Monterey Times

Vanguard University Athletics issued the following announcement on Dec. 17.

The Vanguard men's wrestling team faced #18 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Friday night in the Pit.  Unfortunately, the Lions were defeated in all but one weight class and took the loss 49-5.  The Eagles go to 3-1 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference and the Lions fall to 3-4.

What Happened?  The Lions were open at 125-pounds, giving the Eagles a 6-0 lead right out of the gate.  That meant the first true matchup was at 133-pounds, where Jacob Seto took on Mario Barrios (SR/Covina, CA).  Seto was unstoppable in the first period, as he racked up 10 points over the first three minutes of action.  Barrios then settled himself and played the rest of the match equal to Seto.  While he gave up the opening escape in the second, Barrios then collected some riding time and while he could not complete a takedown, he forced Seto to play defense.  Barrios then got a takedown in the third but could not make up the gap, as he lost by major decision 13-2.

The only victory for Vanguard in the dual was for Steven Kroesen (SO/Laguna Hills, CA) at 141-pounds.  In a reversal of the 133-pound bout, Kroesen took Austin Morgan back to school as he made two quick takedowns before securing back-to-back near-falls to gain a huge lead.  Eventually making one more takedown, Kroesen allowed only one escape en route to the 16-1 tech-fall victory.

However, the Eagles would dominate the next few rounds.  Berit Sturgeon took on Michael Leininger (SO/Rancho Bernardo, CA) at 149-pounds and Sturgeon made a pin in the first period to get six points back for ERU.  Beau Blackham then made a couple of big point-scoring moves in the 157-pounds match against Caleb Jones (SO/Norwalk, CA) before pinning the Lion wrestler in the second period.  James Williams then took down Jacob Byrd (FR/Poway, CA) in the first period with a pin to earn another six points for the Eagles at 165-pounds.

At 174-pounds, Andrew Shin (SO/Glendora, CA) came out for VU to take on Stone Aguirre, with Aguirre making two takedowns in the first period.  Shin was able to find an escape and trailed 4-1 after one period.  Aguirre started down to open the second period and Shin did a commendable job holding Aguirre down for a good chunk of the frame before the ERU wrestler shook free to earn one point.  Despite a couple of good attempts, Shin could not make a takedown and lost 8-3.

Juan Zapien (SO/Coachella Valley, CA) had some good momentum going against Mathew Stevenson at 184-pounds, as he started off strong with a takedown and an escape to lead 3-2 after one period.  Zapien then made a textbook takedown to grab a 5-2 lead and it looked like Stevenson was out of gas.  But it proved to not be true, as Stevenson found an extra gear and made two takedowns, turning the last one into a pin to steal the match for the Eagles.  At 197-pounds, Michael Densmore faced Jakob Edwards (FR/Anaheim, CA) and it would be another ERU victory, as Densmore drug Edwards around and eventually pinned him in the second period to take all the points for the Eagles.

The final contest was one of the closest of the night, as Carson Hatch (FR/Hughson, CA) took on Garrette Branson in the Heavyweight class.  Hatch took an aggressive mood into the match, as he attacked early and often, eventually getting a takedown to lead 2-0 after one.  Starting down in the second, Hatch escaped and traded takedowns with Branson as the second period moved on, as the frame ended with Hatch up 5-3.  Hatch might have connected with a couple more takedowns to increase his advantage but he kept driving Branson out of bounds, limiting his scoring options in the second.  Branson made a takedown in the third to trail by one but Hatch escaped and looked in prime position to win.  However, Branson grabbed Hatch and found the right angle to send Hatch to the mat, where Branson secured the win via pin.

What was said?  "Today was a great learning experience for some of our guys," said Head Coach Caleb Flores.  "We will continue to learn and get better from this experience.  We are looking forward to our next opportunity to compete at the Reno Tournament of Champions."

What's Next?  The team will head out to Reno, Nevada, for the Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday, December 19.  More information can be found HERE

Original source can be found here.