No. 1 Penn State Wrestling grinds No. 6 Ohio State into dust 32-7: Full results

The No. 1 ranked Penn State Wrestling Team improves to 15-0 on the season as they pulverized Ohio State 32-7 in front of a sold out Bryce Jordan Center crowd

No. 1 Penn State Wrestling once again had the kind of performance that established it as the most dominant team in the nation, throttling No. 6 Ohio State 32-7 inside a raucous Bryce Jordan Center.

The Ohio State Buckeyes rode into a snowy and icy Happy Valley on Friday night to take on the Nittany Lions in a battle of strength, will, and determination. Recently Ohio State has given Penn State a run for their money when they have come to town, however, Cael Sanderson and his team seem to always have their eyes on the prize in big matches.

That is exactly what happened Friday night as the Nittany Lions, without both Carter Starocci and Brady Berge, were able to blast the Buckeyes in a 32-7 victory in front of a rowdy BJC crowd.

Onto the action!

No. 1 Penn State Wrestling takes down No. 6 Ohio State to remain undefeated

The dual meet started out at 125 where Drew Hildebrandt came out sporting the all-white Penn State singlet. Most of the match turned into a full-on feeling-out process, however, Hildebrandt earned an early escape in the 2nd period and used a full third-period ride to get Penn State on the board with a 2-0 decision over his opponent.

Remember when I said in the preview the BJC crowd might be treated to some bonus points and possibly a pin or two?

Well, that’s exactly what Roman Bravo-Young and Nick Lee gave the crowd in the next two matches.

RBY used leverage from the top position to turn his opponent’s back to the mat for a fall 6:31 seconds into the match and Nick Lee used a flurry of takedowns and over three minutes of riding time to earn the major decision 13-3. And after only three matches on the evening, Penn State jumped out to a 13-0 lead over Ohio State.

The last time Beau Bartlett toed the line against Sammy Sasso he held an early lead but ultimately fell in a tough 5-3 decision last year. I know I basically wrote him off in the Ohio State preview, which is par for the course for me because Bartlett was this close to pulling out a huge upset against Sasso.

Late in the match, Bartlett pulled the reversal to take a 2-1 lead, however, Sasso squeezed out, then got around the back door on Bartlett with only eight seconds in the match to earn the takedown and the decision 4-2. Sasso’s win put Ohio State on the board but they were still trailing 13-3.

And in a night where the Nittany Lions would be without Brady Berge and Carter Starocci, any wins in toss-up matches would be crucial so the Penn State faithful wouldn’t have to sweat it out until the bitter end.

Well, this is where Terrell Barraclough stepped up big time. He wrestled a tight match to force sudden victory with the score tied 2-2. And late in sudden victory, Barraclough snagged a clutch takedown following a scramble near the left side of the mat to win the match and push Penn State’s lead to 16-3.

Coming out of the break, a familiar face for Penn State emerged as Creighton Edsall filled in for Brady Berge at 165.

The match ended up going into sudden victory tied at an incredible 0-0 as Creighton couldn’t escape from the down position for the entire second period. Then it was Edsell’s turn to ride out his opponent for the full two minutes in the third period. And halfway into sudden victory, Edsell was able to work around Freemon to earn the takedown and win Penn State’s second match in a row in sudden victory.

Bam!

Going into the final four matches of the night Penn State owned a commanding 19-3 lead.

Mason Manville then got the call for the Nittany Lions at 174 with Carter Staroci on the bench. And it was always going to be a tall order against Ohio State’s No. 7 Ethan Smith. Manville ultimately fell via a major decision 15-5 to cut Penn State’s lead to 19-7.

If Ohio State fans thought they had any momentum following the major decision by Smith, then they were sorely mistaken. Because Aaron Brooks was all over his opponent from the opening whistle. And only 20 seconds into the second period Brooks was able to cinch a cradle and pin his Buckeye adversary to earn the fall and give Penn State a 25-7 lead.

Max Dean then took to the mat and his match appeared to be in control with him up 2-1 late in the third period with the riding time point already secured. However, Dean gave up a careless reversal and the match ended up going into sudden victory tied at 3-3.

Could Penn State make it three for three in sudden victories on the night?

You better believe it!

Following a scramble late in sudden victory, Dean was able to roll over and slide around his opponent to grab the takedown and win the match 5-3. Going into the final match of the night, Penn State continued to push their lead to 28-7.

And like he has done many times this season, Greg Kerkvliet tied a bow on the dual meet by winning a major decision 10-2.

Good job good effort Ohio State.

Next up for the Nittany Lions is a home dual against Nebraska this Sunday (2/6/22) at 12:00 p.m. noon in Rec Hall. The dual meet will be broadcast nationally on the Big Ten Network.

No. 1 Penn State 32, No. 6 Ohio State 7

125 No. 6 Drew Hildebrandt (PSU) dec over No. 10 Malik Heinselman (OSU) 2-0, OSU 0 PSU 3
133 No. 1 Roman Bravo-Young (PSU) fall over Brady Koontz (OSU) 6:31, OSU 0 PSU 9
141 No. 1 Nick Lee (PSU) maj dec over No. 20 Dylan D’Emilio (OSU) 13-3, OSU 0 PSU 13
149 No. 2 Sammy Sasso (OSU) dec over No. 18 Beau Bartlett (PSU) 4-2, OSU 3 PSU 13
157 Terrell Barraclough (PSU) dec over Isaac Wilcox (OSU) 4-2, OSU 3 PSU 16
165 Creighton Edsell (PSU) dec over Kevon Freeman (OSU) 2-0, OSU 3 PSU 19
174 No. 7 Ethan Smith (OSU) maj dec over Mason Manville (PSU) 15-5, OSU 7 PSU 19
184 No. 1 Aaron Brooks (PSU) fall over Rocky Jordan (OSU) 3:20, OSU 7 PSU 25
197 No. 2 Max Dean (PSU) dec over No. 21 Gavin Hoffman (OSU) 5-3, OSU 7 PSU 28
285 No. 5 Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) maj dec over No. 13 Tate Orndorff (OSU) 10-2, OSU 7 PSU 32