Hawkeye wrestlers score plenty bonus points in big win over Wisconsin

IOWA CITY, Ia. — There were no surprises when the Wisconsin wrestling team invaded Carver-Hawkeye Arena. On paper, it was a dual that Iowa was expected to win handily. On the mat, that’s exactly what happened.

No. 3 Iowa rolled the 16th-ranked Badgers, 33-8, in front of 8,431 spectators Friday night. The Hawkeyes, winners of two straight duals, are now 9-2 overall and 5-1 against Big Ten competition heading into Sunday’s matchup at No. 13 Minnesota.

“Give our guys credit,” Iowa coach Tom Brands said. “There were some bonus points. We needed bonus points.”

The dual belonged to Iowa from the jump. The Hawkeyes won eight of the 10 bouts and thumped the Badgers in total takedowns, 24-6, and total match points, 75-44. Even more, five of those eight victories came in bonus-point fashion.

There were, however, a couple of oddities. Two-time NCAA finalist Cory Clark sat out again, allowing Phillip Laux to wrestle at 133 pounds. Plus, Brands chose to rest Steven Holloway, and inserted Faraan Brantley, a listed 174-pounder on Iowa’s roster, into the lineup at heavyweight.

“It’s just a smart thing to do,” Brands said, adding that both Clark and Holloway would wrestle on Sunday against the Gophers. “It’s been a gauntlet, and we believe that this team can pick up the slack in other places with bonus points and what not.

“Just maybe giving these guys a little R&R without the R. Rest, maybe, without the recreation.”

Brantley lost to second-ranked Connor Medbery, 19-1. But two matches later, Laux secured a 6-2 decision over Eli Stickley. The junior allowed a takedown to Stickley in the first period, but scored on a reversal and a four-point nearfall shortly thereafter. It was a performance that made Brands proud.

“I was just trying to get out, and happened to be in a position where I could get the reversal and get on top,” said Laux, a one-time Wisconsin commit. He found out he was wrestling in lieu of Clark earlier this week, and the win was his first dual victory of the season.

The only other Iowa loss came at 165 pounds. Joey Gunther, ranked 22nd by Trackwrestling, took No. 3 Isaac Jordan to overtime. Jordan, a returning NCAA finalist, scored a takedown 30 seconds in to give Wisconsin its final points of the evening.

Otherwise, the Hawkeyes rolled. Sammy Brooks kicked off the night with a pin at 184 pounds. He cinched up a front-headlock and whipped Hunter Ritter to his back in 4 minutes and 54 seconds. Cash Wilcke followed with a 3-1 win over Mason Reinhardt to put Iowa up 9-0 after two.

Thomas Gilman followed Brantley’s loss with a 21-7 major at 125 pounds, buoyed by nine takedowns. It was the first of five straight victories for Iowa — after Laux, Topher Carton won by major at 141, followed by a Brandon Sorensen decision at 149, then a Michael Kemerer pin at 157.

Carton’s effort was especially encouraging. He entered Friday night having lost his last three matches, but cracked open a 5-1 lead after two periods and two takedowns against Wisconsin’s Cole Martin. He added a riding-time point and two more for nearfall in the third to secure a 9-1 major.

“It’s always nice to get those bonus points,” Carton said. “... I had to just figure it out in my head. I had something come across my Facebook feed this week. It was an F. Scott Fitzgerald quote, and the gist was to never confuse a single loss with a final loss. I thought about that all week.”

Alex Meyer closed the dual with an 11-3 major decision over Ryan Christensen at 174 pounds, scoring two of his four total takedowns in the third period. Shortly after, Brands said that, sometimes, it’s smart to give credit for a good performance. He almost added a smile. Almost.

Cody Goodwin covers high school sports, college basketball recruiting and Drake athletics for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at (816) 582-0633, email him at cgoodwin2@dmreg.com, or send him a tweet at @codygoodwin

No. 3 Iowa 33, No. 16 Wisconsin 8

184 — Sammy Brooks (IA) winner by fall over Hunter Ritter (WI) in 4:54

197 — Cash Wilcke (IA) dec. Mason Reinhardt (WI), 3-1

285 — Connor Medbery (WI) tech. fall Faraan Brantley (IA), 19-1

125 — Thomas Gilman (IA) maj. dec. Jens Lantz (WI), 21-7

133 — Phillip Laux (IA) dec. Eli Stickley (WI), 6-2

141 — Topher Carton (IA) maj. dec. Cole Martin (WI), 9-1

149 — Brandon Sorensen (IA) dec. Andrew Crone (WI), 9-5

157 — Michael Kemerer (IA) winner by fall over Jared Scharenbrock (WI) in :55

165 — Isaac Jordan (WI) dec. Joey Gunther (IA), 3-1 (OT)

174 — Alex Meyer (IA) maj. dec. Ryan Christensen (WI), 11-3