ORANGE CITY, Iowa — The Red Raiders were unable to overcome a string of bonus-point losses, falling 32–20 to Briar Cliff University in GPAC action on Thursday night. While Northwestern picked up key wins in the middle and upper weights, too many early and mid-dual swings allowed the Chargers to control the team score.
Starting the dual 125lbs Logan Schroeder fell to Parker Leverknight by fechnical fall, and despite a hard fought match Kane Butrick fell to Jarrod Gilliam by fall in the second period at 133lbs, quickly putting the Chargers in the driver seat. The Raiders responded at 141lbs, where Noah Parmelee wrestled one of the best matches of the night, earning a 21–6 technical fall over Evan Fuchs. Johnny Burnette followed at 149lbs with a hard-fought match that ended in Burnette picking up the fall over Trystan Berry in the closing seconds of the bout, briefly shifting momentum back in favor the Raiders.
However, Briar Cliff answered immediately, winning a tight 9–8 decision at 157lbs where Cade Braun fell to BCU's Tyler Fouts. The Chargers added a fall at 165, followed by a forfeit at 174lbs and another fall at 184lbs. That four-bout stretch proved decisive, as the Chargers piled up bonus points and broke the dual open, clinching the dual victory heading into 197lbs.
Northwestern showed some fight late, with Joel Arias earning a 10–6 decision at 197lbs and Logan Ash closing the dual with a forfeit win at heavyweight, but by then the outcome was already decided.
Match Summary
125: Parker Leverknight (Briar Cliff) over Logan Schroeder (Northwestern) (TF 19–4, 6:15)
133: Jarrod Gilliam (Briar Cliff) over Kane Butrick (Northwestern) (Fall 3:22)
141: Noah Parmelee (Northwestern) over Evan Fuchs (Briar Cliff) (TF 21–6, 5:51)
149: Johnny Burnette (Northwestern) over Trystan Berry (Briar Cliff) (Fall 6:56)
157: Tyler Fouts (Briar Cliff) over Cade Braun (Northwestern) (Dec 9–8)
165: Jackson Balmer (Briar Cliff) over Wyatt Bice (Northwestern) (Fall 5:22)
174: Erik Lessears (Briar Cliff) over Northwestern (Forfeit)
184: Ethan Gregg (Briar Cliff) over Thomas Vance (Northwestern) (Fall 2:12)
197: Joel Arias (Northwestern) over Charles Witas (Briar Cliff) (Dec 10–6)
285: Logan Ash (Northwestern) over Briar Cliff (Forfeit)
Team Score: Briar Cliff 32, Northwestern 20
UP NEXT: The Raiders will look to bounce back as they head down to Sioux City next Friday Jan. 16th to take on the Mustangs of Morningside University. First whistle blows at 6:00pm CT.
