LA GRANDE, Ore. – A forfeit-heavy Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) dual between a pair of nationally recognized programs in the No. 17-ranked Corban University Men's Wrestling team and RV Eastern Oregon University fell to the visitors, as the Warriors claimed every weight class that was actually competed to claim a 28-18 road win after allowing all eighteen of EOU's team points to be scored via forfeits.
"I'm proud of how our guys competed tonight," Corban head coach Nolan Harris shared regarding his team's impressive result on the road deep in enemy territory. "There were a variety of factors that left our lineup shorthanded, but we definitely had no shortage of heart. Between close wins and picking up bonus points, our guys did the little things right and it made all the difference. It was a great atmosphere to compete in. They had a great turnout with their student section getting a little raucous. But, again, it was a great overall team effort to come away with a victory."
Despite providing the host Mountaineers (4-5) with a quick 12-0 advantage due to weight class forfeitures, the Warriors (6-6) rallied to score the next twenty-eight team points and quickly put the Eastern Oregon Senior Night hopes to rest with a MasterClass session on EOU's home mats. The lone victory of the night for the Mounties came in the exhibition matchup to start the night, with a pair of true freshmen in Corban's Mason Thynes and Eastern Oregon's Daniel Guerrero meeting in Quinn Coliseum. Guerrero snagged the 7-2 decision over Thynes, yet Thynes would go on to score six points to start the 28-0 run for Corban as he picked up a weight class forfeit at 141lbs.
Senior Bo Davis was the first Warrior to hit the mats in a counting spar against EOU's Cole Cross, picking up a bonus point by shutting out his opponent 8-0 for the major decision win. The next three weight classes were won by Warriors via decision, as No. 19-ranked junior Jr Downing (157lbs), redshirt sophomore Jesse Rubio (165lbs), and redshirt sophomore Armando Nicacio (174lbs) all picked up narrow wins to put Corban ahead for the first time tonight at 19-12.
With a 285-weight class forfeiture looming for the Navy and Gold, they needed every point they could spare by providing EOU with a free 18 team points if they wanted to secure the crucial CCC road matchup, which they were able to clinch at 184lbs following No. 4-ranked junior Isaiah Twait's 3:50 pin of Eastern Oregon's Gabe Vasa. Twait quickly outscored Vasa 18-5 in the opening period and needed just 50 more seconds to score the fall and lock up the dual result. However, senior Asaiah Kamplain didn't want to be left out of the Corban dominance, as he defeated Mounties' Stone Robledo in a 7-1 decision, leaving EOU with just six more forfeit points at 285lbs to allow Corban to depart La Grande with a double-digit victory.
No. 17 Corban 28, (RV) Eastern Oregon 18
125 – Jackson Eylar (Eastern Oregon) win by forfeit
133 – Braden Carson (Eastern Oregon) win by forfeit
141 – Mason Thynes (Corban) win by forfeit
149 – Bo Davis (Corban) over Cole Cross (Eastern Oregon); MD 8-0
157 – Jr Downing (Corban) over Carlos Valdez (Eastern Oregon); Dec 7-6
165 – Jesse Rubio (Corban) over John Rudebaugh (Eastern Oregon); Dec 6-3
174 – Armando Nicacio (Corban) over Wylee Lindeen (Eastern Oregon) (Dec 5-0)
184 – Isaiah Twait (Corban) over Gabe Vasa (Eastern Oregon); Fall 3:50
197 – Asaiah Kamplain (Corban) over Stone Robledo (Eastern Oregon); Dec 7-1
285 – Nicolas Rodriguez (Eastern Oregon) win by forfeit
141 Exhibition – Daniel Guerrero (Eastern Oregon) over Mason Thynes (Corban); Dec 7-2
The Navy and Gold will next be in action on Friday, January 23rd in Ashland, as No. 6-ranked Southern Oregon University (9-1) will host a tri-dual with the Warriors and RV Westcliff University (4-7). The two Warrior programs will battle first at 3pm, followed by the nationally ranked matchup with the Raiders at 6pm.