The Ohio State wrestling team couldn’t do much damage against a loaded Iowa Hawkeye club, but there was one moment Friday night that Buckeye fans, coaches, and teammates could be very proud of.
Sammy Sasso has been a competitor at the 149 lb. weight class, but last night he was facing the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the weight class, Pat Lugo. Do yourself a favor and find video of the entire match if you can because Sasso was a scrambling, defensive-minded grappler that kept finding a way to wiggle his way out of the shots Lugo kept going for.
So much so that at the end of two overtimes, the score was knotted at one point apiece for an escape by both men — headed for a tiebreaker. Sasso was able to escape during his :30 down on the mat, and then had to somehow hold off a stronger and more seasoned wrestler. All Lugo had to do was escape to tie it up and the match would continue.
But Sasso would have none of it. Watch as he rides out Lugo, refusing to let him out of his grasp for a full thirty seconds for the win. This is all heart and determination. Quite amazing really.
@sammysasso knocks off #1 in country! Way to Believe Sammy! #NazarethProud https://t.co/IqjErRRM3j
— Nazareth Wrestling (@NazWrestling) January 25, 2020
Keep in mind that there were three reviews that either took points off or could have put them on the board for Lugo, but they all went against him. But they were the right call for any objective viewer.
These are the types of moments that make wrestling fans out of the casual observer, and you can bet that Sasso’s ranking will most likely rise after this showing.