Not so nice; wrestling shutout twice.
Even though love is in the air, mixed emotions can be said about Minnesota State Wrestling. For the second time this season, the Mavs were once again neutralized against a top-ranked team, extending the Mavs’ losing streak to three straight and still winless in the month of February.
Friday night, the Mavs traveled across state lines to take on the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. In what would be their final home game of the season, the Rangers proved why they are undefeated, ranked in the top ten, and have all but one of their starters ranked in the top 15. They manhandled the Mavs’ entire lineup and ended their regular season with a perfect record of 11-0.
Entering the match, the Mavs were already in a rather tough position. Having to use two forfeits, the Rangers already had a commanding lead of 12-0. Not even ten minutes in, the Mavs were in the hole against the Rangers. Head Coach, Jim Makovsky, said following the match forfeiting the first was not his choice. Going into the contest the Mavs had been dealing with a slew of injuries and illness had struck the team.
“We have been dealing with a massive string of injuries this year. Each one is unique and causes guys to miss time. We had quality guys who could have been starters, but just couldn’t get healthy, which happens. It not only limits us in our lineup but also in practice partners to help the guys get better. But that is still not an excuse because it happens to everyone,” said Makovsky.
In the first official match, MSU senior Brock Luthens lost to No. 10 ranked, 141 Ibs sophomore, Cayden Henschels. Things didn’t get easier as MSU freshman Caleb Meunier would lose the decision to UW-Parkside sophomore Jalen Spuhler. This was then followed by another decision loss, after MSU sophomore Drake Hayward fell to UW-Parkside sophomore Ben Durocher, giving them a lead of 21-0 at the halfway point.
Staring into another large hole, the Mavs needed a miracle to get back in the game. However, their prayers would go unanswered as the onslaught would continue. MSU freshman Kole Marko, junior Mike Smith, sophomore Nic Leo, and seniors Max Villnow and Darrell Mason lost their matches in that order, ending with a final score of 37-0 for the Rangers and keeping their streak alive.
Following the loss, Coach Makovsky felt there were a lot of problems that went wrong for them in the contest. However, Coach did mention one thing that he felt really had the most impact on his group following the match.
“There’s a handful of things that went wrong and It’s hard for me to tell. Technique, and conditioning, but I would say the biggest issue is confidence. We are trying to give consistent efforts, wrestle a little harder, and respect winning. It’s not easy to win in this conference, but we are young and still fighting our battles,” said Makovsky.
Write to Charlie Groebner at Charles.Groebner@mnsu.edu
Header photo: The MSU Wrestling team returns home with a 38-0 loss against UW-Parkside Friday, Feb. 10. The Mavericks close their season at home with their final dual Friday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. in Bresnan Arena. (Dylan Engel)