Successful Start Stymies Southwest Minnesota State

MARSHALL, Minn. – The early-season returns for Concordia continue to paint a picture for a memorable 2013-14 season. The Cobbers won the first five matches in their dual at NCAA Division II Southwest Minnesota State and held on to beat the Mustangs 18-15.

"Tonight was definitely a carryover from the Bison Open," said head coach Matt Nagel. "The success we had last weekend gave us the confidence to keep our composure against a tough Southwest Minnesota State team."

Nagel pinpointed the matches at 133 and 184 as the key points in the dual. The Cobbers took a 3-0 lead after the first match when CC sophomore Gabe Foltz recorded a 9-4 decision at 124. The battle at 133 proved to be one of the tightest of the night as Cobber  junior Jacoby Bergeron, who is currently ranked 10^th in Division III, squared off against Justin Reinsma who is a returning Division II All-American and is currently ranked seventh in the nation. Reinsma had the upperhand throughout most of the match but Bergeron was able to battle back in the third period and came away with a 7-5 decision in overtime.

"Jacoby just kept wrestling," said Nagel. "He never lost his composure and was able to break his opponent with a takedown in overtime. It was nice to see his hard work pay off."

Bergeron's win avenges a loss that Reinsma put on Concordia in last year's dual in Moorhead. A dual in which the Mustangs won 21-16 by winning the first three bouts of the meet.

Yonas Gebreab, Jake Long and Kyle LeDuc all followed with decision victories to push the Cobbers' lead to 15-0. Gebreab earned a convincing 8-1 decision at 141 and then returning All-American Long cruised to a 6-1 win at 149. LeDuc continued his early-season success by winning 9-3 at 157. LeDuc is now 6-1 on the season after taking third place at the Bison Open last weekend.

Southwest Minnesota State recorded nine team points in the next two matches to cut the lead to 15-9. That is when Chris Harrison swung the dual in Concordia's favor for good. Sensing a comeback, the home crowd started to get into the match and was ready for a third straight weight win but Harrison battled back from a third-period deficit against Travis Peralta and rallied to win 7-4. Like Bergeron, Harrison was able to come up with a key takedown in the third period and then in overtime to earn the three points.

Nagel was impressed with Harrison's never-say-die attitude, "Chris battled the whole match," commented Nagel. "He didn't let his opponent get too big of a lead and kept fighting for all three periods. We have been teaching the athletes to finish off the close matches and Chris really showed that skill tonight."

Harrison's victory also avenged a loss last year. Harrison was defeated by Travis Peralta 9-4 in last year's dual.     

Concordia lost close decisions in the final two weight classes. Delson Saintal dropped an 8-6 sudden victory decision at 197 and senior Cody Kasprick fell 3-2 at 285.

Concordia will now host the annual Finn Grinaker Cobber Open on Saturday, Nov. 16 beginning at 9 a.m. The meet will feature some of the best NCAA Division I, II and III as well as top NAIA individuals from around the area.

Final Score:
#24 Concordia-Moorhead 18, Southwest Minnesota State 15
Date: November 13, 2013
Location: Marshall, Minn.
Arena: P.E. Gym
Start Time: 7 p.m.
End Time: 8:42 p.m.
Total Time: 1:42

Individual Match Results:
125 – Gabe Foltz (CC) dec. Antonio Meikel (SMSU); 9-4
133 – Jacoby Bergergon (CC) dec. Justin Reinsma (SMSU); 7-5
141 – Yonas Gebreab (CC) dec. Ethan Hildebrandt (SMSU); 8-1    
149 – Jake Long (CC) dec. Beau Buysse (SMSU); 6-1    
157 – Kyle LeDuc (CC) dec. Codie Lane (SMSU); 9-3         
165 – Kyle Begin (SMSU) pin fall Jake Krogstad; 0:42    
174 – Jacob Begin (SMSU) dec. Sebastian Gardner (CC); 10-5    
184 – Chris Harrison (CC) dec. Travis Peralta (SMSU); 7-4    
197 – Micah Larson (SMSU) sudden victory Delson Saintal (CC); 8-6
285 – Cole Wilson (SMSU) dec. Cody Kasprick (CC); 3-2   
                                                     

Match Notes:
- Concordia is ranked 24th in the preseason NWCA Division III poll.
- #24 Concordia is now 1-0 in dual meets this season.
- Southwest Minnesota State is now 0-1 in dual meets this season.
- Concordia has now beaten Southwest MN St. in two of the last three seasons.
- Concordia won the first five matches of the meet.
- Southwest MN St. won four of the final five matches of the night
- Concordia won six matches on the night.
- Concordia won all six matches by decision. 
- SMSU won four of the 10 individual matches on the night.
- SMSU won one match by pin fall, two by decision and one in sudden victory