Wrestling Edged 23-18 in SoCon Rivalry with The Citadel

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Wrestling Edged 23-18 in SoCon Rivalry with The Citadel

LEXINGTON, Va. -- What a difference a year makes. Last season, the Virginia Military Institute wrestling team suffered a 35-3 loss against arch nemesis The Citadel in Charleston. This year however, the Keydets improved greatly, but fell to the Bulldogs 23-18 Thursday night in The Thunderdome.

The Keydets won the final three weight classes of the Southern Conference dual at Cocke Hall, but it proved to be bonus points at 149 and 157 pounds that made the difference as The Citadel (6-5, 4-2 SoCon) won by technical fall and by fall, respectively, at those weights.

Highlighting the night for VMI (6-7, 3-3 SoCon) were bonus point wins by Juan Adams at heavyweight, Shabaka Johns at 165 pounds and Derek Thurman at 184 pounds. Adams won by second-period fall, Johns extended his winning streak to nine while Thurman collected his first major decision this season.

Last season, the Keydets had just one win against The Citadel as Adams bested Joe Bexley, his opponent in the league dual in Lexington this season, by a 3-0 score. VMI won four of its 1 matches this season, with three of those losses coming by four points or less.

Action kicked off at 197 pounds, a hotly contested match between The Citadel's Marshall Haas and VMI's Urayoan Garcia. Haas picked up four points in the first period with a takedown and two nearfall points before Garcia nabbed an escape in the second and a takedown in the third for three points, but Haas picked up a fifth point on riding time.

In the next match, Adams won his fifth match in his last six outings, pinning the Bulldogs' Bexley in the second period, halting the clock at 3:48. Adams improved to 2-0 in the last two seasons against Bexley.

After the big men, the match swung to the little guys at 125 pounds, another close decision between Joaquin Marquez and VMI's Dalton Henderson. The Bulldog capitalized on an early takedown and a late escape, along with enough riding time to secure the bonus point.

The 133 pound bout brought the standing room only crowd to its feet as the action between VMI's Hunter Starner and The Citadel's Clarence Arrington, Jr. was knotted 1-1 at the end of regulation. The Bulldog escaped in the second, but a late pair of stall warnings against Arrington cost him a point and deadlocked the score. However the Bulldog hit a takedown midway through the sudden victory period, picking up a 3-1 decision and three team points.

At 141 pounds, it was another close bout as VMI's Emmitt Kelly logged a takedown in the first period, but an escape and takedown in the third period, along with riding time for Tyler Buckiso proved to be the difference in a 4-2 decision for The Citadel.

The Bulldogs put up 11 points at the next two weight classes with a technical fall by Matt Frisch at 149 pounds and win by fall at 157 pounds by Aaron Walker, putting the match just out of reach of VMI.

Down but not out, the Keydets rallied over the final three bouts as Johns, who holds VMI's longest winning streak since Matt Brock '12 won 11 in a row in 2011-12, scored six nearfall points, aided by a trio of takedowns and two penalty points to earn his first collegiate technical fall, once again bringing the crowd to its feet.

Darr continued the run for VMI at 174 pounds, edging Kenneth Radford 7-6. The Keydet logged plenty of riding time, along with two takedowns and a reversal, but surrendered two penalty points for using a pair of illegal Full Nelson holds. Radford had four escapes along with the penalty points to keep the bout close throughout.

In the final match of the dual, Thurman put up two takedowns in the first period against Kendall Hemmings, but the Bulldog escaped twice, giving Thurman a two-point advantage through the first three minutes. The second period was slow, with Thurman earning the lone point after Hemmings was called twice for stalling. The redshirt junior scored another four points on an escape, takedown and another stalling point, adding a riding time point to pick up his first major decision of the season.

VMI won't have to wait long before seeing The Citadel again. The two schools head to Great Neck, N.Y. for the 2015 All-Academy Championship, hosted by the Merchant Marine Academy. Joining VMI, The Citadel and the Merchant Marine Academy will by the United States Military Academy, United States Naval Academy, United States Air Force Academy, United States Coast Guard Academy and Norwich University. Action begins at 9:30 a.m.

Thursday February 5, 2015
The Thunderdome in Cocke Hall - Lexington, Va.
The Citadel 23, VMI 18
Wt. Winner Dec Type Loser Score (VMI-CID)
197: Marshall Haas (CID) DEC Urayoan Garcia (VMI) 5-3 (0-3)
285: Juan Adams (VMI) WBF Joe Bexley (CID) 3:48 (6-3)
125: Joaquin Marquez (CID) DEC Dalton Henderson (VMI) 4-0 (6-6)
133: Clarence Arrington, Jr. (CID) DEC Hunter Starner (VMI) SV-1 3-1 (6-9)
141: Tyler Buckiso (CID) DEC Emmitt Kelly (VMI) 4-2 (6-12)
149: Matt Frisch (CID) TECH FALL Jack Krall (VMI) 17-0 (5:57) (6-17)
157: Aaron Walker (CID) WBF Jed Harris (VMI) 1:39 (6-23)
165: Shabaka Johns (VMI) TECH FALL Andrew Lock (CID) 18-1 (6:43) (11-23)
174: Mark Darr (VMI) DEC Kenneth Radford (CID) 7-6 (14-23)
184: Derek Thurman (VMI) MAJ DEC Kendall Hemmings (CID) 10-2 (18-23)
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Players Mentioned

Juan Adams

Juan Adams

Redshirt Senior
Mark Darr

Mark Darr

Junior
Urayoan Garcia

Urayoan Garcia

Redshirt Junior
Jed Harris

Jed Harris

Sophomore
Dalton Henderson

Dalton Henderson

Sophomore
Shabaka Johns

Shabaka Johns

Sophomore
Emmitt Kelly

Emmitt Kelly

Junior
Jack Krall

Jack Krall

Freshman
Hunter Starner

Hunter Starner

Freshman
Derek Thurman

Derek Thurman

Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Juan Adams

Juan Adams

Redshirt Senior
Mark Darr

Mark Darr

Junior
Urayoan Garcia

Urayoan Garcia

Redshirt Junior
Jed Harris

Jed Harris

Sophomore
Dalton Henderson

Dalton Henderson

Sophomore
Shabaka Johns

Shabaka Johns

Sophomore
Emmitt Kelly

Emmitt Kelly

Junior
Jack Krall

Jack Krall

Freshman
Hunter Starner

Hunter Starner

Freshman
Derek Thurman

Derek Thurman

Redshirt Sophomore