Sweeping last weekend under the mat

With the final countdown officially underway, the tides are starting to shift in the favor of Minnesota State. After losing to Northern State in a close 19-17 contest, the Mavs are finally landing on solid feet and defeated Minnesota State Moorhead 30-9.

Following their matchup against the Wolves, the Mavs concluded their road trip following the win against the Dragons. While Head Coach, Jim Makovsky, was not happy about falling to Northern State, he was grateful for the opportunity to help get his team to grow closer. 

“It was a good road trip, helping to build the relationships and bring the guys together. Spending time in the hotels and vehicles is helping to make sure that the boys are working as a team. The only way we are going to get where we work as a team and trust each other,” said Makovsky.

Right out of the gate, the Mavericks proceeded to set the tempo of the contest. Freshman, Kole Marko, gave the Mavs a 3-0 lead with a decision win over MSUM freshman, Jonez Anez. It was then followed by Junior, Michael Smith, and Senior,  Brody Nielsen, winning the next two by majority decision, to give the Mavs an 11-0 lead.

Following a forfeit from the Dragons which gave senior, Dylan Butts, a win, we would enter the evening’s heavyweight matchup. MSU senior, Darrell Mason, was matched against MSUM senior, Andre Baguma. In a very anticipated matchup, Mason took over in the match to earn the 4-1 decision.

Entering the halfway point, the Mavs were sitting comfortably with a 20-0 lead. However, like many other teams, that dominant streak started to taper off and cause them to slide. Following a forfeit from the Mavs side, MSUM freshman, Thomas Carrillo, picked up a split decision win over sophomore, Isaiah Mlsna. This gave the Dragons their first points to make it a 20-9 contest.

The Mavs, after cooling down, reheated to finish off the Dragons. Senior, Brock Luthenes, picked up a decision win over MSUM Junior, Hunter Hayes, followed by freshman, Caleb Meunier, and sophomore, Drake Hayward, picking up decision wins and giving the Mavericks their fifth win on the year.

Following the win, Coach Makovsky was grateful to have his guys gain some experience. According to Makovsky, having several members on his starting roster that are underclass is great, but he still sees room for improvement.

“I think we are showing steady improvement. We have got a young team that lacks experience, but they are getting it. We need to keep learning from our experiences and the boys are,” said Makovsky.

Write to Charlie Groebner at Charles.Groebner@mnsu.edu

Header photo: The MSU Wrestling team returns to the win against MSU Moorhead with a 30-9 score over the weekend. (Dylan Engel)