In a match full of overtime, wrestlers fall to Buffalo 27-9

Redshirt+sophomore+Louis+Newell+wrestles+during+the+Kent+State+wrestling+teams+meet+against+Buffalo+in+Kent%2C+Ohio+on+Sunday%2C+Jan.+23.+

David Dermer

Redshirt sophomore Louis Newell wrestles during the Kent State wrestling team’s meet against Buffalo in Kent, Ohio on Sunday, Jan. 23.

Noah Keeney, Reporter

In a meet that saw four of 10 individual matches go to overtime, Kent State’s wrestling team lost to Buffalo 27-9 Sunday.

Coach Jim Andrassy sounded frustrated as he talked about the Flashes’ losing so many close matches.

“The things they beat us on — they weren’t better than us, they just did it harder,” he said. “They wanted it more and, plain and simply, worked a little harder.”

“Overtime comes down to simply outworking your opponent. We just have to understand the importance of all the small little things that can go a long way.”

The Bulls now have won five straight dual meets.

Kent State falls to 3-5 overall and 1-2 in the conference while Buffalo rises to 10-5 and a 5-1 conference record.

Buffalo won four out of the five overtime matches, won another as time expired, and survived a last-second near-takedown by KSU redshirt junior heavyweight Jacob Cover that would have tied his match. Here’s how the overtime matches went:

  • Senior Kody Komara lost 6-4 at 149 pounds to graduate student John Arceri, who has Buffalo’s best record at 17-7. The two were tied 4-4 when Arceri posted a takedown in overtime. Komara’s record is 9-9.

  • Redshirt junior Brady Chrisman (now 9-11) was pinned in overtime at 165 pounds by redshirt senior Noah Grover (16-10).

  • Redshirt sophomore Tyler Bates (9-11) lost at 197 pounds to redshirt sophomore Sam Mitchell (12-13) on a takedown in overtime.

Kent State’s overtime win came at 184 pounds when, in the third extra period, junior Colin McCracken got an escape point, a two-point takedown and a four-point near fall to win with a final score of 8-1. The only points in regulation came on escapes by the two wrestlers. No one scored in the first overtime, and McCracken never let redshirt junior Pete Acciardi escape in the second.

“He’s a tough wrestler,” McCracken said. “I knew I had to wear him out eventually. I was able to ride him out [in the first overtime].”

In the third overtime, McCracken said he was able to escape, then late in the match, “he tried a roll, and I was able to catch him on his back and secure the match.”

McCracken is 8-8 on the season and Acciardi is 9-9.

Fifth-year Jake Ferri and redshirt sophomore Louis Newell both secured tough wins.

Ferri made a late escape to beat sophomore Tristan Daugherty 7-5. It was his eighth win in his last nine matches and brought his record to 17-6. Daugherty is 11-8.

Newell scored all of his points in the final period to beat redshirt senior Ben Freeman 3-2. Newell has a record of 16-11, and Freeman is 11-11.

Kent State will take on Cleveland State at 7 p.m. Thursday at the M.A.C. Center.

Noah Keeney is a reporter. You can contact him at [email protected].