WRESTLING RECAP: NO. 2 OHIO STATE DEFEATS KENT STATE AND CLEVELAND STATE IN THE THANKSGIVING THROWDOWN
After a dominant home opener versus then No. 11 Arizona State, the Buckeye wrestling team returned to action at St. John Arena in the second-annual Thanksgiving Throwdown, a unique tri-dual meet featuring in-state foes Kent State and Cleveland State.
For the Golden Flashes and Vikings, the trip back up I-71 was a long one, as Ohio State won both duals in convincing fashion, going 38-9 over Kent State and 43-3 over Cleveland State. The Buckeyes won 17 of 20 matches, including 14 bonus point victories.
The much-hyped Pin Chain, which made its debut at the Arizona State dual, was back again on the Ohio State sideline. Four Buckeyes earned the right to wear the motivational accessory, including reigning Olympic, World and NCAA champion Kyle Snyder, who has scored two victories by fall in as many matches.
In an unusual format, St. John Arena featured two mats with action running simultaneously through three "rounds" of competition.
With Ohio State the consensus No. 2 team in the country facing two unranked opponents, fans expected a show from the home team, and the Buckeyes delivered. Kent State fielded one ranked wrestler to Ohio State's eight; the higher-ranked starters all held serve, with four tech falls and two pins adding bonus points to the Ohio State box score.
Versus Cleveland State, the Buckeyes again had the more talented squad, fielding seven ranked starters - Kyle Snyder watched his younger brother Kevin take the heavyweight match - to the Vikings' one. The result was even more decisive, with four tech falls, two pins and two major decisions in nine victories.
BUCKEYE BREAKDOWN
125 POUNDS - BRAKAN MEAD
Mead faced a gargantuan task from the outset this season, stepping into the lineup for the injured Nathan Tomasello. The true freshman went 0-2 on the day, dropping a pair of decisions.
Mead was able to score a pair of takedowns in his first match, but Cleveland State's Cameron Lathem opened the bout with a takedown of his own, and added two more in the third period to seal the deal. In his second match, his points all came from escapes, and they weren't enough to earn the win.
133 POUNDS - LUKE PLETCHER
Last week Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan said he wanted to see more shots from his sophomore, and the first match of the night versus Kent State's Anthony Tutolo looked much like Pletcher's previous bouts. He scored the victory on a third-period escape and the riding time bonus, having ridden his opponent for more or less the entire second period.
The second match was a much different affair, however. Pletcher scored a pair of takedowns in the first two periods, and powered Cleveland State's redshirt junior Andrew Coghill to the mat, earning the pin at 4:12.
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285 - NO. 1 KYLE SNYDER AND KEVIN SNYDER
The Snyder brothers are an impressive - and imposing - pair. Most have heard of the elder Snyder, the reigning Olympic, World and NCAA champion, now in his senior campaign for the Buckeyes; freshman brother Kevin, though not a household name yet, is a talented wrestler in his own right, and both men earned bonus points Tuesday.
Kyle earned his second win by fall in as many matches, bringing out the Pin Chain again. Not known for pins in previous seasons, Snyder is a takedown artist who more often than not makes his NCAA opponents look silly, letting them up simply to put them back on the mat again, and again and again.
With the new Pin Chain on the line, it seems, Snyder is going for the fall in every match. After the Arizona State dual, he said that the need for bonus points this postseason is critical, as No. 1 Penn State is known for its five pin-happy national champions. When assistant coach J Jaggers came up with the homage to Miami Football's "turnover chain," Snyder answered the call.
"I wouldn't have gone for the pin if it wasn't for the Pin Chain," Snyder said after his pin versus the Sun Devils. "Penn State is really good, and we are really good, so it's going to come down to bonus points."
He pinned a taller, heavier opponent in Kent State's Devin Nye just 39 seconds into the second period, having scored five of his trademark takedowns in the first.
With Kyle doing color commentary for the BTN Plus live stream, Kevin stepped into the circle for the heavyweight bout versus Cleveland State's Collin Kelly. If you hadn't been paying attention, you might not have realized there were two different Snyders wrestling 285 for the Buckeyes, as Kevin put on a takedown clinic of his own.
In the first period, he added a pair of 4-point near falls to his opening takedown, ending the first period up 10-0. In the second, he added four more takedowns, allowing only escapes. Another takedown to open the final frame finished the match with a 20-5 tech fall, and the Buckeyes added another 5-point win to their total.
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