Trailing 12-10 following a loss in the 149-pound bout, N.C. State only allowed Campbell three more points en route to a 36-15 win Saturday at Reynolds Coliseum.
The closing run that saw the Wolfpack win five of the last six matches got started with 157-pound sophomore Kody Hamrah’s second period pin of Campbell’s Nick Amato.
Hamrah, still fighting back from an injury that caused him to miss the early part of the season, said he is excited to be back in the lineup.
“It felt really good getting back into it after being out for so long,” Hamrah said. “I’m starting to get back in the groove.”
After freshman Obie Simpson lost an 11-9 heartbreaker in the 165-pound bout to allow Campbell to within one point, State junior Rick Brownlee picked up a forfeit in the 174-pound bout.
With some breathing room at 22-15, the Pack closed out the match with three successful performances.
At 184 pounds, sophomore Jeremy Colbert knocked off Kyle Higgins 21-4. Meanwhile, 197-pound redshirt freshman Ryan Goodman moved to 16-4 on the season by scoring a major decision over Jason Cook.
“I was real pleased with Jeremy Colbert today. He really wrestled well,” coach Carter Jordan said. “And Ryan Goodman is what he is, one of the best kids in the country at his weight.”
The final match of the day pitted junior heavyweight Jainor Palma (22-6) against Campbell freshman Jeremiah Fennell.
The match started with a bang as Fennell lunged at Palma, sending both wrestlers off the mat and onto the basketball court.
“I think the start of the match was an alarm that tells you, you better get busy and get working in the match,” Palma said.
And get busy he did, dominating Fennell 15-3 in a match that brought the crowd to its feet.
“That was Jainor’s best match of the year,” Jordan said. “His intensity was really good today.”
The win moved State to 9-4-1 on the season, but more importantly for Jordan, it marked the return of a healthy team.
“We’ve haven’t had all our starters in all year, but we’re getting healthy,” Jordan said. “I like our chances.”
The match was the last non-conference match of the season for the Pack, which finishes the regular season with home matches against Virginia and North Carolina on Saturday and a Feb. 19 road match against Virginia Tech.
Jordan said he was pleased with the team’s effort, but that they made “a ton” of mistakes and that was something they would have to work on heading into a big weekend.
“We turn the heat up this time of year in terms of how we train,” Jordan said. “We’ll start coming in the mornings and doing some extra running and lifting. We have a whole week to prepare for this weekend, which is terrific.”
