Statesmen Nearly Double Up #12 Missouri Valley in Upset
Oskaloosa–Wins over three nationally-ranked grapplers guided the William Penn men’s wrestling team to a 30-16 upset over #12 Missouri Valley in a Heart of America Athletic Conference dual meet Thursday.
WPU (3-1, 2-0 Heart), which is unofficially 40th in the NAIA, defeated the Vikings (0-1, 0-1 Heart) for the first time since at least the 2008-2009 season (last known time the two teams met). The win snaps a streak of 12 consecutive losses in the head-to-head series, dating back to 2008-2009.
The evening started with a bang as 125-pounder Jeffery Myers (Fr., Yelm, Wash., Education) pinned Devon Schoenberger in a time of 3:43. Schoenberger entered the match ranked #25 in the nation.
133-pounder Sabri Sino (Fr., Franklin, Wis., Sports Management) then followed his teammate’s suit with an upset over his own ranked foe, dropping #10 (ranking at 125 pounds) Brayden Bradley 6-4 in overtime.
The visitors answered with victories at 141 and 149 pounds to knot the score at 9-9, but William Penn took control of the meet with 18 straight points.
Steven Skewes (So., Duchesne, Utah, Exercise Science) started the run at 157 pounds with a fall over Tyler Bierman in 1:33, while Matheson Meade (So., Knoxville, Tenn., Exercise Science) also pinned Brody Von Brethorst, doing so in 55 seconds at 165 pounds.
Makail Stanley (So., Orena, Ill., Biology) then earned a forfeit at 174 pounds to put the Statesmen ahead 27-9 with only three matches left. Mason Walters (So., Independence, Mo., Exercise Science) was denied a chance at keeping the run going, but was able to lock up the team win as he fell just 5-3 in overtime against Drake Tipton at 184 pounds.
Branson Bottorff (Jr., Mackinaw, Ill., Industrial Technology) avenged Walters with an impressive come-from-behind 6-5 win over #17 Antonie Banuelos at 197 pounds. The sophomore trailed 5-2 entering the final minute of his matchup, but collected a point on a stalling call and then took Banuelos down with just a few seconds left for the third Statesmen upset Thursday.
“I am so proud of these young men,” Head Coach Aron Scott said. “They wrestled their hearts out and fought against some great competition. Tonight is how we want to compete. This was a great performance from top to bottom.”
Next Up: William Penn is off until after the Thanksgiving break, returning to Oskaloosa on November 29 to host Central Methodist and St. Ambrose in a pair of Heart dual meets beginning at 7 p.m.
125–Jeffery Myers (W) won by fall over Devon Schoenberger, 3:43 (6-0)
133–Sabri Sino (W) won by decision over Brayden Bradley, 6-4 (OT) (9-0)
141–Joseph Rice (M) won by decision over Noah Aken, 8-6 (9-3)
149–Bryson Anderson (M) won by fall over Brise Bennett, 1:04 (9-9)
157–Steven Skewes (W) won by fall over Tyler Bierman, 1:33 (15-9)
165–Matheson Meade (W) won by fall over Brody Von Brethorst, 0:55 (21-9)
174–Makail Stanley (W) won by forfeit (27-9)
184–Drake Tipton (M) won by decision over Mason Walters, 5-3 (OT) (27-12)
197–Branson Bottorff (W) won by decision over Athonie Banuelos, 6-5 (30-12)
285–Brooks Baker (M) won by major decision over Nikolas Ortega, 12-0 (30-16)
