(Photo: Jessica Carnivale/WCSN)
The Arizona State wrestling team didn’t fool around with Saturday’s Division II opponent, crushing the visiting McKendree Bearcats 38-3 at Desert Financial Arena. The fifth ranked Sun Devils won nine out of ten matches en route to its fourth straight win to open the season. The victory comes on the heels of one of a similar margin Friday against Augustana, capping the second straight successful weekend for Zeke Jones’ squad.
“I think we are where we should be,” Jones said. “We showed some improvement from last week, these guys have been working hard. I think we’re climbing.”
Brandon Courtney again set the tone for ASU in the opening 125-lb match, besting his opponent 6-2 on three takedowns. Josh Kramer followed Courtney with a 6-0 victory, setting the stage for redshirt junior Cory Crooks in the 141-lb match. Crooks delivered by posting one of the Sun Devils’ most impressive decisions on the young season, defeating his opponent 20-5 by tech fall.
The dominance continued throughout the first half, with the score 21-0 at intermission.
McKendree’s heavier wrestlers had better showings than their first half counterparts, but were still easily dispatched by most of the Sun Devils. Josh Shields was tested early in his match, but bounced back to earn the 5-3 win, avoiding what would have been a significant upset.
“It’s tough facing a team that doesn’t have a ton of film. I had no idea who this guy [McKendree’s Wagner] was coming in,” Shields said. “I came in a little lackadaisical, and he did a great job slowing me down.”
Luckily for him, Shields was able to recover and pull out the late victory. The Valencia brothers followed with two typically dominant wins. Anthony Valencia pulled out a 6-2 victory, and Zahid followed with a 22-6 win via tech fall.
ASU’s lone loss came in the penultimate match, with Cade Belshay suffering a 9-7 defeat in the 197-lb weight class. Tanner Hall capped off a victorious day for ASU with a HWT victory.
The Sun Devils now look ahead to Friday and their much anticipated matchup with Penn State. This upcoming Friday is the first time in recent history that the Sun Devil wrestling team has hosted the No. 1 team in the country, and the team cannot wait.
When asked if he and the team are excited, Shields kept it short and simple. “Heck yeah, how could you not be?”
