IOWA CITY — No. 12 Iowa State lost its 20th consecutive Cy-Hawk Dual on Saturday against the No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes. The Cyclone loss is the second of the season and the 70th all-time against the Hawkeyes.
Early successes
The night was opened with a win at 125 by Iowa State freshman Adrian Meza. Meza scored a quick takedown in the first period and escape points in periods two and three. His 5-1 win over 27th-ranked Kale Petersen gave the Cyclones a 3-0 lead.
“[Meza] made some good effort,” Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser said. “He was a tough Arizona kid in a dominant freshman meet.”
Senior Zach Redding recorded the Cyclones’ second win of the night at 141. Redding defeated No. 39 Drake Ayala by a score of 11-7.
Costly injuries
Redshirt sophomore Paniro Johnson made his season debut at 157 against top-ranked Jacori Teemer. Teemer took an early 1-0 lead before an awkward fall left him unable to finish the matchup. The Cyclones took a 12-6 team score lead after an injury defeat.
“It’s not a morgue,” Iowa head coach Tom Brands said. “Our thoughts are with Teemer, but right now, we’ve got to keep going.”
Iowa State sophomore Connor Euton appeared injured after a shot to the knees at 165. Euton continued the matchup, recording one takedown and three escape points before conceding 12-7. It’s undetermined if Euton’s injury was significant.
“[Euton] isn’t the kind of guy to jump around and miss time if he isn’t seriously hurt,” Dresser said. “They don’t call me a doctor, but the spectrum we’re looking at is anything from a mild sprain to an ACL.”
Freshman dominance
True Freshman Angelo Ferrari debuted for the Hawkeyes at 184 against Iowa State senior, No. 15 Evan Bockman. Ferrari scored two takedowns and two escape points, handing Bockman his first loss of the season.
“I always like our guys,” Brands said. “It’s a seven-minute match, and you must wrestle the entire time.”
“I don’t think I wrestled my match,” Angelo Ferrari said. “Even on my worst nights, I still have to wrestle like the number-one wrestler in the country. I’m wrestling better guys than [Bockman] every single day, so how could I not be confident and come out with a win?”
Heavyweight defeats
The Cyclones lost three of the final four matchups at 174, 184, and 197. Iowa State redshirt sophomore Aiden Riggins fell to No. 10 Patrick Kennedy, Bockman’s defeat to Ferrari came at 184, and redshirt freshman Christian Carroll fell 10-0 against second-ranked Stephen Buchanan.
“Buchanan is one of the best wrestlers I’ve seen,” Dresser said. “This is probably the best Iowa team that we’ve faced in my time as the head coach at Iowa State.”
Senior Yonger Bastida debuted for Iowa State at 285 against No. 13 Ben Kueter. Bastida ended the heavyweight matchup with a 7-2 win, closing out the dual by a score of 21-15 for the Hawkeyes.
“Things are different at every weight,” Dresser said. “There are moments in the practice room that translate to the mat, and we saw some of that tonight.”
Dresser and the Cyclones will hit the wrestling room in preparation for the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational from Dec. 6-7. Iowa State’s next dual is scheduled for Dec. 15 in Humboldt, Iowa, against North Dakota State. Both matchups can be streamed on The Varsity Network.
