 A Mason Watt pin in the third match of the dual ended up being the deciding factor in Chadron State’s 21-20 victory by criteria over the Adams State Grizzlies, Friday evening in the Chicoine Center.
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The victory improves CSC to 8-1 overall and 6-0 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action.
CSC has two duals remaining, one against 1-1 CSU-Pueblo and another against 0-6 Simon Fraser. A victory against the Thunderwolves on Saturday, February 10, would guarantee the Eagles a share of the RMAC title.
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“I am beyond proud of the guys,” Head Coach Brett Hunter said. “We battled through sickness all week and we found a way to get it done tonight. This team is special.”
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Chadron State’s mainstays this season, Quen Campbell at 133 pounds and Torry Early at 149, were unavailable against the Grizzlies due to sickness.
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Beginning at 184 pounds, Keegan Gehlhausen, a sophomore from Pinedale, Wyoming, earned a 9-5 victory, giving the Eagles an early 3-0 lead. Gehlhausen responded from a 4-0 deficit with three takedowns to win the match.
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The Grizzlies won their first of five matches with a 9-0 major decision at 197 pounds.
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In the 285-pound match that won the dual by criteria, Watt, a senior from Broomfield, Colorado, was victorious by fall in 1:49.
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Trailing 9-4, Adams State lowered the deficit to 9-7 after 125 pounds. #17 Isaiah Gamez scored seven of the final eight points of the match to defeat #8Â Quade Smith, 10-3.
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The Grizzlies regained the lead 12-10 with a 18-2 tech fall at 133 pounds
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It didn’t take long for #12Â Ethan Leake, a graduate student from Clovis, California, to tie the match again. With 1:00 left in the third period, Leake scored a reversal over #10 Angel Flores to seal a 6-3 decision.
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In only his fifth match of the season, Hunter Gilmore, a redshirt sophomore from Arlington, Nebraska, came up big for CSC. Gilmore had two early takedowns and scored one more on way to an 11-3 major decision, giving the Eagles a 16-12 lead.
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Adams State responded by winning the following two matches and scoring eight team points. They were victorious 5-2 in sudden victory at 157 pounds and won with a 17-2 tech fall at 165 to gain a 20-16 lead.
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The final match of the day is where the fireworks happened. In front of an electric crowd, Logan Berger earned a 13-5 major decision to tie the match at 20.
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Berger, a redshirt freshman from Hartsville, South Carolina, had to record a major decision in his match to make criteria even an option for the Eagles. He took over the match in the second period, scoring 11 of his 13 points, on way to victory.
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Both teams were victorious in five of the 10 matches so criteria fell to the number of pins in the dual. Due to Watt recording a pin at 285 pounds, the Eagles earned the 21-20 victory to remain undefeated.
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The final home dual of the season and senior day will be against CSU-Pueblo on Saturday, February 10 at 6 p.m.