ohio State redshirt juniors Ethan Smith and Kaleb Romero both earned major decisions and were able to secure bonus-point wins over ranked opponents.
The number in front of a wrestler’s name doesn’t matter when two individuals step on the mat because all wrestlers care about is getting a victory, Smith said.
“If you think of it as a dogfight, and you go out there and you punch them right away, it takes that number away from their name and any stature they had before that match,” Smith said.
Smith, the No. 6 wrestler at 165 pounds, was dominant and used eight takedowns to beat No. 18 Michigan State redshirt senior Jake Tucker 17-6. The only points Tucker managed to earn were from escapes.
“Ethan is a leader, he’s one of our black shirts, he’s a captain and he has speed,” Ryan said. “He’s fun to watch.”
Romero, the No. 4 wrestler at 174 pounds, looked strong in a 14-3 victory over No. 17 Michigan State redshirt senior Drew Hughes. He controlled the match from the start to finish and scored an impressive seven points in the third period and advanced to 4-0 on the season.
Ryan said that Romero is a person that does everything right in his life and he is able to see success because of it.
“Last year was really painful for him when he lost the chance to win the nationals,” Ryan said. “He’s in the hunt this year, and I think he senses that, he feels that and he is wrestling like it.”
At 125 pounds, No. 12 Ohio State junior Malik Heinselman began the night for the Buckeyes with a 5-4 decision over No. 10 Michigan State redshirt junior Rayvon Foley.
Heinselman improved to 4-0 and claimed another win against an opponent who had beaten him in a previous season.
“Malik is on a tear,” Smith said. “[Foley] majored him last year and he went out there and got the win tonight.”
Ohio State redshirt sophomore Sammy Sasso, the No. 2 wrestler at 149 pounds, struggled in the first two periods against No. 31 Michigan State redshirt freshman Peyton Omania, but used a powerful takedown in the third to squeak out a 7-6 decision.
“Sammy looked a little tired because he worked really hard this week,” Ryan said. “I’m not surprised he was a little sluggish because we really challenged him.”
Ohio State redshirt junior Tate Orndorff, the No. 8 heavyweight, carried momentum from Sunday’s dual against Rutgers into his bout with Michigan State redshirt senior Christian Rebottaro. Orndorff used an escape, two takedowns and a near fall to earn a massive 12-1 major decision.
At 141 pounds, Ohio State freshman Anthony Echemendia marked his Covelli Center debut with a win. He used three takedowns to defeat Michigan State redshirt senior Jake Spiess 6-3 and claim his third individual victory.
Still, the Ohio State coaching staff expects to see improvement from Echemendia in the future.
“He’s just a freshman that’s never seen this style of wrestling,” Ryan said. “We have to make sure we continue to work with him on the mat.”
The Buckeyes busy weekend continues when they head to College Park, Maryland to take on the Terrapins Sunday at 2 p.m.
