It was a big Friday night for the 2nd-ranked Huskers — both on and off the mat.
World Champion Bud Crawford of Omaha led the team out, alumni like 7x Olympic/World Champion Jordan Burroughs and Jim and Bill Scherr were in attendance, and the team hung its NCAA Championship banners for both Ridge Lovett and Antrell Taylor — another Omaha native.
On the mat, Nebraska
started with a setback but ended up with a dominant 33-3 win to start its dual campaign — winning nine of ten bouts after dropping the first one.
Nebraska will take its 1-0 record to the National Duals Invitational next weekend where it will compete with the best teams in the country.
Here’s how it all went down on Friday.
125 pounds
In the first match of the night, Nebraska sent out redshirt freshman Kael Lauridsen to face returning NCAA qualifier #30 Charlie Farmer of Army.
The first period ended scoreless, but there was a lot of action with Lauridsen showing some nice leg defense and scrambling ability. In the second, Lauridsen started on top and rode for 46 seconds before giving up the escape.
In the third, Lauridsen started down and got an escape of his own. Much like the first period, Farmer was able to swing out wide and get to Lauridsen’s leg and was nearly able to finish for the takedown if not for Lauridsen’s defense and the end of the period.
In sudden victory, Farmer was able to again shoot and get in on Lauridsen, but this time he was able to finish for the takedown, beating Lauridsen 4-1.
With the loss, Lauridsen is now 5-2 on the year with both of his losses coming in sudden victory matches.
133 pounds
With his team needing a win, #11 Jacob Van Dee went out and took care of Army’s #25 Ethan Berginc.
After a scoreless first period, Van Dee started the second period on top and was able to tilt Berginc to his back for three near-fall points while riding out the entire period.
In the third, Van Dee scored a quick escape before a slick duck-under takedown with 35 seconds left in the match. Van Dee nearly rode out the rest of the match for the major decision but let Berginc go late for an escape, dropping the 8-1 win to a regular decision.
Van Dee is now 4-1 this season.
141 pounds
With the dual tied at 3-3, #2 Brock Hardy took the mat and was dominant from the start against Army’s #20 Braden Basile.
Hardy scored a late takedown in the first period before getting two more in the second to go up 10-1.
In the third, Hardy started the period on top and was able to turn Basile to his back for four near-fall points. After quickly cutting Basile loose for an escape, Hardy hit a slide-by for the takedown and the 18-2 win via tech fall.
With the win, Hardy is now 5-0 to start his senior year.
149 pounds
In his first dual as a Husker, true freshman Nikade Zinkin seems to have secured the first-semester starting spot on Friday night when he downed Army senior Ryan Franco.
After a scoreless first period with some crazy exchanges, Zinkin struck first with a second-period escape.
In the third, Zinkin started on top and after nearly securing near-fall points gave up an escape to tie the match at 1-1. The period saw Zinkin and Franco engage in a couple more exchanges where each guy was close to a takedown multiple times.
Instead, the match went into sudden victory tied 1-1.
In overtime, Zinkin hit a super-duck takedown for the 4-1 win in front of a big home crowd. And just like that, a future star may have been born.
Zinkin is now 2-2 on the year and looks to be Nebraska’s top option until January when senior #8 Chance Lamer becomes eligible.
157 pounds
After winning an NCAA title last year, it’s clear that #1 Antrell Taylor will be getting every opponent’s best shot, and he certainly got Army’s Joseph Antonio’s best shot on Friday night.
The Army true freshman threw everything at Taylor knowing he had nothing to lose, but Taylor was able to weather the storm and leave with a 5-1 decision win in a match that was likely tougher than he had anticipated.
Regardless, Taylor is now 5-0 on the year heading into National Duals.
165 pounds
Nebraska’s #23 LJ Araujo didn’t score a takedown but still stayed perfect on the season against Army’s #15 Gunner Filipowicz.
The Husker redshirt freshman Araujo earned the win, although it was not a conventional one. After Filipowicz was forced to use injury time early in the first period due to his calf cramping up, Araujo was given choice and he took bottom. While fighting for an escape, the two went out of bounds, but the referees decided to look at the replay and determined that Filipowicz locked his hands illegally on top and Araujo was given a point. A quick escape after that gave Araujo a 2-0 lead.
Filipowicz then scored a takedown when he got in on Araujo and the Husker attempted to roll through — Filipowicz nearly caught Araujo on his back for the takedown. After a quick escape by Araujo, the match was tied at 3-3.
In the second, Filipowicz chose bottom against Araujo — a move I think will become less and less popular as the season goes forward — and the young Husker put on a hard full-period ride, building up 1:31 in riding time.
In the third, Araujo scored an escape and left with the 5-3 decision win with the riding-time point added on.
Araujo is now 5-0 on the year.
174 pounds
A sophomore, #4 Christopher Minto was dominant from start to finish against Army’s Andrew Christie.
Minto scored two takedowns in the first period before adding a reversal and another takedown in the second period to go up 11-2.
In the third, Minto scored a takedown, an escape and scored a point on a stall call, giving him a 16-4 major decision with the riding-time point.
Minto is now 4-0 on the season.
184 pounds
Moving on to another mismatch between a top Husker in #6 Silas Allred and Army’s Dave Barrett, it didn’t take long for Allred to put his opponent away.
Allred scored two takedowns in the first period before going up 10-1 with a roll-through tilt, but he then switched to an arm bar and was able to get Barrett to his back for the pinfall with 13 seconds left in the period.
With the win, Allred is now 5-0 this year.
197 pounds
Facing a game opponent in #18 Wolfgang Frable, Nebraska sophomore #7 Camden McDanel was able to do enough to get the win at home.
After a scoreless first period, both guys scored escapes to start the next two periods tying the score at 1-1. Early in the third period, McDanel was able to counter a Frable shot for the go-behind before riding out the rest of the match to earn a riding-time point and the 6-1 decision win.
McDanel is now 4-1 on the year with the win.
285 pounds
In his first match as a Husker and his first career match at heavyweight, #1 AJ Ferrari didn’t look like a finished product just yet, but he was able to control and beat #14 Brady Colbert pretty comfortably.
After a scoreless first period where Ferrari largely controlled center, the Husker transfer scored a fast escape in the second to go up 1-0. In the third, Colbert chose neutral, and Ferrari was able to hit a re-attach where he got to Colbert’s leg before elevating it and working for the takedown.
Ferrari went on to ride out the rest of the match to earn the 4-0 decision win — and celebrated with his patented splits while throwing the bones.
