PUEBLO, Colo. – Wayland Baptist head wrestling coach
Johnny Cobb said he and his team were expecting a tough matchup as they squared off against Colorado State University-Pueblo here Thursday evening. They just didn't realize just how tough the Thunderwolves were going to be as Wayland dropped all 10 matches in the dual by a score of 56-0.
“We knew it was going to be a tough day and we ended up losing all 10 of our matches,” Cobb said. “We won three of our four exhibition matches, but CSU-Pueblo is just a very good team. They are nationally ranked, and with several guys out of our lineup with injuries, it hurt us.
“Days like this are hard, but experiences like we had will either make us better or they'll decide they want to find something else to do. If they want to be the best, they have to wrestle the best, and we've got some good competition out there.”
Cobb said that the tough lessons his athletes learned on the mats will translate into helping them in life.
“Our guys understand the main reason to wrestle is to prepare them for life,” he said. “Having said that, you're going to take some serious whippings as you go through life, but it's all about deciding to keep going.”
The Pioneers have a chance to put Cobb's philosophy into action Saturday as the team will travel to Greeley for the University of Northern Colorado's Old Chicago Open, which will feature teams from all over the country, including NCAA Division I and II schools.
Despite knowing his athletes may face another difficult challenge this weekend, Cobb said he expects a lot from them.
“After you get knocked down, you have to get back up,” he said. “I fully expect our guys to have that attitude on Saturday, because it's not going to get any easier from here. We're going to be going up against some good schools. It'll be tough, but our guys will keep their chins up and do their best. We won't give up.”
Colorado State University-Pueblo vs. Wayland Baptist
CSU-P 56, Wayland 0
174 - Ray Hall (CSUP) fall
Marc Backus, 2:56
184 - Joe Giron (CSUP) M-Dec
Miguel Tovar, 13-4
197 - Bill Gray (CSUP fall
Jerry Davis, 2:22
285 - Niko Bogojevic (CSUP) fall
Markese Christian, 3:47
125 - Jesse Hillhouse (CSUP) fall
Justin Williamson, 5:55
133 - Jacob Haney (CSUP) fall
Marcus Romo, 2:52
141 - Jimmy Chase (CSUP) M-Dec
Chris Hart, 8-0
149 - Nick Stahler (CSUP) fall
John Mark Avila, 4:59
157 - John Lewis (CSUP) fall
Ryan Sauer, 5:42
165 - Trevor Grant (CSUP) fall
Chris Hunt, 2:11
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Exhibition Matches:
141 -
Andrew Porras (Wayland) dec. James Harvey, 11-9
141 -
Scott Mosley (Wayland) M-Dec. Ryan Kirby, 18-4
149 - Larry Schueser (CSUP) fall
Andrew Cosper, 3:47
174 -
Frisco DeLeon (Wayland) fall Jordan Lussier, :24
