The University of Wisconsin-Platteville wrestling team hosted their annual Quad Tournament at William’s Fieldhouse, Jan. 24.
The Pioneers came up with two wins out of the three duals, dominating Knox College (45-7) and Milwaukee School of Engineering (28-15), while coming up short against Lakeland College (22-18).
Three Pioneers put on a clinic as they controlled the mats most of the night.
Sophomores Cole Ferguson and Dylan DeShane and freshman Brandon Boyle represented the Pioneers well, winning all three of their matches for the night.
Ferguson set the tone for the Pioneers at 125 by winning his three matches.
In his first match against Lakeland’s Matt Damp, Ferguson was tested in the final seconds of the third period as an attempted throw by Damp failed.
Ferguson held the lead and came away with the 7-6 decision.
“I was in control the entire match and knew he was looking for the big throw,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson won by forfeit against MSOE, then picked up a pin against Knox’s Rich Thompson.
Ferguson was satisfied with his performance, however, he was disappointed with the score of his first match.
DeShane had a stellar performance at 174, picking up two pins in his first two matches.
The first pin was against Lakeland’s Wes Colton in the first period, and the second over MSOE’s Russell Carey early in the third.
In his final match of the night against Knox’s Greg Ventris, DeShane grinded out a victory in the last 25 seconds of the match with a takedown.
Despite an escape by Ventris, DeShane picked up the 4-3 decision.
DeShane was satisfied with his overall performance.
“I wrestled really solid on my feet and on top. I’m going to focus on improving [my] bottom game,” Deshane stated.
DeShane wrestled at the 184 weight class in the beginning of the season, but has been having more success at the 174 weight class.
He mentioned that he can “out-muscle” his opponents at the 174 weight class, compared to the 184-pound wrestlers that he faced earlier this year.
In the Heavyweight class, Boyle earned his first two wins by decision, defeating Lakeland’s Rainger Rossway, 3-1, in overtime and MSOE’s Caleb Staub, 8-2.
Boyle finished the night with a thrilling first period pin against Knox’s Joe Chirbas in the final seconds.
Sophomore Emeric Willams went 2-1 at 149 lbs for the Pioneers, coming up short in a 6-3 loss to Lakeland’s Juan Diaz, but then dominating MSOE’s Tre House, 16-7, utilizing a flurry of takedowns and tilts for the final decision.
Ultimately, Williams picked up a forfeit against Knox.
Junior Trent Larson, weighing in at 165 pounds, also ended the night with a record of 2-1.
Larson started off the night with a loss to Lakeland 5-16, but picked up his first win against MSOE’s Piete Koostra.
He also tied the score in the third period with a reversal and a two-point near fall.
In overtime, Larson fought hard and got the takedown to clinch the victory, 8-6.
Larson ended the night with a first period pin against Knox’s Aaron Hoover.
Sophomore Mason Bohm went 1-2 at 141 with a 10-4 win against Lakeland in the first dual, but then was unable to comeback against MSOE’s Justin Worfenden and lost 6-12 by decision.
Devin Johnson, one of the five seniors honored on Senior Night, ended the night 1-2 at 184 with an incredible reversal in the last five seconds to win the match against Lakeland’s Eddie Terres.
Johnson then lost by decision to MSOE’s Austin Bellile, 7-5.
Junior Bryant Etherton, at 197, concluded the night with a record of 1-2.
Etherton lost his first two matches by decision to Lakeland and MSOE, but bounced back in a big way and got a first-round pin against Knox’s Ruben Villalobos.
The UW-Platteville Quad was the final home meet this season, as well as Senior Night for five wrestlers on the team.
Johnson, along with Nathan Schmitz, Mike Harman, Mac Drees and Austin Holland were honored for their dedication and hard work with the Pioneers’ wrestling program.
After the Quad, Head Coach Chris Walters was able to add his perspective about the results of the duals and what the team plans to accomplish as they move forward with the season.
He was pleased with the two wins they earned, but said it was a “hit and miss” kind of night, since they did not capitalize on close matches that resulted in losses for the Pioneers when a win was in sight.
Walters plans to combat those situations by focusing on front headlock and cradle opportunities that were present during the Quad.
The Pioneers hit the mats on Saturday, Feb. 1 at the Duhawk Open, hosted by Loras College in Dubuque, Ia.
