NORTHFIELD, MINN.— Bonus points were the key to success Thursday night, as the Central College wrestling team rolled to a 47-6 win over St. Olaf (Minn.).
The Dutch (2-1) entered the match at No. 13 in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Division III rankings, the highest the program has been in over 15 years. Wrestling like one of the nation's top teams, the Dutch earned bonus points in eight of their nine victories, including three falls and three forfeits.
"All in all, our guys did a really great job of attacking bonus points and pins," coach Eric Van Kley said. "We talked about getting control of the match and looking for pins. I thought we did a nice job of that."
One of those pins belonged to freshman Tanner Hocker (Fort Madison) at 149 pounds, who took down Bryant Ridgeway in the third period to register his team-leading seventh pin of the season.
"Tanner's got some really good skills but he is also very coachable," Van Kley said. "When he gets them on their back, he knows how to finish it."
CJ Pestano (sophomore, Torrance, Calif.) and Austin Laabs (freshman, Guthrie Center)also had pins at 125 and 184 pounds, respectively.
The only match of the night to not result in a bonus point victory was at 285 pounds. Central'sJay Pike (senior, Solon) took down nationally ranked Zach Gibson in overtime to wrap the night up with a 2-0 win. Pike has now win three straight matches against opponents who have spent time in the rankings this season.
"Jay's confidence has grown each and every match," Van Kley said. "He's learning that at 285 pounds sometimes the most important thing is to outlast your opponent. Whether it's late in the match or if it's in overtime, Jay really loves those situations. He wrestled an extremely smart match, it was a great way to cap off the night."
The Dutch are off from competition until January 8 when they host Davenport (Mich.) and Ozarks (Ark.) for dual matches. The month off will give the Dutch time to prepare for the second half of the season.
"We're off to a solid start, but we've got to get a lot better." Van Kley said. "There's a long season ahead and we've got to be very committed to making big improvements. I like the attitude of our guys to get that done."
