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BSU tangles with No. 1 Hawkeyes
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In the eyes of Boise State Head Wrestling Coach Greg Randall, the University of Iowa wrestling team proved Sunday why it is the best in the country. The Hawkeyes downed the Broncos 30-9 in a dual that could have easily been closer than the final score.
“In order to be a great team you’ve got to win the close matches,” Randall said after the dual. “That’s why Iowa is a great team. They won all the close matches except one. That’s why they’re No. 1.”
On the afternoon, BSU pushed six matches within one point late in the third period. Iowa prevailed in five of those matches. The Broncos only close win of the day came in the 165-pound weight class when freshman Kurt Swartz outlasted Iowa’s Jake Kerr for a 2-1 decision.
The Broncos only other win came at 197-pounds, where Matt Casperson recorded a win by fall against Rick Loera with 25.4 seconds left in the first period. Casperson’s win improves his overall record this season to 19-7.
“Ever since we moved Matt up to 197 he’s been wresting pretty well,” Randall said. “He’s just one of those types of guys where if you put a crowd in front of him he’s going to show up.”
Casperson’s first round slam brought the 2,812 fans in attendance at Taco Bell Arena to their feet after one of the dual’s biggest highlights.
“I came in with nothing to lose,” Casperson said. “Everyone thought, perhaps, I was going to lose … [but] it was awesome. It’s the greatest feeling ever.”
That was about as high as the Broncos would get, however, against a Hawkeye team that boasts numerous nationally ranked wrestlers. Entering Sunday’s dual Iowa had seven starters ranked in the nation’s top 15. Six of those wrestlers rank eighth or higher.
“[We've got to] get better as a team and learn that the great teams win the close matches and not be so star struck that, ‘hey oh my god, Iowa’s here’,” Randall said. “I thought our guys took a back seat in some matches. I just wish we had a better performance.”
Iowa’s top wrestler, No. 1 ranked 149-pounder Brent Metcalf, made quick work of BSU’s Eli Hutchison with a first round win by fall. The Hawkeyes’ 125-pound wrestler, No. 3 ranked Charlie Falck, also showed his dominance with a 20-5 technical fall against Alan Bartelli.
One of BSU’s biggest heart-breakers came in the 157-pound match between No. 12 Tyler Sherfey and No. 15 ranked Ryan Morningstar of Iowa. Sherfey battled into four overtimes before losing by a two-point take down as the final seconds ran down. The 3-1 loss was just the seventh loss for Sherfey this season.
In the end, Iowa simply finished stronger in most of the matches. Coach Randall said it isn’t all bad, with many good lessons to be taken from the loss.
“I think this was the best thing for us,” Randall said. “A lot of people say it would be nice if you could walk into the Pac-10 tournament with an eight or nine match winning streak, but this woke us up a little bit. It motivated us a little more to get where Iowa’s at.”
The Pac-10 tournament is now the next thing on the horizon for BSU. Coach Randall said he hopes his team will be able to grow from this loss.
“We’ve got a lot of work between now and the Pac-10 tournament and hopefully take advantage of this loss,” Randall said.
He said he also hopes that Casperson can use his momentum to make a run at a conference championship.
“Obviously it helps him going into the Pac-10 tournament and hopefully he’s not going to settle for anything less than the Pac-10 title,” Randall said.
The Pac-10 tournament is scheduled for March 2-3 in Eugene, Ore. The conference tournament will then be followed by the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., March 20-22.
Iowa 30
BSU 9
125 – No. 3 Charlie Falck (Iowa) def. Alan Bartelli (BSU), 20-5
133 – David Dennis (Iowa) def. Cory Fish (BSU), 6-3
141 – No. 8 Dan LeClere (Iowa) def. Eli Hutchison, 12-4
149 – No. 1 Brent Metcalf (Iowa) fall Cody Bender (BSU)
157 – No. 15 Ryan Morningstar (Iowa) def. No. 12 Tyler Sherfey (BSU), 3-1
165 – No. 16 Kurt Swartz (BSU) def. Jake Kerr (Iowa), 2-1
174 – No. 2 Jay Borschel (Iowa) def. Nate Lee (BSU), 7-4
184 – No. 7 Phillip Keedy (Iowa) def. No. 8 Kirk Smith (BSU), 3-2
197 – Matt Casperson (BSU) fall Rick Loera (Iowa)
HWT – No. 7 Matt Fields (Iowa) def. Nick Smith (BSU), 8-3
JAKE GARCIN
Sports Editor
