Michigan
Michigan State
Michigan Unable to Complete Comeback, Falls to Michigan State
1/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 29, 2010
• Notes & Quotes | Results | Photo Gallery 
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Cliff Keen Arena)
Score: Michigan State 17, Michigan 15
Records: U-M (4-10, 0-3 Big Ten), Michigan State (7-3-1, 1-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Feb. 5 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Despite splitting matches evenly and rallying with four straight wins at the upperweights, the University of Michigan wrestling team could not complete the comeback against intrastate rival Michigan State, falling 17-15 on Friday evening (Jan. 29) in front of 1,609 fans at Cliff Keen Arena.
The difference came in a pair of MSU major decisions early in the dual meet, including a 9-1 victory by top-ranked defending NCAA champion Franklin Gomez at 133 pounds, the dual's opening weight. The Spartans took five of the first six matches before sophomore/freshman Hunter Collins (Gilroy, Calif./Gilroy HS) initiated Michigan's rally with a solid effort in the 184-pound match. Collins trailed early to Nick Palmieri after an early double leg but bounced back with takedowns of his own in the first and second period to cruise to an 8-5 decision and his first dual win at Cliff Keen Arena.
Senior/junior captain Anthony Biondo (Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa Valley HS) rolled past Tyler Dickenson, 7-1, at 197 pounds, using takedowns in the first and second periods and 3:51 in riding time to control from start to finish.
The Wolverines closed out the dual meet with back-to-back wins from sophomore/freshman Ben Apland (Woodridge, Ill./Downers Grove South HS) and freshman Sean Boyle (Lowell, Mass./Blair Academy) at heavyweight and 125 pounds, respectively. Apland twice had the Spartans' Alan O'Donnell on his back but only for fleeting seconds, settling instead for a 3-2 decision and his first Big Ten dual victory. After trading escapes early in the second and third periods, the wrestlers scrambled through a pair of wild positions late in the dual. Apland looked to have the O'Donnell in trouble before the Spartan bailed out to give up the winning takedown late in the third.
Boyle controlled the pace against Brennan Lyon in the final bout of the evening, scoring in each period to win 8-4. The Wolverine rookie struck on a front headlock in the first, countered a sloppy double-leg attempt in the second and converted on a low single off a third-period restart to ice his match.
Michigan's only loss in the match's second half came at 174 pounds, where junior/sophomore Justin Zeerip (Fremont, Mich./Hesperia HS) dropped a triple-overtime heartbreaker, 3-1, to the Spartans' Ian Hinton. The wrestlers traded escapes in regulation and ride outs through the first two tiebreaker rounds before Hinton converted out of a late scramble in the third sudden-victory frame, turning over Zeerip's head to earn the takedown call with one second remaining on the clock.
Conversely, Michigan's only win in the dual's first half was junior/sophomore Dave Johnson's (Jenison, Mich./Jenison HS) dramatic comeback win at 157 pounds, in which he used a two-point tilt in the waning seconds to knock off Anthony Jones, 7-6. The Spartan wrestler converted on three early takedowns to carry a three-point lead -- as well as riding-time advantage -- into the final frame. Starting the period on top, Johnson used a claw tile to secure an early pair of back points and pull within a point on the scoreclock. He rode off Jones' riding time and then, taking advantage of a late restart, turned Jones again in the final 15 seconds to take his first and final lead.
The Wolverines will hit the road for a pair of Big Ten dual meets next weekend, traveling to Columbus, Ohio, on Friday (Feb. 5) to face Ohio State at 7 p.m. at St. John Arena before squaring off against Penn State at 1 p.m. at Rec Hall in State College, Pa., on Sunday (Feb. 7).
Michigan State 17, Michigan 15
Individual Rankings by InterMat
| Match | Score |
| 133 -- #1 Franklin Gomez (MSU) major dec. Zac Stevens, 9-1 | MSU, 4-0 |
| 141 -- Dan Osterman (MSU) dec. Mark Weber, 3-1 | MSU, 7-0 |
| 149 -- #13 David Cheza (MSU) major dec. Mark Boyer, 14-4 | MSU, 11-0 |
| 157 -- Dave Johnson (U-M) dec. Anthony Jones, 7-6 | MSU, 11-3 |
| 165 -- Kyle Bounds (MSU) dec. Aaron Hynes, 4-2 | MSU, 14-3 |
| 174 -- Ian Hinton (MSU) dec. #16 Justin Zeerip, 3-1 SV3 | MSU, 17-3 |
| 184 -- Hunter Collins (U-M) dec. Nick Palmieri, 8-5 | MSU, 17-6 |
| 197 -- #9 Anthony Biondo (U-M) dec. Tyler Dickenson, 7-1 | MSU, 17-9 |
| Hwt -- Ben Apland (U-M) dec. Alan O'Donnell, 3-2 | MSU, 17-12 |
| 125 -- Sean Boyle (U-M) dec. Brennan Lyon, 8-4 | MSU, 17-15 |
• With its loss tonight, U-M fell to 62-35-5 in the all-time series against intrastate rival Michigan State.
• All three Wolverine freshmen in the lineup -- freshman Sean Boyle and sophomore/freshmen Hunter Collins and Ben Apland -- collected wins vs. Michigan State. It was the first individual victory at Cliff Keen Arena for all three.
• Junior/sophomore Dave Johnson's 7-6 win in the final seconds vs. Anthony Jones was his second straight nailbiter in Big Ten action. He defeated Minnesota's Joe Grygelko, 6-4, last Saturday (Jan. 23) on an overtime takedown with seven seconds remaining on the scoreclock.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Joe McFarland
On the dual meet ... "I knew going in that it would be a close dual. It's unfortunate that we couldn't pull it out. We just needed one more win somewhere, and unfortunately we weren't able to get it. I have to give kudos to Michigan State, because they got some of those big wins when they needed to."
On Dave Johnson's win at 157 pounds ... "Dave won a big match for us. He found himself behind, but he did a great job in the third period, got a couple turns. That was a great win. He hung in there, stayed tough and won it in the third period on top. He's good in the top position. That's one of his best positions. He's also good on his feet; we just need to get him a little more aggressive on his feet."
On the freshmen wrestlers ... "It was good for those to come back this weekend and get some wins. Hunter [Collin]'s win was a big win for us. I've got a lot of respect for Michigan State's [Nike Palmieri]; he's physical and he's a pretty solid wrestler. So, I really liked that win at 184. I thought Ben [Apland] did a hand fought really well and had a good match, and I thought Sean did a great job; he really set the pace."
U-M Sophomore/freshman Hunter Collins
On kickstarting Michigan's late rally ... "That's my job. I'm here to win matches, and I'm always going to do as much for my team as I can. If it started a little snowball, that's great. My goal is just to win every match regardless of what's going on around me."
On rebounding from last week's disappointing loss ... "I have a really short memory when it comes to matches. I lost last week. It stuck with me for about a day then it was out of my system. I was prepared for this one tonight, and that's what I'll do for next week. Each dual meet is individual. Of course, we're going to get better, because we see what we need to work on and go back to the room. The coaches always tweak little things -- never dramatic changes -- until the end of the year to set up for a strong finish."
On the freshmen wins ... "We're a really close class. We expect the same out of everybody -- to go out there and try your hardest. We probably push each other than anyone else, because we want our class to be a part of a championship team. That's our goal."
U-M Freshman Sean Boyle
On bouncing back from a tough previous weekend ... "It was really good to come back here and get the win tonight, especially after two matches where I kind of got beat up a bit. I put them behind me right away. I'm young, I'm still trying to prove myself, and we're still trying to get ready for Big Tens and NCAAs. So, I put those matches behind me, and I'm happy about a good win today."
On wrestling last with the close team score... "It was definitely different. I'm used to wrestling first; I've never wrestled last before. I wrestled a little sloppy. I went out there and went for too much. I got taken down on the edge. I think I was trying to do some stuff that I wouldn't have tried if I'd been the first match. We were down, so I was trying to get as many points as I could. In the first period, I was definitely thinking about the team score. Then after I got taken down, I realized that I needed to win first and worry about the team score after that was in hand."
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
