No. 5 NC State wrestling got its toughest test yet on the road at Appalachian State, but won the dual’s final four bouts — three of them by major decision — to take a 25-10 victory over the Mountaineers.
Though unranked, App State (0-1) received votes in the latest NWCA Coaches Poll and it showed why early against NC State (3-0). The three ranked wrestlers in its lineup, No. 30 Caleb Smith at 125 pounds, No. 7 Jonathan Millner at 149 pounds, and No. 26 Will Formato at 156 pounds, took care of business and went 2-1 on the day.
Smith lost a tight 5-3 decision to No. 5 redshirt sophomore Jakob Camacho to begin the dual, while Millner took a 12-3 major decision over redshirt sophomore Matt Fields and Formato upset No. 15 graduate Thomas Bullard.
Those bouts, along with an extra-time 3-1 upset of redshirt sophomore Jarrett Trombley by Sean Carter, meant things were tied 10-10 after six matches. NC State was down a few typical starters at its lower weight classes, as Fields wrestled for No. 3 graduate Tariq Wilson and Trombley took the mat in place of No. 17 redshirt freshman Kai Orine.
Their absences certainly made things tighter than they otherwise would’ve been. Still, the team managed to keep the bleeding to a minimum, allowing the Mountaineers only one win with bonus points while taking four major decisions of its own. Ultimately, NC State was just too much for App to handle.
As the dual moved up into the heavier weight ranges, NC State pulled further and further away. No. 5 graduate Hayden Hidlay, No. 3 redshirt sophomore Trent Hidlay and No. 15 freshman Isaac Trumble took back-to-back-to-back major decisions by a combined score of 40-10 to balloon the team score from 10-10 to 22-10. While Trumble’s win ensured a Wolfpack victory, junior heavyweight Deonte Wilson ended things off with a 7-2 decision over Mike Burchell.
With the victory, NC State remains perfect in its dual season and showed its ability to win big even when short handed. The App State dual begins a long road trip, as Pack wrestling heads next to Florida for the Collegiate Wrestling Duals before heading north to Tennessee for the Southern Scuffle, then further north to New Jersey for duals at Rider and Princeton.
Head coach Pat Popolizio’s squad next returns home to Reynolds Coliseum Jan. 21 to kick off ACC play with a bang against No. 8 Virginia Tech.
