The 6th-ranked Nebraska wrestling team traveled to St. Charles, Mo. to take on Brown and #12 Missouri at the Hustle in the Heartland on Friday.
Nebraska took care of business in beating Brown 44-3 before looking really good in a bounce-back performance against the Tigers — the Huskers won seven of ten bouts for the 27-10 dual win. Nebraska is now 5-2 in duals this year.
Slightly overshadowing the impressive nature of Nebraska’s win against Missouri was the performance of true freshman Cade Ziola at heavyweight.
Filling in for #3 AJ Ferrari, the Omaha Skutt product Ziola was utterly dominant against two very big heavyweights.
If you didn’t know, Ziola is still growing into heavyweight as he takes a redshirt this season. He’ll never be close to the 285-pound weight limit, but he still has a lot of room to grow. Both of his opponents on Friday night were pushing the heavyweight limit. Ziola was massively out-sized in both matches, but it didn’t matter — he poured on the points anyway. See for yourself…and make sure you watch to the end against Missouri for the final takedown.
Neither guy Ziola faced was ranked as Missouri elected to send out its backup against Ziola (rather than starter #23 Jarrett Stoner) with the dual already decided, but Brown’s fourth-year starter Alex Semenenko was a perfect 8-0 on the season coming into this match. Even Missouri’s backup Jacobi Jackson is a fifth-year senior who used to start at Northern Illinois.
In his two matches, Ziola racked up 11 takedowns, two reversals and three near-fall points in a pair of 20-5 technical falls. Also, in his first action this year, Ziola knocked off #13 Koy Hopke of Minnesota 8-7 at the Bison Open before falling to his teammate Bennett Tabor in the final 6-2.
In addition to the freshman’s dominance, Nebraska had a lot of other things to cheer about on Friday.
Nebraska 44, Brown 3
125 pounds
In the ongoing competition at 125, sophomore Alan Koehler got the first crack at the starting lineup here against senior Jared Brunner.
Koehler was heavily favored in this one and performed like it — he racked up five takedowns and four near-fall points on the way to a dominant 20-3 win via tech fall.
Koehler is now 9-7 on the year and 1-3 in duals — he’s proven to be really good on his feet as he’s collected a team-high 39 takedowns on the year so far (although a lot of that action is at open tournaments that starters aren’t going to) and give up 14.
133 pounds
Nebraska’s #8 Jacob Van Dee pinned freshman Douglas Shipers in just over a minute, putting Nebraska up 11-0 in the dual.
141 pounds
Nebraska’s #3 Brock Hardy did the same against another freshman, sticking Khimari Manns of Brown in the first period.
149 pounds
Backup 141-pounder Blake Cushing got the nod here against junior Austin McBurney.
Cushing gave up a pair of takedowns on the way to an 8-3 loss — he’s now 1-3 on the year.
157 pounds
Aiming to get back to winning form, #5 Antrell Taylor used a big seven-point move in the first period on the way to a dominant 17-2 win via tech in the second period. Taylor scored three takedowns and racked up eight near-fall points in the win.
165 pounds
In a ranked matchup, Nebraska’s #13 LJ Araujo faced #29 Max Norman here in the match of the dual.
Norman hit a re-attack on Araujo in the first period before adding three near-fall points for the 6-0 lead over the Husker redshirt freshman. Araujo rebounded with a quick takedown of his own before riding the period out.
In the second, Araujo started on bottom and was able to swim around for a reversal to tie the match at 6-6. Norman scored an eventual escape to go up 7-6 late in the second. In the final period, Araujo rode the period out and sent things to overtime tied 7-7 with his riding-time point.
In sudden victory, Araujo shot in quick and worked for the match-winning takedown for the 10-7 decision.
174 pounds
Nebraska’s #10 Christopher Minto put on a takedown clinic in this one — he scored seven takedowns in the match with six coming in the third period alone.
After giving up the first takedown and getting ridden out in the first period, Minto scored a takedown and two back points in the second period to go up 6-3, but he really poured it on in the final period on the way to the 24-8 win via tech fall.
184 pounds
Husker senior #8 Silas Allred used a pair of first-period takedowns to soften up his opponent Thomas Sandoval enough for the pinfall win late in the first period.
197 pounds
In the other ranked matchup in this dual, Nebraska’s #10 Camden McDanel took on #31 Andrew Reall.
After a scoreless first period, McDanel scored a pair of takedowns in the second period — he held on in the third for the 7-4 decision win.
285 pounds
Taking the mat for his first dual match as a Husker, Ziola didn’t back down from his enormous opponent — instead he took it right to Brown’s Semenenko.
Ziola smothered his opponent from beginning to end — which lasted 4:44 when it ended via tech fall. Ziola brings something to the heavyweight class that these guys haven’t really ever seen with his quickness and ability to sit the corner on their low-level shots. It’ll be really interesting to watch him throughout his career in Lincoln.
#6 Nebraska 27, # 12 Missouri 10
125 pounds
Picking up the biggest win of his young career, Nebraska’s Kael Lauridsen was able to outlast #17 Mack Mauger 4-1 in sudden victory.
Lauridsen and Mauger were locked in a scramble when Lauridsen was able to use neutral danger to force Mauger to break his lock, allowing Lauridsen to double off and score the takedown — really some high-level stuff from the redshirt freshman as he picks up a big-time ranked win.
Lauridsen is now 6-4 on the year and 1-3 in duals. With he and Koehler both looking impressive, I expect the competition here to continue until someone separates themselves.
133 pounds
Facing his biggest test of the season so far, Van Dee faced #24 Kade Moore of Missouri — Moore just recently put a scare into returning NCAA Champion Lucas Byrd of Illinois when he nearly had him pinned before the champ came back for the win.
Van Dee was on him from the opening whistle, collecting a takedown in the first period before scoring four near-fall points after starting on top in the second. Moore did make things interesting when he reversed Van Dee in the second and nearly pinned him, but Van Dee escaped after giving up just the reversal and two back points.
Van Dee scored an escape in the third and held on for the 9-5 decision win — he’s now 7-1 on the year.
141 pounds
Facing #21 Zeke Seltzer, Hardy was dominant in a 19-4 win via tech fall.
Hardy scored a first-period takedown before riding the period out for two minutes. In the second, Hardy scored an escape and three takedowns, blowing the match wide open 13-2. In the third, Hardy scored two more quick takedowns to end the match 80 seconds early.
Hardy is now 9-2 on the year with eight wins with bonus points
149 pounds
With freshman Nikade Zinkin out of the lineup, Nebraska used sophomore Scott Robertson here against #16 Josh Edmond.
Edmond scored four takedowns and three near-fall points to eventually go up 15-5 before Robertson scored a takedown of his own to cut the deficit to 15-8. Robertson then cut Edmond, giving up the 16-8 loss via major decision.
157 pounds
Facing Missouri’s #20 James Conway, Taylor’s offense wasn’t quite there but he did enough to get the win.
Taylor used a second-period takedown to win the match 4-2 via decision.
Taylor is now 8-2 on the year with five wins coming with bonus points.
165 pounds
Facing his second ranked opponent of the night, Araujo never gave up in this match and it paid dividends.
After a scoreless first period against veteran and Lincoln native #14 Maxx Mayfield of Missouri, Mayfield chose neutral to start the second period — a critical choice in this razor-thin match. Mayfield was able to eventually scored a takedown in the second when he shot in and eventually collected both of Araujo’s legs — the call was challenged by Nebraska but was upheld upon review. Mayfield rode the remainder of the period out, taking a 3-0 lead into the third.
In the final period, Araujo started down and scored an escape. Late in the period, Mayfield shot in, but it was Araujo who won the scramble and secured the takedown with 13 seconds left. Araujo was able to ride the period out to secure the 4-3 win.
Araujo is now 8-1 on the year with his only loss coming in a match where he injured both of his hamstrings against Ohio State’s #12 Paddy Gallagher.
174 pounds
Facing a freshman backup in Danny Heiser, Minto did what he was supposed to do — he dominated again.
Minto scored four takedowns and added four near-fall points in the first period to go up 16-3 before adding an escape and another takedown in the second to win the match 19-4 via tech fall.
Minto is now 8-2 this season and 5-2 in duals.
184 pounds
Despite ultimately taking a loss here against #2 Aeoden Sinclair of Missouri, Allred looked really good and was really competitive against one of the best in the country.
With the match tied 1-1 late in the third, things looked destined for overtime, but Sinclair was able to hit a shot off an arm-drag before riding the period out on top for the 5-1 win over Allred.
A senior All-American, Allred is now 8-3 on the year.
197 pounds
Facing Missouri’s #15 Evan Bates, McDanel struggled at times in a 4-1 decision loss.
After a scoreless first period, McDanel gave up an escape and takedown in the second, but he was unable to score a takedown of his own in the third after scoring an escape of his own.
McDanel is now 8-3 on the year and 5-2 in duals.
285 pounds
Facing another massive size difference, Ziola was just too fast and Missouri’s Jackson just didn’t have an answer for his cut-the-corner defense.
Ziola’s second period where he scored a reversal and four takedowns was a thing of beauty — especially his final takedown where he leaped over Jackson for the match-ender.
