By Con Marshall
             The long trip to San Francisco last weekend proved to be worthwhile for the Chadron State College men’s wrestling team.Â
The Eagles defeated the San Francisco State University Gators 40-3, while winning nine of the 10 weight classes, and improving their record to 2-0.
             The margin of victory was wider than Coach Brett Hunter had anticipated. Prior to heading west, he noted that the Gators are usually tough to beat early in the season because they’re full of pep.
They tend to wear down as the season goes on because there are no other Division II teams in the Far West, such more of their competition is against Division I schools.
             In addition, when San Francisco State came to Chadron a year ago to dual the Eagles, the Gators won by a 25-16 score. This year, the Eagles turned the tables in a big way.
It also is noteworthy that on Saturday, the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers had visited the Gators and lost three weight classes, although still winning by a 30-9 score.
             The Eagles earned bonus points Sunday in 4 of the 8 contested matches, including a 3rd period pin by 174-pound redshirt freshman Logan Berger to collect six points for the visitors. His victim, Conrado Trevino-Oceguera, was one of 2 Gators to win by a pin last year.
Quade Smith, who had failed to make weight in the Eagles’ season opener on Nov. 3, and had to forfeit his 125-pound match, was in the groove this time and won by an 18-0 technical fall.
CSC veterans Quen Campbell and Ethan Leake each won 13-point major decisions in the second and third matches of the Sunday dual. Campbell, the nation’s No. 2 ranked 133-pounder, was a 19-6 winner and Leake, a native of California whose parents were in attendance, blanked his is foe 13-0.
The Eagles’ other winners on the mat scored regular decisions. Brody Lamb won the 149-pound bout 11-8, Eli Hinojosa was a 12-6 victor at 197 and Mason Watt bested his heavyweight rival 4-0.
The Eagles received forfeits at 157 and 185 pounds because the Gators had no one to fill those weights. Thus Tayten Gillette and Rowdy Pfeil had W’s added to their records without having to do more than step on the mat and let the referee raise their hand. They would much rather have been challenged.
The Eagles’ only loss was at 165 pounds, where Kyle Botelho, one of the Gators’ top grapplers who also defeated his Kearney opponent, took an 8-1 decision over CSC’s Jaziah Whelen.
This Saturday, nearly all 40 of the CSC team members will be among the more than 500 contestants at the UNK Open Tournament, one of the biggest in the nation. It will be a major challenge, but one many of those in this year’s roster should be able to handle well.
125—Quade Smith, CSC, tech fall Hayden Ancheta, 18-0.
133—Quen Campbell, CSC, major dec. Zach Wright, 19-6.
141—Ethan Leake, CSC, major dec. Sean Yamasaka, 13-0.
149—Brody Lamb, CSC, dec. Zane Stoddard, 11-8.
157—Tayten Gillette, CSC, won by forfeit.
165—Kyle Botelho, SFSU, dec. Jaziah Whalen, 8-1.
174—Logan Berger, CSC, pinned Conrado Trevino-Oceguera, 6:39.
185—Rowdy Pfeil, CSC, won by forfeit.
197—Eli Hinojosa, CSC, dec. Rivera Vazquez, 12-6.
Hwt—Mason Watt, CSC, dec. Emilio Franco Sandoval, 4-0.
Exh. 149—Hunter Gilmore, CSC, major dec. Zane Stoddard. 15-3.