Coming off a very successful road trip to Laramie, Wyo. and Belgrade, Mont., where they outscored their opponents 130-6, the Cyclones had all the momentum they needed to take down North Dakota State.

The Cyclones headed into the dual with six straight victories under their belt, and the Bison weren’t far behind, coming off five straight wins of their own before their last dual against Northern Iowa. North Dakota State didn’t take the loss to heart as they looked primed and ready to bounce back.

The night was laden with ranked wrestlers in every weight class, but the Hilton Magic proved to be too much for the Bison to handle, as the Cyclones came out firing on all cylinders to pick up a 26-9 victory.

Ranked opponents putting up a fight

The Cyclones knew the Bison would not be an easy team to beat going in, and they did not fail to disappoint. 

The first ranked Bison, No. 22 Kellyn March, came out with an explosive victory at 133 pounds over Iowa State’s Ramazan Attasauov, pinning him in 1:07. This would not be the only hard-fought match for the Cyclones.

No. 11 Ian Parker fought hard to take down No. 27 Dylan Droegemueller by a 7-4 decision in the 141-pound weight class. North Dakota State’s Droegemueller scored the first points of the match with a takedown and even regained the lead early in the second period with a two-point near fall. Parker escaped just before a four-point near fall was awarded and used that momentum to dominate the rest of the match.

In the 157-pound match, No. 7 Jared Franek fought off No. 1 David Carr for the first two periods to keep the match close at 3-2 in favor of Carr. The relentless pressure of Carr proved to be too much as Carr picked up his 45th straight win and 12th win of the season by a 7-3 decision.

No. 14 Luke Weber also proved to be a tall task for Iowa State’s Isaac Judge in the 165-pound weight class. The match was the closest of the night, as the only points came from escapes, one by North Dakota State’s Weber early in the second period and one by Judge in the final seconds of the match. However, Weber’s riding time advantage was too much as he took the match with a 2-1 decision.

The final two matches of the night displayed four ranked wrestlers among them.

No. 14 Yonger Bastida of Iowa State pulled out a 9-6 decision win over No. 23 Owen Pentz at 197 pounds. Pentz fought hard, but Bastida’s superior athleticism and explosive wrestling were too much. 

No. 27 Sam Schuyler also faced the tough task of taking down the North Dakota State’s giant Brandon Metz, who is ranked 21st in the nation in the heavyweight division. Schuyler was able to topple the mountain of a man Metz and end the night for the Cyclones with a 5-2 decision win.

Dominating on top

Riding time was a key to victory in many of the matches during the dual. Not every match was decided by riding time, but being able to pick up points on top was good to see.

Kysen Terukina led the dual off for the Cyclones by taking down North Dakota State’s Lucas Rodriguez by an 8-3 decision. The main standout stat of the 125-pound match was Terukina’s 3:33 of riding time. Terukina wore down his opponent on top and was able to pick up points to run away with the match.

Jarrett Degen also dominated in the 149-pound weight class against North Dakota State’s Gaven Sax. A takedown and a pair of reversals saw him win by a 7-2 decision. Degen also picked up a point for his 4:39 of riding time.

The 165-pound weight class was decided by riding time, as North Dakota State’s Weber snuck out a victory over Judge by 2-1 decision thanks to his 1:55 of riding time.

Carr and Joel Devine put up great riding times in the 157-pound and 174-pound weight classes, respectively. Carr had a riding time advantage of 2:16, while Devine cruised to a 6-0 decision win with 2:24 of riding time.

No. 9 Marcus Coleman also dominated on top. Coleman made quick work of North Dakota State’s DJ Parker by technical falling him in 5:15 thanks to a pair of early four-point near falls.

Short-term memory

One thing that is easy for a team to do is letting the momentum slip in the wrong direction after a tough loss.

North Dakota State seemed to have forgotten about their tough loss at Northern Iowa the day before they traveled to Ames. The Bison put on a strong showing early on and even kept the dual within three until the 174-pound match.

The Cyclones were able to bounce back from the losses well and keep the dual constantly in their favor. 

After March’s pin in the 133-pound match over Attasauov, Parker was able to even the dual back out with a decision victory at 141 pounds.

Devine also didn’t let the 165-pound match, where Judge fell to No. 14 Weber by a 1-2 decision, affect him. Devine was able to make quick work of North Dakota State’s Riley Habisch to win by a 6-0 decision and get the Cyclones back on the right track.

The Cyclones cannot let losses affect the rest of their matches. As the Big 12 matches get underway, they will face more top-ranked opponents. Losses will happen here and there, so it is up to the Cyclones to have a short-term memory and not let these losses affect the overall outcome of their duals.

The Cyclones will take another road trip, this time to Oklahoma, as they prepare to face off against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State over the weekend. Iowa State will take to the mat next against Oklahoma at 7 p.m. Jan. 28, at Norman, Okla.