GUNNISON, Colo.  Visiting San Francisco State earned an early lead Friday night in a non-conference dual with the 15th-ranked Mountaineers, but Western responded with wins in the final seven weights – six via the bonus point variety – to pound out a 39-10 victory over the Gators.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western def. SF State, 39-10
Records: Western 4-1, SF State 2-6
Location: Paul Wright Gym, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Roberto Estrada opened the night at 125 pounds for Western, and entered the second period of his match against Evan Kusumoto trailing 3-1. An Estrada takedown early in the second changed the scoreboard, and at the 4:00 mark Estrada finished the match with a pin for a quick 6-0 Mountaineer lead.
• The Gators, though, bounced back with a technical fall at 133 and a first-period fall at 141 to move in front, 11-6.
• Fourth-ranked Dean Noble flipped the momentum at 149, earning a 15-0 tech fall to even the dual at 11-11.
• Vincent Cabral and SF State's Zane Stoddard had a busy first period at 157, Cabral finishing with a 6-4 lead. The advantage extended to 9-4 with the second period's only takedown, followed by a commanding third by Cabral as he scored a takedown and a four-point near fall to, with the riding time point, add a 17-4 major decision to the Western side of the scoreboard.
• It didn't take long for Ryan Dirksen to add to the momentum that was growing, as he registered a early takedown in the first period of his 165 match, surrendered an escape, then shot back in for a takedown that resulted in a fall in just 1 minute, 14 seconds.
• SF State forfeited at 174, putting Hunter Richardson on the mat for Western at 184.
• Neither he nor Kweli Hernandez-Maitre scored in the opening period, but Hernandez-Maitre picked up an escape and a takedown to break the deadlock, only to have Richardson pull out a two-point reversal to score his first points and to start adding riding time seconds.
• Both wrestlers seemed cautious through much of the third, but Richardson needed something to happen as he trailed 4-2. And that something was a takedown and control for an extended period of time on the match clock. Right at the end of the period Hernandez-Maitre managed an escape to pull even at 5-5, but Richardson added the riding point to secure the 6-5 win.
• The Mountaineers dominated the final two matches of the night, with Sage Harrison scoring a 16-0 tech fall at 197 and Riley Butt adding a 15-2 major at 285 for the final Western points.
• The final total for SF State included a one-point deduction for unsportsmanlike actions after the 165 match.

THEY SAID IT


UP NEXT

• The Mountaineers have a busy week lined up ahead them, as they hit the road for back-to-back-to-back matches beginning with a January 23 match at Northeastern Junior College.
• Western steps back into Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action the following two nights, taking on host Chadron State College on Jan. 24 followed by a match at Colorado School of Mines the next night.