The Ohio State Buckeyes fell 20-16 to Penn State on Saturday night, winning five out of the ten matches against the Nittany Lions. Penn State got the win by earning five bonus points to Ohio State’s one, and because Nick Lee upset Luke Pletcher at 141 pounds.
Still, there were plenty of positives for Ohio State, especially at the beginning and end of the dual match.
The match started at 125 pounds, where Malik Heinselman pulled out a much-needed win over Brandon Meredith. Heinselman won the Greyhound Open against some lower-tier opponents last week, and that confidence seems to have bled in to this match. Jordan Decatur couldn’t get a win over No. 4 Roman Bravo-Young, though, but he looked solid in the match.
Then came the biggest match of the Day. No. 1 vs No. 2 at 141 pounds. Pletcher looked strong and in control early, but something seemed to go wrong halfway through the match. Either Pletcher tweaked something or he ran out of gas, but Lee took control from midway through the second period, and he held on for the win.
Sammy Sasso kept his No. 1 seed by winning in Sudden Victory, and Quinn Kinner picked up a much-needed win over Brady Berge with a late takedown. Kinner started the season at 133 pounds, and he finally is at his best at 157. Kinner also won the Greyhound Open last week, and that seemed to have spurred him on as well.
The next two weight classes had No. 1s and National Champions for Penn State. Ethan Smith was impressive early against Vincenzo Joseph, but Joseph took control in the second period and won by Major Decision. Then Mark Hall earned a quick pin over Kaleb Romero at 174 pounds.
Rocky Jordan couldn’t keep up with Top 10 opponent Aaron Brooks, and then Kollin Moore won by Major Decision in his match. The final match of the night saw Gary Traub pick up a huge win over Seth Nevills, also with a late takedown.
In the dual match, the Buckeyes couldn’t quite get the win. And Pletcher’s loss certainly hurt. But other than that, the Buckeyes saw plenty of positives. Heinselman and Traub seem at their best as we approach the Big Ten Tournament, and Kinner finally seems like Ohio State’s answer at 157 pounds.
The Buckeyes are improving when it matters most. We’ll see just how ready they are to be competitive nationally at the Big Ten Tournament in three weeks.