GUNNISON, Colo. A slow start was costly Friday night in a top-25 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference wrestling matchup as host and 23rd-ranked Western Colorado fell behind early, rallied through the middle, but eventually dropped a narrow 22-18 decision to No. 8 Adams State University.
JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Adams State def. Western Colorado, 22-18
Records: Western 7-6 (2-1 RMAC), Adams State 9-1 (4-1)
Location: Paul Wright Gymnasium, Gunnison, Colo.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Adams broke out to a 13-0 lead after four weights, but only one match was decided by more than two points.
- Ryan Wilson initiated a rally at 157 with a second period fall of Adams' Travis Vialpando. Wilson nearly ended the bout late in the first period with a near fall but settled for an 8-2 advantage heading into the second. Starting on bottom he picked up a quick point on an escape, added a takedown before allowing an escape – looking toward a major or tech fall result – then ended the match with one more takedown that led to the pin.
- Hunter Mullin at 165 stepped onto the mat next, squaring off against the Grizzlies' Aaden Valdez. Mullin trailed 4-3 after two but dominated the third (7-2) with an escape and three takedowns to score the 10-6 decision that inched the Mountaineers closer on the scoreboard, 13-9.
- A tight match at 174 followed, with ninth-ranked Cole Hernandez battling Adams' Ryan Rochford. Hernandez scored the only points of the first with a takedown, but Rochford evened things up with the only points in the second on a reversal. The two opened the third upright in neutral and Hernandez eventually notched the winning points on a mid-period takedown. Rochford picked up an escape but that would be the final point of the match, a 4-3 Hernandez decision that drew Western to within a point, 13-12.
- The Grizzlies picked up a decision at 184 to open the gap to 16-12, then iced the match with a first period fall at 197.
- Zachery Schraeder recorded a fall in the second period of the 285 match to bring Western to within shouting distance on the team scoreboard, but the Grizzlies' opening salvo in the four lighter weights had proven too much of a deficit to overcome.
- Any of the bouts at 125, 133 or 149 could have tilted Western's way, though. Patrick Allis was downed, 3-2, by third-ranked Brendon Garcia on a third-period escape at 125; Alex Alvarez managed a third period escape to get within a point (3-2) at 133 put was unable to record what would have been a winning takedown; and fourth-ranked Jason Hanenberg picked up a late takedown at 149 but there wasn't enough time left to earn a near fall in a 4-2 loss to third-ranked Josiah Rider.
LOOKING AHEAD
Western will look to bounce back into the win column on Sunday when it travels to Colorado School of Mines for a 2 p.m. RMAC match.