ASU Wrestling: Sun Devils best Beavers for fourth consecutive win

(Photo: Reece Andrews/WCSN)

Following a similar blueprint to what enabled its recent success, No. 19 Arizona State (6-4, 3-1) took down Oregon State (6-6, 2-1) in Corvallis on Sunday by establishing a commanding lead with its lightweights as part of an otherwise competitive 23-16 dual win that No. 5 sophomore Cohlton Schultz secured by adding yet another pin to his 2022-2023 resume.

Starting off the night at 125 pounds, ASU No. 8 senior Brandon Courtney managed a 10-6 decision over No. 13 sophomore Brandon Kaylor in a match that wasn’t decided until the last seconds ticked off the clock: The wrestlers traded takedowns and points in the final frame before a singlet grab by Kaylor gifted Courtney a 6-5 lead that was furthered to 10-6 on back points.

Courtney and Kaylor met in last year’s Pac-12 Championship, which Courtney won by decision.

No. 4 133-pound senior Michael McGee continued to dominate.

On the road against another ranked opponent, McGee constantly kept No. 19 senior Jason Shaner off balance en route to a 17-2 technical-fall win that included three-plus minutes of riding time.

To some extent, Oregon State wrestling could be named “Sun Devil South” with the how many ASU transfers it has welcomed under head coach Chris Pendleton — who spent six seasons on Zeke Jones’ Sun Devils staff in Tempe before taking lead of the Beavers in 2020.

This year, two of Oregon State’s starting wrestlers were once Sun Devils.

Sun Devils No. 28 144-pound sophomore Jesse Vasquez defeated No. 25 sophomore Cleveland Belton by a 5-2 decision. Belton spent three years at ASU before transferring to Oregon State. Both wrestlers attended St. John Bosco High School in California and are from the same hometown of Corona.

At 149 pounds, No. 5 ranked sophomore Kyle Parco squeezed out a 7-5 decision win for the Sun Devils over redshirt junior Riley Gurr.

A loss at 157 pounds and a technical-fall defeat at 165 pounds reenergized the Beavers’ crowd at Gill Coliseum, with the dual’s score differential narrowed to 14-8.

ASU 157-pound freshman Max Wilner dropped a 10-6 decision to senior Isaiah Crosby, and Sun Devils 165-pound junior Tony Negron lost by technical fall to No. 21 redshirt sophomore Matthew Olguin.

Apart from Schultz’s performance, redshirt freshman Cael Valencia’s win at 174 pounds aided ASU’s winning effort.

Cael, the son of ASU wrestling legend Ruben Valencia who won a national championship for the Sun Devils, upset Oregon State No. 24 senior Aaron Olmas in a 6-4 overtime decision that was capped by a takedown.

The victory made set the score at 17-8 ASU, a lead it would not surrender despite being dominated by in the two matches before Schultz’s matchup

No. 29 184-pound junior Anthony Montalvo dropped a 14-4 major decision to No. 9 sophomore Trey Munoz, who spent two years at ASU before transferring to Oregon State. Sun Devils 197-pound junior Jonathon Fagen was overmatched against No. 18 senior Tanner Harvey in a 14-4 major-decision loss.