Dec. 9, 2006
Champaign, Ill. -
The Illinois wrestling team started their home schedule with a bang as they shot down Central Missouri State University, 48-0, and the University of Findlay, 38-6. No. 5 Gabe Flores (133), No. 12 Cassio Pero (141), No. 8 Troy Tirapelle (149) and No. 4 Mike Poeta (157) all won matches for the Illini. Freshman phenom Jimmy Kennedy (133) went 2-0 in his first two career dual matches.
The Illini were aggressive against both as they logged eight pins on the day including the first four matches against Findlay University. Gabe Flores (Jr., Madera, California) spotted the Illini six quick points in both duals as he pinned Seth Norman (CMSU) and Alex Schumaker (Findlay) in the first period of their 125-pound matches. With the two wins, Flores stays perfect on the season as he moves to 11-0. Troy Tirapelle (So., Clovis, Calif.) also recorded two falls on the day as he pinned Mark Carey (CMSU) and Sean Dong (Findlay).
The featured matches of the day were at 133 and 157. Jimmy Kennedy (Fr., Ingleside, Ill.) defeated No. 2 Andy Uhl (Findlay), 2-1. Uhl, a 2005 Division II national champion, took a 1-0 lead into the final minute of the third period, but Kennedy scored two points on a reversal to take the lead and the match. At 157, No. 4 Mike Poeta overwhelmed No. 2 Antonio Guerra (Findlay), 7-4. Poeta was in control of the entire match only letting the 2006 Division II national champion score on four escapes. With the two victories, Poeta stays perfect at 6-0 for the season.
"We wanted to go out there and get a quick start," said head coach Mark Johnson. "Gabe is so aggressive that when he gives us that kind of energy, it is so contagious that it gets us going."
The Illini return to action on Dec. 28 for the Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill. They will be defending their three-year championship reign against a highly competitive field.
Illinois vs. Findlay / Central Missouri State
Dec. 9, 2006 - Attendance: 718
Illinois 48, CMSU 0
125: #5 Gabe Flores (ILL) fall Seth Norman (CMSU), 1:40 6-0
133: Jimmy Kennedy (ILL) fall Adam West (CMSU); 1:33 12-0
141: #12 Cassio Pero (ILL) fall Ben Ogelsby (CMSU), 4:40 18-0
149: #8 Troy Tirapelle (ILL) fall Mark Carey (CMSU), 6:30 24-0
157: #4 Mike Poeta (ILL) dec. Adam Tieben (CMSU),14-7 27-0
165: Roger Smith-Bergsrud (ILL) dec. Vince Bertucci (CMSU), 14-7 30-0
174: Nick Guida (ILL) fall Jesse Sheets (CMSU), 2:48 36-0
184: David Gleissner (ILL) dec. Jeremy Hudson (CMSU), 9-4 39-0
197: Ben Zulauf (ILL) maj. dec. John Ott (CMSU), 11-1 43-0
HWT: John Wise (ILL) tech. fall Drew Dawson (CMSU), 17-0 (2:34) 48-0
Illinois 38, Findlay 6
125: #5 Gabe Flores (ILL) fall Alex Schumaker (UF), 1:16 6-0
133: Jimmy Kennedy (ILL) dec. #2 Andy Uhl (UF), 2-1 9-0
141: #12 Cassio Pero (ILL) maj. dec. Mike Paranino (UF),15-2 13-0
149: #8 Troy Tirapelle (ILL) fall Sean Dong (UF), 4:26 19-0
157: #4 Mike Poeta (ILL) dec. #2 Antonio Guerra (UF), 7-4 22-0
165: Roger Smith-Bergsrud (ILL) dec. Justin Shannon (UF), 6-3 25-0
174: Matt Winterhalter (ILL) fall Jeff Havelka (UF), 2:46 31-0
184: Pat Brownson (ILL) dec. Hiram Smith (UF), 6-2 34-0
197: Andy Zaliaskalns (UF) med. for. Ben Zulauf (ILL) 34-6
HWT: Andy Greenawalt (ILL) maj. dec. Travis Clark (UF), 13-4 38-6
Findlay 40, CMSU 3
125: Alex Schumaker (UF) fall Caleb Dixon (CMSU), 5:54 6-0
133: #2 Andy Uhl (UF) fall Adam West (CMSU), 4:39 12-0
141: Matt Holland (UF) dec. Ben Ogelsby (CMSU), 3-2 15-0
149: Sean Dong (UF) fall Mark Carey (CMSU), 3:51 21-0
157: #2 Antonio Guerra (UF) maj. dec. Adam Tieben (CMSU), 9-1 25-0
165: Justin Shannon (UF) vs. Vince Bertucci (CMSU), 10-6 28-0
174: Jesse Sheets (CMSU) dec. Jeff Havelka (UF), 6-5 28-3
184: Hiram Smith (UF) dec. Jeremy Hudson (CMSU), 6-3 31-3
197: Andy Zaliaskalns (UF) dec. John Ott (CMSU), 2-0 34-3
HWT: Travis Clark (UF) fall Drew Dawson (CMSU), 6:38 40-3
