The wrestling team got something that it desperately needed, a victory, in Reynolds Coliseum on Friday night. After losing three matches in a row, State came from behind to beat Virginia Tech 21-19.
The win could not have come at a better time, according to relieved coach Carter Jordan.
“We needed it,” he said.
The match started at the 165-pound weight division when redshirt junior Jalil Dozier received a forfeit and State took a 6-0 lead.
At 174, redshirt freshman Ray Ward overcame recent struggles and performed well, winning a decision 11-7.
According to Jordan, Ward’s improvement is exactly what the coaching staff has been looking for.
“What we’re looking for is individual progress from each kid. We’re trying to build a program, not a team,” he said.
The next three matches were all won by Hokie wrestlers. Redshirt freshman Dane Coffee lost by a technical fall in the second period. Junior Mark Jahad lost a major decision, and freshman heavyweight Bobby Isola lost a 3-2 decision.
After half the match, Virginia Tech led 12-9.
State could not stop the Virginia Tech momentum in the 125-pound or 133-pound divisions.
Redshirt sophomore Taylor Cummings fell behind 13-0 in his match. After regaining composure, Cummings nearly pinned Justin Staylor three times late in the match. However, Cummings ran out of time and lost a major decision.
Freshman Darrius Little fell behind early and lost a decision 8-3.
“We certainly made a lot of mistakes tonight,” Jordan said. “Some were aggressive mistakes. Some were not, but we’re getting better.”
Going into the last three bouts, State was down 19-9 and had to have three victories to win the match.
Sophomore Joe Caramanica, ranked fifth in the nation at 141 pounds, took on Chris Diaz. Throughout most of the match the Hokie grappler stalled and avoided the clearly superior Caramanica.
“My guy had to chase him all over the mat,” Jordan said.
After taking a 3-0 lead into the third period, Caramanica made a mistake and was taken down by Diaz, who then scored two near fall points, making the score 4-3 in his favor.
After escaping with two seconds left and forcing overtime, Caramanica ended the sudden death period quickly with a takedown and won a 6-4 decision.
At 149 pounds, sophomore Darrion Caldwell did what he has done most of the year: pinned his opponent. A little more than a minute into the match, Caldwell recorded his 19th pin of the year, the most in the country.
“Before the match Ray Ward gave me his iPod and said, ‘Go get the pin,'” Caldwell said.
The final match would prove to be decisive.
With the team score 19-18 in Tech’s favor, freshman Colton Palmer needed a win at 157 pounds to secure the victory. Palmer came though, winning an 8-3 decision.
Palmer’s win secured a victory for the Pack, now 9-10-1 on the season going into the ACC Championships on March 8.
“Winning for a team is a great feeling,” Palmer said. “Knowing it came down to me and I followed through in the end felt good.”
