Mike Kirk
Dylan Brown and Garrett Wells posted third-period falls to spearhead Central Oklahoma’s bonus-point blitz that buried Fort Hays State Saturday afternoon at Gross Memorial Coliseum in the regular season finale.
The top-ranked Bronchos capped a rare unbeaten season and clinched their fourth straight Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association title with a 47-0 spanking, earning extra points in eight of the 10 matches.
It was the 22nd straight win – and 47th in the last 48 duals — for UCO, which finished 15-0 overall and 5-0 in the league. It’s just the fifth undefeated season in the 71-year history of the program, including the fourth under eighth-year head coach Todd Steidley.
“I was really happy that we didn’t have a let up after such a big win last night,” said Steidley, whose team rallied past No. 7 Nebraska-Kearney 20-13 Friday night. “We came out ready to wrestle today, stayed aggressive and got after them pretty good.
“I’m just super proud of our guys. It’s hard to win every dual, especially with the schedule we wrestle, and it’s an accomplishment they should be proud of.”
Brown (149) and Wells (184) had the lone pins for the Bronchos, who also got technical falls from 133 Peter Rolle, 141 Dylan Lucas, 157 Gabe Johnson, 174 Anthony DesVigne and Hvy Shawn Streck.
Hunter Jump added a major decision at 165, while 125 Guy Clevenger and 197 Emmanuel Skillings earned regular decisions. UCO racked up 31 takedowns and 11 near-falls on the day.
Brown turned a third-period takedown that gave him a 14-0 lead into his third fall of the season at the 6:08 mark and Wells had a 17-7 advantage before notching his team-high eighth pin at 5:59.
Rolle followed a quick takedown with two near-falls in building a 10-0 lead after one period, then added another takedown and near-fall early in the second stanza to make it 17-0 in ending his match. Lucas followed with an 18-3 rout that required 4:47, scoring four takedowns along with a near-fall and reverse.
Johnson led 13-1 after the opening three minutes with two takedowns…
