Returning starting wrestler Tyler Clark held on just long enough to beat true freshman teammate Andrew Long on Saturday.

Clark led 8-7 with six seconds left in the 125-pound finals of the Harold Nichols Open. On a restart, Long escaped to tie the match with one second remaining, but Clark had built up 1:01 in riding time, giving him an extra point and a 9-8 win.

The 13th-ranked true sophomore scored a takedown with just over a minute left, as he had done in an 8-7 win over Long in wrestle-offs. Clark said he is happy to have the competition, though Long had the edge on him in the past.

“I’d actually never beat him,” said Clark, referencing the two wrestlers’ middle school battles in the past. “I think we wrestled maybe three times when we were little … back when we were 98 pounds. He’s always been a great wrestler, and I’m glad he’s on the team. He’s a great workout partner, and I think together me and him are going to bring each other to another level.”

The depth of the second-ranked ISU wrestling team was on display Saturday at the Lied Recreation Center as 15 of the 30 Cyclones that competed placed in the top six.

Iowa State won seven of the 10 weight classes, while injuries and illness kept three starters from competing for the title. Along with Clark, juniors Nick Fanthorpe (133), Nick Gallick (141), Mitch Mueller (149), Jake Varner (197), David Zabriskie (HWT) and sophomore Jon Reader (165) placed first.

Seventh-ranked Cyler Sanderson (157) did not compete due to an illness that nearly kept him out of the season-opener, according to assistant coach Cody Sanderson. Redshirt freshman Jerome Ward (184) did not complete the tournament after experiencing knee pain, while ninth-ranked Northern Illinois transfer Duke Burk (174) missed a third straight competition with an undisclosed minor injury.

Burk, a two-time NCAA qualifier, has been practicing and said he thinks he will compete this week.

“He should be here soon,” said assistant coach Cody Sanderson. “We’ll see what the trainers and the doctors say.”

Should further injuries arise, several ISU wrestlers showed themselves to be capable replacements.

Redshirt freshman Dalton Jensen (141) used three pins and a tech fall to set up a rematch with Gallick, who had beaten him, 2-1, with a riding time point in wrestle-offs.

This time, the junior All-American scored an early takedown and rode Jensen for several minutes in a 5-2 win. Gallick is ranked second in the country but was the only junior starter who had never won a Cyclone Open title.

He said depth is what allows the team reach its goals.

“It’s not just needed for injuries,” Gallick said. “It’s always good to have someone pushing you in the room, you know, a partner your size you can wrestle with and have good matches. Overall, the younger guys are all doing a great job. A lot of those guys are the guys that help us in the room every day.

“Even though they’re not starting, they have a lot to do with our success.”

True freshman Matt Brown (157) placed third, while junior Laramie Shaffer (133) and true freshman Eric Thompson (HWT) placed fourth. Junior Joe Curran (184) finished fifth by injury default over Ward, who withdrew after a 4-1 win in the quarterfinals.

Sophomore Todd Becker (174) also placed fifth, while redshirt freshman Andrew Sorenson (165) finished in sixth place. True freshman Anthony Valles (133) upset two-time Div. II champion Cody Garcia of Nebraska-Omaha, 6-4, while Sorenson nearly knocked off interim-Iowa starter Jake Kerr in overtime.

Cody Sanderson thought the team gave the type of effort the coaching staff is looking for.

“The guys are wrestling hard for seven minutes,” he said. “We have some technical things to work on; our conditioning has to get better, but … I think we’re making a lot of progress. We’re at a good spot right now for this point of the season.”

Reader was nearly pinned by Utah Valley’s Jeb Clark in the season opener, where he won a 5-3 match. He came out with a vengeance against Clark in the semifinals on Saturday, winning 15-4.

Varner, who is ranked No. 1 in the country, dominated Wisconsin’s Trevor Brandvold in the finals 9-0. Brandvold, a two-time NCAA qualifier, is ranked 10th at 184 pounds.

Iowa State wrestles at Wisconsin on Friday before hosting Arizona State on Sunday.