Bonus points carry Blue Hawks past Beavers

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MINOT — Dickinson State wrestling team walked away with its second dual victory in as many nights Thursday.

The latter, however, was decidedly more difficult than Wednesday night’s overwhelming win against a shorthanded Jamestown College team.

It took a first-period pin by heavyweight Jose Lopez to lift the Blue Hawks to a 25-21 victory over Minot State at the MSU Dome.

In the final match of the dual and with DSU trailing 21-19, Lopez pinned Osinachi Nwachukwu in just 70 seconds to stake his team to the win.

“In duals, those bonus points — getting a pin — really makes a difference,” DSU head coach Thadd O’Donnell said.

The teams split the 10 matches, but DSU was able to put more than just three-point decisions on the scoreboard.

Jesse Hellinger pinned Luke Michaelson in 2:58 at 184 pounds and Brad Steele claimed a 13-2 major decision against Brandon Gifford at 149. Bryden Lazaro also earned six big points by claiming a forfeit at 125.

Adam Orton had DSU’s only win by decision, a convincing 6-1 victory over Kirby Kain at 141.

“I thought we looked pretty sharp,” O’Donnell said.

The Blue Hawks improved to 3-0 in duals this season and return to the Magic City on Saturday for the Minot State Open.

“We’ve got to turn around tonight and come back up on Saturday,” O’Donnell said following the dual. “It’s going to be a test, as far as being disciplined.”

125: Bryden Lazaro, DSU, forfeit. 133: Joshua Douglas, MSU, dec. OT Clayton Steinmetz, 14-12. 141: Adam Orton, DSU, dec. Kirby Kain, 6-1. 149: Brad Steele, DSU, major dec. Brandon Gifford, 13-2. 157: Marcus Bausman, MSU, pinned Jake Sherbrune, 1:58. 165: Drew Spaulding, MSU, pinned Manny Reyes, 2:09. 174: Jaymes Stanley, MSU, dec. Kenny Finalyson, 9-6. 184: Jesse Hellinger, DSU, pinned Luke Michaelson, 2:58. 197: Wade Weppler, MSU, dec. Jonathan Morales, 8-1. 285: Jose Lopez, DSU, pinned Osinachi Nwachukwu, 1:10.

Tags: dsu blue hawks, blue hawks, minot state beavers, sports, wrestling