INDIANOLA — Facing a three-point deficit with three matches left, the 25th ranked Central College wrestling team rattled off three straight wins en route to a 23-15 win over 30th ranked Augustana College (Ill.) Thursday.
After four-lead changes through seven matches, Central (1-1) was trailing Augustana (1-2) 15-12 with three matches left. Freshman 184-pounderAustin Laabs (Guthrie Center) was behind 7-1 against nationally ranked and unbeaten Thomas Reyhons with a minute left. In a wild finish, Laabs registered two takedowns and a four-point near fall to earn the 9-7 win.
"Austin was down 7-1 with one minute left," coach Eric Van Kley said. "He kept battling. The bottom line was that he took him down twice and got back points to get the win."
Making his season debut, Matt Seabold (junior, Burlington) muscled his way to a 17-2 technical fall over Chris Giatras. The five-point win at 197 pounds gave Central a 20-15 lead.
"He wrestled one of their best guys and got a technical fall," Van Kley said. "He really kept his head on his shoulders and got us crucial points. It's great to have him back in the lineup."
Closing out the night was senior Jay Pike (Solon) at 285 pounds. Just needing to avoid the pin to seal the Dutch victory, Pike wound up with a 4-3 victory over the ninth-ranked wrestler in Division III, Jack Seaman.
"Jay just needed to not get pinned for us to win the match, but that wasn't good enough for him," Van Kley said. "He wanted to get the match win and close the night out. I'm extremely proud of him."
Central also had wins by decision from CJ Pestano (sophomore, Torrance, Calif.), Tanner Hocker (freshman, Fort Madison), Mike O'Connor (junior, Lockport, Ill., St. Rita HS), andRyan Vandall (junior, Phoenix, Ariz., Moon Valley HS).
"Tonight epitomized what our team is all about," Van Kley said. "We're a family and it took good effort out of everybody. We got knocked down a few times but we kept battling and persevering. I'm extremely proud of the toughness we showed tonight."
Central returns to the mat Saturday with the squad splitting up and heading to two tournaments, the Buena Vista Open and the Milwaukee School of Engineering Invitational. Both tournaments start at 9 a.m.
