Concordia tops Jimmies

• Image

Talk about it

Antonio Lopez relies on stamina for success.

The Jamestown College heavyweight bulked up this season in hopes of making a successful transition from the 197-pound weight class.

“Usually, with heavyweights, what I work on mostly is cardio,” said Lopez, who hails from Paramount, Calif. “Once I get them to the later rounds, they’re usually gassed and they take sloppier shots.”

It worked nicely on Wednesday night, as Lopez scored a takedown with time running out in overtime to secure a 5-3 decision over Concordia’s Cody Kasprick, an Oakes native. The win was one of only two matches the Jimmies won, however, as Concordia won the dual 34-6 at the Hansen Center.

Still, Lopez and Kasprick provided a show, throwing each other around on the mat to the amazement of the crowd. Lopez scored a takedown in the first period and Kasprick came back with a reversal. An escape by Kasprick in the second period gave him a 3-2 advantage, but Lopez scored a point on riding time to send it to overtime.

With time running out, Kasprick tried to make something happen and Lopez made him pay, scoring the takedown as the last second ticked off the clock.

“I got lucky enough that he made a mistake right at the last minute,” Lopez said. “He was hoping for the out of bounds call, but I made sure he stayed inside. … He wanted to outmuscle me, but I maintained good form and that helped me get it.”

JC coach C.J. Campbell said Lopez executed a strategy that’s often preached in the practice room.

“We do a good job of staying in position and trying to capitalize off other people’s shots,” Campbell said. “Even though he’s grown into a good-sized heavyweight, he still has some strength issues he needs to overcome. … He’s having a great year. We expect good things out of him.”

JC’s other win came from standout Dillon Kifer at 141, where he scored a takedown almost immediately and went on to win by 7-1 decision.

The result was just one of six decisions in the dual, though Concordia won five of them. Concordia’s Sebastian Gardner (174), Chris Harrison (184) and Nate Schmitz (197) turned it into a blowout with late pins.

“We were hoping to win some of those (in the lower weights),” said Campbell, whose team wrestles in the Jimmie Open at 9 a.m. Saturday in what is the final home action of the year for JC. “I don’t want to say that the dual could have went either way, but it could have been closer. … We’re a young team. We’re trying to overcome those mistakes and become better for it.”

Concordia College 34, Jamestown College 6

125: Will McCarthy, CC, dec. Sean Blumhardt, 8-3.

133: Jacoby Bergeron, CC, dec. Coby Horner, 9-3.

141: Dillon Kifer, JC, dec. Jake Kostik, 8-5.

149: Jake Long, CC, dec. Sam Brown, 7-1.

157: Kyle LeDuc, CC, maj. dec. Jaykob Miller, 11-3.

165: Jake Krogstad, CC, dec. Michael Nord, 8-5.

174: Sebastian Gardner, CC, pinned Johnny Gonzalez, 1:05.

184: Chris Harrison, CC, pinned Jacob Tilley, 4:30.

197: Nate Schmitz, CC, pinned Austin Wierre, 1:25.

285: Antonio Lopez, JC, dec. Cody Kasprick, 5-3, OT.

Sun sports writer Chris Aarhus can be reached at (701) 952-8462 or by email at caarhus@jamestownsun.com

Tags: sports, jimmies, wrestling