Penn State Wrestling: Revisiting the best matches of 2021-2022 season
By Chris Snyder
Match No. 3
Date: 02/04/2022
No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Penn State
Terrell Barraclough (PSU) dec over Isaac Wilcox (OSU) 4-2 SV
In no way, shape, or form did this match have any impact on the highly anticipated dual meet against Ohio State. Because before this match even began, the doors were already partly blown off of the Buckeye’s family truckster as they were trailing 13-3 after the first four matches.
But this doesn’t mean Barraclough’s match wasn’t exciting and it certainly doesn’t mean it wasn’t one of the best matches (of many) on the Penn State season.
Prior to this match under the bright lights of a sold out BJC, Terrell had toed the line seven times in regular season dual meets for the Nittany Lions. And all seven times Barraclough’s opponent was the one with his hand raised at the end of the match.
And on numerous occasions it appeared TB would finally get over the hump, only to fall in yet another heart breaking nail-biter.
Last season Barraclough lost to the highly competitive duo of Yahya Thomas and Kanen Storr 3-2 and 4-3 respectively.
Then towards the end of this past season, Terrell was faced with three straight matches against ranked opponents. And every single match was just as close as the final score indicated.
Will Lewan snuck by 5-2, Chase Saldate hung on 4-2 in sudden victory, and Kaleb Young pulled off the razor thin 2-0 win in Iowa City.
Terrell Barraclough was due for a win.
And on this fateful night, opposite of Barraclough, in stepped in highly touted recruit Isaac Wilcox to make his regular season debut for the Buckeyes.
The first period transpired exactly how you guessed it would when two young wrestlers were facing each other for the first time. It was basically three minutes of two guys circling the mat while taking turns with half-hearted shots.
Barraclough started on the bottom position in the second period and he earned the immediate escape and snagged the lead 1-0. The rest of the period ended exactly how the first period did, with both guys still not committed in getting to their offense.
But the third period is where the fireworks began. Wilcox, sensing he learned something about TB, chose to start the third period in neutral. And the gamble paid off quickly, as Wilcox took his first committed shot of the match and it hit home.
The takedown gave Wilcox the lead 2-1 and the clear momentum in the match. Terrell got loose to get the escape and the score was tied 2-2 with 1:30 left in the match.
The two grapplers traded shots, and although Terrell almost locked up a single leg, the final seconds ticked away with both athletes squared up and on the feet. Onto sudden victory!
The first minute of sudden victory played out very similar to the last minute in the third. Each guy was looking for an opening and trying to get some sort of penetration to earn the winning takedown.
Which is exactly what one of the grapplers did. Only it was Wilcox who gained the advantage when he ripped a high single leg on Barraclough. Things at this point looked less than ideal but somehow, someway Terrell broke free from Wilcox’s grasp and the referee shortly after hit Isaac with a stall warning.
Following the reset, TB landed a single leg of his own and this turned into a brief scramble on the mat with neither wrestler appearing to have the edge. The final seconds of sudden victory were wasting away.
Six, five, four …
Then Barraclough snuck around Wilcox, locked in the takedown, and the referee awarded the winning takedown with three seconds remaining in sudden victory.
That’s not a bad way to win your first career dual meet victory, right?