The Virginia Tech Hokies kicked off their Midwest wrestling doubleheader with a trip to Northern Iowa to face the 17th-ranked Panthers ahead of a huge Sunday showdown in Columbia, Missouri against another team in the top 6 of the national dual-meet rankings in the Missouri Tigers. However, the Hokies couldn't afford to overlook Northern Iowa and they were able to do just that.
Virginia Tech took care of business and beat the 17th-ranked Panthers 27-10 in what was a strong showing from the Hokies with Virginia Tech winning 8 of 10 matches on the evening.
It all started with the major showdown at 125 between the Hokies' third-ranked Joey Dance and Northern Iowa's second-ranked Dylan Peters. Dance stepped up and picked up a huge win 8-3 over Peters in what is an impressive performance on the road in a hostile environment for the Christiansburg native.
The senior was already seen as one of the favorites to win the 125 national title, but has the biggest win of the early season with a jump to the top spot at 125 very possible after this impressive along with it being almost certain that he'll at least jump to second. Dance will have a chance to gain another big win when he faces Missouri's 8th-ranked Barlow McGhee this weekend in Columbia.
Freshman Dominic Latona lost his match at 133 with a fall in the first period to 16th-ranked Josh Alber as the freshman continues to have his fair share of struggles early on this season, making you wonder if Latona may be pushed for his starting spot here soon. However, Dennis Gustafson turned things around with a 10-5 win over UNI's Jake Hodges that should have him closer to a spot in the top 20 at 141.
Sixth-ranked Solomon Chiskho took on 18th-ranked Max Thomsen and didn't get taken down once in a 6-2 victory that shows how Chiskho continues to be one of the top guys at 149. Chiskho faces a big challenge Sunday as he faces Missouri's fourth-ranked Lavion Mayes in one of the biggest showdowns in Sunday's huge meet in Columbia.
Another win on Sundy for Chiskho could have the sophomore in the top 3 and would make him one of the top early favorites to win the national title next spring at 149.
Sal Mastriani had another impressive performance at 157 with a 17-2 technical fall victory over UNI's Paden Moore. Mastriani has been dominant over the past two matches, but will face a big test Sunday when he faces his first ranked opponent of the season at 157 in Missouri's 10th-ranked Joey LaVallee.
Mike Ciavarro continues to be in somewhat of a rut as he fell to the 13th-ranked 157 wrestler Bryce Steiert 11-3 in what was another disappointing match for Ciavarro that has to make you wonder if Kevin Dresser may make a change here given that Ciavarro is not a freshman like Latona.
Second-ranked Zach Epperly faced a surprising test from Northern Iowa's Taylor Lujan, but Epperly was able to rise to the challenge and prove why he continues to be one of the favorites nationally at 174 with a 9-7 victory over Lujan. Ninth-ranked Zack Zavatsky was also tested by Northern Iowa's Jacob Holschlag but Zavatsky stepped up and also got a 9-7 win with 11th-ranked Willie Miklus looming Sunday for Zavatsky.
Third-ranked Jared Haught wasn't taken down once against Northern Iowa's Jared Bartel and got the win with a 6-2 victory at 197 before third-ranked Ty Walz absolutely dominated JJ Everard on his way to a 20-6 major decision victory to give the Hokies a 27-10 victory overall over the 17th-ranked Panthers.
For Kevin Dresser's team, this was a strong way to open up a big road weekend with an impressive win over a quality Northern Iowa program. Meanwhile, Joey Dance made a big statement at the 125 level with his 8-3 win on the road against the talented Dylan Peters who have faced off multiple times before while questions still remain at 133 and 165.
However, the Hokies will have to refocus for a huge showdown Sunday against Missouri with the winner having a very good chance at climbing the rankings into a top 3 positions especially if Virginia Tech can get the win on the road. The road trip has started out well for Virginia Tech but if the Hokies want to make a statement, they'll have to do it on the road in Columbia on Sunday in a matchup filled with big matchups for most of Virginia Tech's best wrestlers.
Stay up with The Tech Lunch Pail via Facebook and Twitter plus subscribe to our email updates.
You must login in order to comment on this post.
