In an event aptly titled “Brawl in the Hall,” the NC State wrestling team silenced UNC-Chapel Hill inside Memorial Hall, 19-11. The duel took place in the on-campus performing arts theatre in Chapel Hill rather than the normal Carmichael Arena.
The No. 9 Wolfpack (9-1, 2-0 ACC) showcased poise and character as it dropped the Tar Heels (5-5, 1-1 ACC) in a heated matchup that was headlined by an overtime heavyweight bout and a top-five 141 weight matchup. The atmosphere inside the theatre was nothing short of electric, and the crowd in the sold-out venue was treated to a true battle.
“We knew we were gonna be in a dog fight because it’s that type of environment,” head coach Pat Popolizio said. “They’re a very solid program right now, they’ve obviously got decent results. I don’t think their record indicates where they are as a program.”
The night got started with the 149 bout, which featured senior No. 10 Sam Speno and UNC’s Troy Heilmann. Speno registered three takedowns while Heilmann could only manage escape points. Speno won the opening bout by decision, 6-3 to give the Wolfpack the early 3-0 lead over the Heels.
In one of the most exciting matchup of the evening, freshman Thomas Bullard was narrowly defeated by UNC’s Joey Moon. Moon got off to an early lead with two takedowns at the end of the second period, making it 4-3. Moon’s craftiness earned him the victory with an escape with 11 seconds left in the third, ensuring his victory, 6-5.
Brian Hamann dominated Devin Kane of UNC throughout the match. The Jackson, New Jersey native got off to a fast start with a takedown and a near fall, giving him a sizable lead on the mat. The redshirt junior recorded two more points with an escape and a minute of riding time, winning 8-2.
No. 7 Ethan Ramos of UNC and freshman Nick Reenan faced off in the 174 bout. Ramos was too much for Reeman, defeating him 10-4. Reenan persisted throughout the match, continuing to escape Ramos’ clutches, denying him of a major decision.
In a last minute switch-up, NC State decided to send out junior Nicky Hall in place of Michael Macchiavello for the 184 bout. Hall faced up against Anderson Pope, and held a 3-0 lead heading into the final period. Hall attempted to get the major, but fell just short, winning 5-0.
In a surprising turn of events, the Wolfpack elected to have redshirt junior Michael Macchiavello wrestle up a weight class. Macchiavello, who is normally the Pack’s starter at 184 pounds, faced off against Carolina’s Daniel Chaid at 197. Macchiavello and Chaid traded points and were very evenly matched. The match was sent into sudden death where Chaid finally broke through with a takedown; however, UNC would lose a point due to Chaid’s excessive celebration.
One of the most exciting and grueling matchups of the night was between redshirt senior Mike Kosoy and UNC’s Cory Daniel in the 285 bout. Going into the third, Kosoy needed a point and recorded an escape with 1:41 left on the clock. Still tied, the contest was sent to numerous rounds of sudden death. Each wrestler recorded escapes until Kosoy finally registered a takedown, yielding him the victory 5-3 in triple overtime.
“You have to stay focused, stay calm,” Kosoy said. “It’s easy to get rattled. You have a hostile crowd cheering, you got coaches yelling on both sides, you’re sweaty, it’s hard to grab people…you gotta stay composed, and just know that you got to win.”
The hard-fought victory was pivotable in that it gave State breathing room for the first time.
“We thought Kosoy did a phenomenal job getting that triple overtime win,” Popolizio said. “That’s gutsy, for big guys to compete like that.”
The match continued with another dominant performance from the Pack. Redshirt sophomore Sean Fausz derailed UNC’s James Szymanski, 11-3 in a major decision. This was his first win of the season at 133.
In the biggest upset of the night, Tar Heel Nicholas Lirette defeated No. 15 Jamal Morris 8-7. The sophomore from Fort Lauderdale started off his night with a takedown, but Lirette grinded out three takedowns to give him a surprising 7-5 lead after the second. Morris climbed back in the third but surrendered another escape.
In the marquee matchup of the night, No. 2 Kevin Jack faced off against No. 3 Joey Ward of UNC. Both wrestlers fought for control, as Jack only held a 1-0 lead after the first. The Danbury, Connecticut product broke through in the second period, jumping out to a 5-0 lead. The show continued in the third as the intensity heightened as the period ended. As soon as Ward had good positioning, Jack answered right back. The junior won the contest 10-4, getting revenge over his rival.
“After last year, he beat me at nationals, knocked me out of placing,” Jack said. “This whole year I’ve kinda had a chip, I want to just go out there and dominate and score as many points as I can in every match.”
The Wolfpack have now won six-straight after losing its only duel of the season to No. 7 Nebraska back in December.
NC State will seek out its 10th win of the season when the team travels up to Charlottesville to face Virginia Sunday, Jan. 29 at 1 p.m.
