Iowa In the Clutch
Willie Saylor, Editor

Iowa downed the #1-Nittany Lions, 22-16 on Friday. And in typical Iowa fashion, they did it with grit.

The Hawkeyes were in several nip-and-tuck affairs, even where they were favored, but won in the critical situations, which made all the difference.

Both of their #1’s (Matt McDonough, Derrick St. John) were pushed to the brink. And Mike Evans somehow staved off what looked like to be a match-deciding takedown to get one of his own and essentially shut the door on the Nittany Lions.

Watch for highlights and interviews on Flo in the coming days. Box Score and notes below.

125: #1 Matt McDonough dec. #2 Nico Megaludis, 2-1 OT

Notes: Megaludis was close to scoring in every period and the neutral portion of OT. But McDonough was able to get the ride out.

133: #2 Tony Ramos wbf. #20 Jordan Conaway (4:23)

Notes: Ramos dominated. He looked for the pancake with the whole building knowing it was coming, he got it.

141: #9 Mark Ballweg md. #19 Bryan Pearsall, 12-2

Notes: Ballweg dominated in all positions and got nearfall in the third to get the major.

149: #8 Andrew Alton md. Brody Grothus, 18-8

Notes: Alton bearhugged Grothus early in the first but couldn’t get the fall. 

157: #1 Derek St. John dec. #3 Dylan Alton, 4-3

Notes: Alton hit a sweet duck under type of takedown in the second. Leading 3-2 late in the bout, Alton shot a crisp Hi-C but didn’t finish quick enough and a scramble ensued. St. John was able to get the takedown and then rode out for the win.

165: #2 David Taylor tf. #14 Nick Moore, 17-2 (6:43)

Notes: Taylor looked great with his transitions, and like always, on top.

174: #4 Mike Evans v. #7 Matt Brown

Notes: The match boiled down to a 3rd period scramble where Brown looked to be on the verge of a takedown, but Evans somehow willed his way to a counter.

184:  #1 Ed Ruth md. Grant Gambrall, 21-10

Notes: Ruth ran a takedown clinic, but couldn’t turn Gambrall.

197: #3 Quentin Wright  dec. #19 Nathan Burak, 8-3

Notes: Quentin used two knee picks en route to a relatively easy win.

HWT: #7 Bobby Telford def. #16 Jon Gingrich, 9-2

Notes: Other than a late reversal by Gingrich, Telford controlled the entire bout.