2B — January 28, 2019
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
“Well, I obviously want to kill
them every time. I want to win
every single match, as a team.
I want to blow them out and
sweep them.”
I was once told you should
never start a
story with a
quote, but I’m
pretty sure I
can’t convey
the Michigan
wrestling
team’s
feelings
for
Ohio
State
better
than
those
words
from
Mason
Parris.
Maybe those feelings came
from the No. 6 Wolverines’
ranking, four spots behind the
Buckeyes despite having one
extra win on their record, or
maybe they’re from a deep-set
rivalry. Either way, Michigan
rode that mentality to its ninth
win of the season with a 19-17
decision over Ohio State — one
where the Wolverines collected
the winning points of an upset in
the last match of the night.
Parris won a 6-3 decision in
the final bout to overcome the
Buckeyes’ one-point lead, sealing
the victory for Michigan. Back in
November, the freshman had his
redshirt pulled prior to a meet
against Oregon State. That put
him up against the No. 1-ranked
heavyweight, Amar Dhesi, in his
first meet competing attached to
Michigan.
Parris won that match, 11-4.
That victory capped off a
33-8 win over the Beavers,
which pretty much represents
the majority of Michigan’s 8-0
record prior to Friday’s meeting
with the Buckeyes. In half of
those meets, the Wolverines
scored at least 30 points, with
their smallest margin of victory
being a 21-13 win over Lehigh in
November.
With a new head coach and
a lot of big names on its roster,
Michigan’s first eight wins did
a lot to showcase its potential.
But Friday against Ohio State,
it proved just how far that
potential
could
go.
The Buckeyes
are
ranked
second
in
the
nation,
only
behind reigning
national
champion
Penn
State.
They
have a trio of
undefeated
seniors in Joey
McKenna, Myles Martin and
Kollin Moore, who are now
a combined 36-0 and helped
Ohio State to a Big Ten title last
season. They’ve also got six top-
10 wrestlers in different weight
classes, while the Wolverines
have five including Parris, who
entered the weekend at seventh
among heavyweights.
So,
needless
to say, Friday’s
matchup wasn’t
exactly
easy.
Sophomore Drew
Mattin
kicked
off
the
meet
with
a
three-
point
decision,
thanks to a 12-6
win over Malik
Heinselman.
Right after that
came arguably the best match
of the night when top-ranked
redshirt junior Stevan Micic
notched a 14-1 major over No. 6
Luke Pletcher for his ninth win
of the season.
“I think when you just look at
matchups, obviously probably
two of the higher-ranked guys
wrestling each other were Stevan
Micic and Luke Pletcher,” said
Michigan coach Sean Bormet.
“And Stevan just came out with
his offense flying and he really
just dismantled the kid.”
But Ohio State was ranked
second for a reason and by the
time the last bout rolled around,
the Buckeyes led by a single
point,
leaving
the
deciding
match to the heavyweights —
Parris
and
freshman
Chase
Singletary.
Back in November, Singletary
issued Parris one of his three
losses
of
the
season
with
a 15-9 decision at the Ohio
Intercollegiate Open. This time
around, Parris was quick to
take advantage — he scored the
first takedown, then the second,
and with a reversal in the third
period, he put the score at
6-3, proving the Wolverines’
capabilities with a 19-17 upset.
“We knew it was going to be
a hard-fought dual from top to
bottom,” Bormet said. “We knew
it was going to come down to
bonus points in some of those
weights, us getting bonus points
and trying to prevent them from
getting bonus points.
“We thought if that played
out, that it would come down to
heavyweight, and we’ve got a lot
of confidence in Mason Parris.
He’s a great competitor and he
did an awesome job sealing the
victory for us.”
For a program that was
ranked sixth nationally with an
8-0 record, the win over Ohio
State was big. It proved that the
names on Michigan’s roster are
big, and they’ve got potential to
make the program a contender
for a Big Ten title. But that win
over the No. 2 program prefaces
an even bigger, flashier obstacle
just five days away — No. 1 Penn
State.
The Nittany Lions will have
had a tight hold on the top spot
when they host the Wolverines
on Friday, highlighted by a
54-dual win streak, 32 of which
are within conference confines.
That streak dates back all the
way back until Feb. 15, 2015.
That being said, Michigan has
already proved its itself to be a
national contender. Now it’s time
to see if it can defy expectations
as well.
At Ohio State, Parris sets the stage
LANEY
BYLER
Wolverines ride team effort,
Parris’ confidence to 19-17 win
With the dual meet and an
undefeated record on the line,
freshman heavyweight Mason
Parris was the perfect wrestler
to have on the mat for the
Wolverines. In front of a packed
Value City Arena and despite
a slim deficit, Michigan coach
Sean Bormet, and Parris himself,
anticipated a favorable finish to
the meet.
“The team score more than
anything leading up to my match
excited me more,” Parris said. “I
was happy it came down to me. I
just had a lot of faith in myself and
confidence.”
The No. 6 Michigan Wrestling
team (9-0 overall, 5-0 Big Ten)
trailed No. 2 Ohio
State (7-1 overall,
3-1 Big Ten) by
only one point
entering the final
match of the dual
meet between the
then-undefeated
rivals.
The
moment
also
offered
Parris
a
chance
at
redemption
wrestling
against
Chase
Singletary, who he had lost to
earlier this season.
“Then this week I really
hammered down the stuff I knew
he was gonna do to me,” Parris
said. “I knew he was gonna hit low
singles on me, I figured he was
gonna try to throw legs on me. I’m
glad that I wrestled him before
because I was really prepared for
the match.”
Parris’ efforts were rewarded
with the deciding victory in the
meet, earning the Wolverines
three team points and a 19-17 win.
The
energy
of
a
nearly-
full audience of Buckeye fans
impacted the meet early and often.
In the third match of the day,
fifth-ranked redshirt sophomore
Kanen Storr faced second-ranked
Joey McKenna. Down 6-0 after
the first period of the match,
Bormet instructed Storr from the
corner to start the second period
in the top position, but the 141-
pound Storr began the period
beneath his opponent. It seemed
as if the crowd noise and chaotic
arena atmosphere — which the
team had prepared for by blasting
crowd noise during practice this
week — was wearing on Michigan.
“Basically what happened was
when he first looked over to our
corner, the official was in the way
… and then as soon as he could
see us he wanted to switch to
bottom and the official wouldn’t
let him which is a little unusual,”
Bormet said. “Usually if the guy
changes his mind quickly based
on the corner, usually they allow
the guy to change to the position
they want. But it was the crowd,
but also the officials blocking his
view.”
Storr
would
go on to lose
by
technical
fall. It was the
Wolverines’ first
loss of the day,
after sophomore
Drew
Mattin
and
redshirt
junior
Stevan
Micic had won by
regular decision
and major decision, respectively,
to build a 7-0 lead. The match
following Storr’s was another win
for Ohio State, this time a major
decision for third-ranked Micah
Jordan over fifth-year senior
Malik Amine.
The Buckeyes took the lead
with Jordan’s victory, and just
as soon as the momentum had
shifted in favor of Ohio State,
Michigan stole it right back. The
Wolverines won the next three
matches on the shoulders of their
experience,
namely
fifth-year
senior Alec Pantaleo, redshirt
junior Logan Massa and redshirt
junior Myles Amine.
Heading into the heavyweight
matchup, Michigan had seen
its 16-9 lead evaporate as the
Wolverines’ redshirt freshman JT
Correll lost to the Buckeyes’ top-
ranked Myles Martin in the 184-
pound class and redshirt junior
Jackson Striggow was defeated by
Ohio State’s second-ranked Kollin
Moore in the 197-pound class.
The two losses put Michigan
behind by one, where the score
would remain until Parris rode
his confidence and preparation to
victory.
“We thought if that played
out, that it would come down to
heavyweight,” Bormet said. “And
we’ve got a lot of confidence in
Mason Parris.”
The scoreless tie appeared to
have been broken at the end of
the first period when Parris took
down the Buckeyes’ Singletary,
but it was ruled to have been out
of bounds. Bormet threw the
challenge brick, but the ensuing
challenge confirmed the call on
the mat.
“Well, I for sure thought that I
had the takedown,” Parris said. “I
had his leg hooked and was behind
both of his arms, which should
have been a takedown. But I knew
if they didn’t call it, it wasn’t gonna
be a big deal and I had to keep my
composure and my head in the
match. I just had to think about
taking him down again.”
Regardless, it wouldn’t take
long for the coach’s confidence
to pay off. Parris took down his
opponent two more times to
secure a 6-3 victory by decision
and win the meet for the
Wolverines.
Friday night’s victory is the
most recent in an impressive
season for Michigan, one that
has the possibility of becoming
a lot more impressive in the near
future. The Wolverines head
to State College for a dual meet
against top-ranked Penn State
next weekend. After beating the
Buckeyes this past weekend,
Michigan could be on top of the
college wrestling world — and the
NCAA rankings — in less than a
week.
“We’ll just continue to focus
day-to-day
and
enjoying
our
training and enjoying each other
and our team,” Bormet said. “And
look forward to the challenge and
the opportunity against Penn
State a week from tonight.”
OWEN SWANSON
For The Daily
‘M’ falls to MSU despite late rally
As Nicole Munger drove
inside on a fastbreak midway
through the first quarter in a
77-73 loss to Michigan State,
she screamed in pain and fell
to the ground after barreling
into a Spartan defender. As
Michigan coach Kim Barnes
Arico came out to check on
her, Munger was helped off the
court by two assistant coaches,
leaving the Michigan women’s
basketball team without one
of its captains as it prepared to
try to win a contest against its
in-state rivals.
The loss of Munger did
nothing to help the Wolverines.
The Spartans (15-5 overall,
5-4 Big Ten) responded with
a 13-2 run to close the quarter
and take a lead that they would
never relinquish as Michigan
(12-9, 3-6) fell in a crushing
77-73 defeat that saw them fail
to complete a comeback despite
a valiant late effort.
“Once Nicole went down we
weren’t able to respond right
away,” Barnes Arico said. “And
they went on a little bit of a
run and took us some time to
regroup.”
“She’s gonna get checked
out,” said sophomore forward
Hailey Brown. “We don’t really
know much about that.”
The
Wolverines
managed
to keep the game fairly close
for most of the second quarter,
but Michigan State’s defense
put the clamps on late. It held
Michigan scoreless over the
period’s final 3:24 and went on
a 7-0 run to head to the locker
room with a 41-31 edge.
On the offensive end, the
Spartans hit eight 3-pointers
in the first half, including a
stretch in the first quarter that
saw them hit three consecutive
triples after Munger left the
game.
They
would
finish
with 11 makes from deep.
Losing Munger also affected
Michigan’s offensive gameplan,
as the team attempted just ten
3-pointers.
As the second half began,
it was more of the same for
both teams, with the Spartans
starting the quarter on a 5-0
run and Michigan committing
two
turnovers.
While
the
Wolverines would appear to be
on the verge of finally making
an offensive run at times,
Michigan
State
was
ready
with an answer at every turn,
eventually extending its lead to
15 points.
Michigan,
though,
would
eventually make its push late
in the period. The Wolverines
finished the period on an 8-0
scoring run to cut the lead to
five heading into the fourth
quarter, sending the Crisler
Center crowd into a frenzy.
“It goes to show that our
team, we don’t back down to
anyone,” Brown said. “Until
we hear the final whistle, until
the game is done, we’ll stop
playing, but until then we’re
gonna keep going and trying to
get a W.”
The Wolverines made one
last push towards the end of the
final quarter, with freshman
forward Naz Hillmon’s layup
cutting
the
lead
to
67-63
with two minutes to go, but
ultimately untimely turnovers
by Michigan and free throws
from Michigan State sealed the
Wolverines’ fate.
One
key
sequence
came
when Michigan trailed by four
with about a minute and a
half to go in the game. Senior
forward Hallie Thome had a
pass go off of her hands. On the
court, the referee signaled it
was Michigan possession, but
after further review, the ball
was awarded to the Spartans,
who promptly gave it away
after
a
traveling
violation.
The Wolverines seemed to
have some hope for a moment,
but Michigan turned it over
after the inbounds pass was
intercepted.
TEDDY GUTKIN
Daily Sports Writer
I was happy it
came down to
me. I had a lot of
faith in myself.
WRESTLING
MILES MACKLIN/Daily
Freshman forward Naz Hilmon scored a team-high 17 points along with 10 rebounds in Michigan’s 77-73 loss.
MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily
Freshman heavyweight Mason Parris won the meet at No. 2 Ohio State with a 6-3 decision over the Buckeyes’ Chase Singletary, setting the stage for Friday’s match at the top-ranked Nittany Lions.
Well I obviously
want to kill
them every
single time.