By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
No. 12 ranked Fort Hays State wrestling welcomes the Colorado School of Mines to Hays, Kan. on Thursday (Jan. 17) for a nonconference dual. The Tigers and Orediggers will battle it out from inside Gross Memorial Coliseum beginning at 7 p.m.
Fort Hays State projected lineup consists of two seniors, three juniors, three sophomores, one redshirt-freshman and one true freshman. Brandon Ball (No. 2 at 141 pounds), Efe Osaghae (No. 4 at 157 pounds) and Marty Verhaeghe (No. 9 at 174 pounds) are individually ranked in their respective weight classes.
The first matchup will feature true freshman Broderick Green and senior Matt Lavengood. Green holds an 8-14 overall record with a 3-6 slate against Division II competition. Of his eight victories, Green paces the squad with six pins. He has also added one technical fall and one major decision throughout the year.
At 133 pounds, junior Conrad Cole will take the mat against junior Jake Woods. Cole enters the dual 7-10 on the year and 2-4 in Division II. Cole ranks second on the team in pins (five).
In the 141-pound bout, No. 2 ranked Brandon Ball battles senior Lukas Erickson. Ball carries a perfect 13-0 record on the year, with an 8-0 clip against Division II opponents. The junior enters with 100 career wins as a Tiger and paces the current wrestlers with 22 career major decisions and 12 technical falls. This will be the fourth meeting between the two wrestlers all-time as Ball is 3-0 against Erickson. Last season, Ball defeated Erickson in the dual with a 9-0 major decision and pinned him (5:30) at Regionals. In 2016-17, Ball used a 6-0 decision to defeat Erickson in the Mines dual.
Senior Ryne Cokeley gets the nod for the Tigers in the 149-pound bout against redshirt-sophomore Noah Ottum. Cokeley is 1-2 on the season with a pin in the semifinals of the Kansas Cup.
The Tigers will have options between the 157 and 165-pound weight classes. Either Jonathan Ball or Efe Osaghae will compete in one or the other. The Orediggers will have Skyler Lykins at 157 pounds and Keenan Willits in the 165-pound bout. Ball is 14-7 on the season with three pins, two technical falls and two major decisions. Osaghae is the No. 4 ranked wrestler at 157 pounds and is 17-3 overall and 11-2 against Division II foes. Of his 17 wins, Osaghae leads the team in technical fall (5) as well as adding a pin and one major decision to his credit.
At 174 pounds, No. 9 ranked Marty Verhaeghe will take on Robert Gambrell. Verhaeghe enters the dual at 16-7 overall, including a 13-2 record in Division II. Verhaeghe has accumulated three pins and one major decision so far this season.
In the 184-pound match, Micquille Robinson will battle it out against Connor Ventura. Robinson carries a 26-5 overall slate in his senior campaign. The Wichita, Kan. native leads the Tigers in wins (26) and major decisions (nine) this year.
Jordan Davis earns the nod for the Tigers at 197 pounds. He will be joined by Oredigger Jake Feldman. Davis currently holds a 9-11 overall record in his junior season.
The final bout of the evening will feature sophomore A.J. Cooper and Weston Hunt. Cooper enters the dual with a 14-8 overall record and is 7-7 in Division II. Cooper has compiled four pins, four major decisions and one technical fall up to this point in the season