Air Force Academy
Cal Baptist
Air Force Defeats Cal Baptist, 23-15
1/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 10, 2009
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Winning six of 10 weight classes, the Air Force wrestling team picked up a 23-15 road victory over Cal Baptist on Saturday. The Falcons earned their first dual win of the year to move to 1-3 on the season, while the Lancers, ranked 12th in the NAIA, fall to 3-7 overall.
After dropping a decision in the opening bout at 149 pounds, the Falcons grabbed their first individual win of the day at 157 pounds, as Joseph Stafford (So., Loomis, Calif.) picked up a technical fall over Chris Cox. Stafford scored his first takedown less than 30 seconds into the opening period, and recorded four three-point near falls over the course of the period. With a 14-0 advantage going into the second period, Stafford scored another three-point near fall with 1:22 on the clock to register the 17-0 technical fall.
Senior captain Stephen Crozier (Monona, Iowa) increased Air Force's lead to 9-3 with his win at 165 pounds. Crozier dominated the latter portion of his bout, outscoring CBU's Lamar Reed, 11-0, over the final 4:37 of the match, to earn a 16-5 major decision.
The Lancers got back onto the scoreboard with a decision at 174 pounds, before senior Sterling Tribble (Midwest City, Okla.) gave the Falcons another victory in the 184-pound weight class. Tribble, earning his first win of the season, held his opponent, Jarid Price, scoreless, accumulating over five minutes of riding time in an 8-0 major decision.
The teams traded wins at the next two weight classes, with Cal Baptist getting the decision at 197-pounds, while Air Force's Josh Larson (So., Windsor, Colo.) won his heavyweight bout. Larson scored a pair of near falls at the end of the second period to help take an 8-3 decision over Dylan Berg.
Going into the 125-pound bout, Air Force held a 16-9 advantage in the team scoring, but CBU's Chauncey Phillips recorded the lone fall of the afternoon to bring the Lancers back within one point. However, the Falcons held on for the team victory with wins in the final two weight classes. First, 133-pounder Derek Gillespie (So., Chesapeake, Va.) took control of his bout, rolling to a 15-4 major decision over Sam Fragoza.
Meanwhile, in the final match of the day at 141 pounds, Stephen Makuka (Jr., Columbus, N.J.) got in a close battle with Andrew Collins. Just over a minute into the bout, Collins took a 6-2 lead , but Makuka countered, scoring the next five points to gain a 7-6 advantage after two periods. Though neither wrestler scored in the final period, the bout was sent into overtime, as Collins had racked up 1:36 of riding time. Finally, with 13 seconds left in the tiebreak session, Makuka scored a takedown and added a three-point near fall to secure the 12-7 decision.
The Falcons wrap up the weekend tomorrow with a pair of duals in Fullerton, Calif. First, Air Force will take on host Cal State Fullerton in a 3:00 p.m. (PT) contest, followed by a match with San Francisco State at 6:00 p.m.
Air Force 23, Cal Baptist 15
149 - Jarell Price (CBU) dec. Alec Williams, 8-5
157 - Joseph Stafford (AF) tech fall Chris Cox, 17-0 (3:38)
165 - Stephen Crozier (AF) maj. dec. Lamar Reed, 16-4
174 - C.J. Knowland (CBU) dec. Tyler French, 4-1
184 - Sterling Tribble (AF) maj. dec. Jarid Price, 8-0
197 - Vince Pizzuto (CBU) dec. Kazden Ikehara, 5-4
HWT - Josh Larson (AF) dec. Dylan Berg, 8-3
125 - Chauncey Phillips (CBU) fall Andrew Zwirlein, 2:04
133 - Derek Gillespie (AF) maj. dec. Sam Fragoza, 15-4
141 - Stephen Makuka (AF) dec. Andrew Collins, 12-7 (TB)
Players Mentioned
