North Carolina
Oklahoma
Tar Heels Take Two At Lone Star Duals
January 3, 2009 | Wrestling
Jan. 3, 2009
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - ehind an unbeaten day from senior 141-pounder Vincent Ramirez, the North Carolina wrestling team won two of its three matches Saturday at the 12th annual Lone Star Duals. The Tar Heels (4-5) bounced back from an early morning 27-3 loss to No. 11 Oklahoma to claim a 31-3 win over Cal Poly and a 23-12 victory against Army.
Ramirez, whose day was highlighted by a win over 19th-ranked Filip Novachkov of Cal Poly, posted three decisions to improve to 22-4 this season. Junior 197-pounder Dennis Drury joined the Durham native with a win over a nationally-ranked foe, posting a win over No. 9 Richard Sparks of Army to run his mark to 18-5.
In addition to Drury, freshman Nick Shields (125), sophomore Mike Rappo (133), senior Keegan Mueller (165), senior Daniel Llamas (184) and senior Justin Dobies (heavyweight) each won twice for solid showings in Texas. Rappo, now 17-7 this season, picked up a pair of major decisions to get the Tar Heels off to quick starts in their final two matches.
Following the loss to Oklahoma, Carolina rebounded in its next dual, topping Cal Poly by a 31-3 margin. The Tar Heels won their first four bouts, highlighted by a 13-4 major decision for Rappo over Jake Tanenbaum at 133 pounds, and never looked back. Ramirez captured his second match of the afternoon with a 9-5 decision against the nationally-ranked Novachkov.
After Cal Poly won its lone match at 157, UNC closed with five straight victories, including wins for nationally-ranked seniors Mueller and Dobies at 165 and heavyweight, respectively. Mueller topped Joel Shaw, 10-6, and Dobies scored a 10-4 win over Kelan Bragg to close the match. Additionally, Kevin Owen picked up a 5-2 win over Tyler Holt at 174 in his lone action of the afternoon.
The Tar Heels closed their day with the 23-12 win over Army. Paced by Rappo's major over Whitt Dunning, UNC jumped out to a 10-0 lead before Army closed with nine straight points to cut the lead to a single point. But the Tar Heels responded with victories in four of the final five bouts, including a 12-4 major by Mueller against Rudy Chelednik. Mueller, a Texas native, is now 21-6 on the year.
Llamas won at 184 to push the lead to 17-12, and Drury followed with his third straight victory over a ranked opponent with the 4-0 win over Starks. Dobies finished things off with a 3-2 decision over Mike Sprigg at heavyweight to run his record to 15-7 on the year.
Against the 11th-ranked Sooners, the Tar Heels faced seven nationally-ranked individuals and took several matches to the wire but managed only a 9-3 decision by Ramirez at 141. Carolina posted three one-point defeats in the match.
The Tar Heels take to the road again next weekend to take on American Jan. 10 and Maryland Jan. 11.
#11 Oklahoma 27, North Carolina 3 Wt. Result Score Team Score 125 #13 Joey Fio (OU) dec. Nick Shields (UNC) 12-6 OU 3-0 133 Brian Shelton (OU) dec. Mike Rappo (UNC) 8-6 OU 6-0 141 Vincent Ramirez (UNC) dec. Zack Bailey (OU) 9-3 OU 6-3 149 #14 Kyle Terry (OU) dec. Nick Stabile (UNC) 7-1 OU 9-3 157 #14 Shane Vernon (OU) dec. Thomas Scotton (UNC) 5-4 OU 12-3 165 Ryan Smith (OU) dec. #19 Keegan Mueller (UNC) 8-3 OU 15-3 174 #9 Jeff James (OU) dec. Ben Fiacco (UNC) 10-3 OU 18-3 184 #19 Pat Flynn (OU) dec. Daniel Llamas (UNC) 6-2 OU 21-3 197 #13 Eric Lapotsky (OU) dec. Dennis Drury (UNC) 9-8 OU 24-3 HWT #19 Nathan Fernandez (OU) dec. #20 Justin Dobies (UNC) 4-3 OU 27-3North Carolina 31, Cal Poly 3 Wt. Result Score Team Score 125 Nick Shields (UNC) dec. Josh Obregon (CP) 4-1 UNC 3-0 133 Mike Rappo (UNC) major dec. Jake Tanenbaum (CP) 13-4 UNC 7-0 141 Vincent Ramirez (UNC) dec. #19 Filip Novachkov (CP) 9-5 UNC 10-0 149 Nick Stabile (UNC) dec. Eric Montaldo (CP) 3-1 UNC 13-0 157 #12 Chase Parmi (CP) dec. Thomas Scotton (UNC) 2-1 UNC 13-3 165 #19 Keegan Mueller (UNC) dec. Joel Shaw (CP) 10-6 UNC 16-3 174 Kevin Owen (UNC) dec. Tyler Holt (CP) 5-2 UNC 19-3 184 Daniel Llamas (UNC) injury default Ryan Smith (CP) NA UNC 25-3 197 Dennis Drury (UNC) dec. Bo Lukehart (CP) 7-2 UNC 28-3 HWT #20 Justin Dobies (UNC) dec. Kelan Bragg (CP) 10-4 UNC 31-3
North Carolina 23, Army 12 Wt. Result Score Team Score 125 Nick Shields (UNC) dec. Travis Coffey (ARMY) 8-7 UNC 3-0 133 Mike Rappo (UNC) major dec. Whitt Dunning (ARMY)11-0 UNC 7-0 141 Vincent Ramirez (UNC) dec. Casey Thome (ARMY) 10-3 UNC 10-0 149 William Simpson (ARMY) wins via forfeit NA UNC 10-6 157 #13 Matt Kyler (ARMY) dec. Thomas Scotton (UNC) 5-1 UNC 10-9 165 #19 Keegan Mueller (UNC) major dec. Rudy Chelednik (ARMY) 12-4 UNC 14-9 174 Ryan Mergen (ARMY) dec. Ben Fiacco (UNC) 2-1 UNC 14-12 184 Daniel Llamas (UNC) dec. Jake Vetter (ARMY) 8-2 UNC 17-12 197 Dennis Drury (UNC) dec. #9 Richard Starks (ARMY 4-0 UNC 20-12 HWT #20 Justin Dobies (UNC) dec. Mike Sprigg (ARMY) 3-2 UNC 23-12
Players Mentioned
