PRESCOTT, Ariz. -- Vanguard men's wrestling continued its barnstorming of Arizona Saturday, as the team faced both Southern Oregon University Raiders and the hosting Embry-Riddle Eagles. The Lions dropped both duals, falling to SOU 27-12 and ERAU 25-18. Even though the team results did not materialize, the Blue and Gold had some big individual victories, including three wins against three ranked NAIA wrestlers.
What Happened?
VU 12 SOU 27
Dominic De'Altonaga (SO/Poway, CA) opened the first dual of the day at 125 pounds against Mikey Ladkani. While De'Altonaga was not able to toss Ladkani about at will, he was able to make the only scoring moves and force the Raider off-kilter. De'Altonaga eventually picked up a 5-0 decision victory to put Vanguard ahead 3-0. Zach Stone (FR/Yorba Linda, CA) then faced NAIA #2 Evan Potter at 133-pounds, with the Raider quickly putting things away with a 17-1 technical fall decision. Trailing 5-3, Steven Kroesen (JR/Laguna Hills, CA) put the Blue and Gold back on the board against Derek Ramos at 141 pounds. Another close tilt put points at a premium, with Kroesen doing enough to win 3-2, sending the Lions ahead 6-5 with the decision victory. However, the dual turned back in favor of Southern Oregon, as NAIA #3 Aaron Gandara defeated Bryant Avila (FR/Rialto, CA) 9-4 in the 149-pound bout. Dylan Straley followed that up with a 10-0 shutout of Ruben Rodriguez (FR/Chula Vista, CA) in the 157-pound matchup, as the Raiders stretched the gap to 12-6.
Luke Lussier (JR/Victorville, CA) and Gerardo Hernandez (SR/Mission Viejo, CA) each picked up wins, as Lussier won the 165-pound fight against Jordan Faifai 9-2. Hernandez was paired pretty evenly in a matchup with NAIA #11 Alex Hernandez in the 174-pound bout, as both combatants were knotted at 4-4 at the end of the third period. But Hernandez ,#6 in the NAIA, did not waste much time in making the takedown in sudden victory to win 6-4, tying the dual score at 12-12. Unfortunately, that would be the final win for VU in the dual. The Lions were open at 184 pounds and dropped points in the final two classes. NAIA #24 Andrew Herrera beat Isaiah Hernandez (SO/Selma, CA) 8-3 in the 197-pound tilt and Antonio Garcia pinned Ryan Ortiz (SO/Orange, CA) in the heavyweight matchup, as the Raiders collected the 27-12 dual victory.
VU 18 ERAU 25
De'Altonaga was called upon again to open things up against the Eagles and he made it two wins in two tries on the day, as he blanked Landon Smith (#17 in the NAIA) 5-0. The Lions jumped ahead 3-0 but went down 4-3 soon thereafter, as Allan Hendricks overturned Stone in the 133-pound bout 15-4. Carson Coy made the upset of Kroesen in the 141-pound meeting, as Coy pulled away in the third to win 7-4. Down 7-3 in the dual, Avila made it a one-point gap as he eked out a 4-3 decision victory over Jonah Chew in the 149-pound
The Eagles then up two-straight pins, as NAIA #7 Beau Blackham stuck Rodriguez to the mat in the 157-pound match. NAIA #4 Keller Rock then forced Lussier to the mat and held him there for six more points in the 165-pound matchup. Gerardo Hernandez gave VU a respite in the results, as he defeated Daniil Gorshkov 10-4 in the 174-pound bout. Down 19-9, the Lions still had a route to a win, but being open at 184-pounds put things mostly out of reach. Despite the dual not favoring the team result for VU, Isaiah Hernandez and Mike Ruiz (SO/Orange, CA) ended the night with wins for the Lions. Hernandez upset NAIA #20 Brodie Scott 2-1 in a thrilling decision victory for the Lions. Ruiz was in control of the heavyweight bout, eventually pinning Garrette Branson to make the final dual score 25-18 in favor of ERAU.
Why is it Important? The Blue and Gold are 4-4 now in duals on the season and are now 0-4 against ERAU all-time. That was the first dual meet in program history against SOU.
What was Said? "We wrestled really well and had some big individual wins," said Head Coach Caleb Flores. "We came into this weekend short-handed and it didn't affect the effort of our guys. We wrestled better as the weekend went on and I am proud of the team for stepping up. I am looking forward to seeing our progression before our next competition."
What's Next? Vanguard has only two duals left on the schedule and one in Cascade Collegiate Conference action. VU will be at Menlo on Friday, January 27, at 7 p.m. for another heated dual with the Oaks.
