If any Iowa wrestling fans coming into Carver-Hawkeye Arena Thursday night doubted Iowa would struggle to rebound from a subpar performance at Edinboro just over a week ago, they were proven wrong.
The nation’s third-ranked squad, according to InterMat, put on a dominating performance in front of the 5,901 fans who fought the below-freezing temperatures to watch their Hawkeyes wrestle.
Each Hawkeye wrestler posted bonus points en route to a 46-0 win over the Bulls.
The outstanding night began at 125-pounds with Cory Clark topping Max Soria in an 13-3 major decision, immediately followed by 133-pounder Tony Ramos with a match that pleased those who wanted to see him put on a show for an extended period of time.
The senior’s bout with senior Justin Framer seemed like a broken recording of takedown-escape-takedown. Ramos used four first-period takedowns, followed by another four in the second, before tallying a 2-point near-fall and takedown to finally end Farmer’s night with a 22-7 tech-fall.
While the Carol Stream, Ill., native may have preferred to pin his opponent, Farmer’s objective appeared to be to not get pinned. With that said, Ramos noted that he takes what his foe gives him on the mat.
“It’s whether or not someone wants to come out there and compete or try to keep it close,” he said. “Or just put his head down and let you run around him.
“If they want to go out there and look how they do, and people perceive them as how it’s being perceived, then that’s on them.”
The ensuing weights were highlighted by falls from 149-pounder Michael Kelly and defending national champion Derek St. John at 157 pounds.
With the score at 38-0 entering the dual’s penultimate bout, Sammy Brooks took the mat in place of Nathan Burak for the third-straight dual. Brands said he is cautiously optimistic about Burak’s injury. Brooks clawed his way to a 2-1 lead heading into the third period before scoring an escape and takedown less fewer 30 seconds into the final round.
It looked as if Brooks would not score a major decision after Angelo Malvestuto escaped to make it 10-5, but Brooks used a takedown with 10 seconds left and added the extra point for 3:34 of riding time to secure the major decision.
Heavyweight Bobby Telford followed up Brooks with his return to the mat for the first time since Nov. 16 at the Luther Open. He finished with a 16-3 win over freshman James Benjamin that included 5:28 of riding time.
The junior admitted he was looking forward to the team’s dual with Penn State on Dec. 21, but he made it a point that he not take Benjamin for granted.
“Everyone’s out there looking to make a name for himself; you can’t look past anybody,” Telford said.
Now it’s on to the most anticipated match of the year for Iowa — the Penn State dual on Dec. 21.
While Brands’ squad used Buffalo as a tune-up and still dominated, he’s happy the focus can be solely on the Nittany Lions.
“You’re looking ahead a little bit even though you don’t look ahead in sports or life,” the eighth-year head coach said. “I don’t think our guys were, I just think it’s now we’re here, now we’re here.”