Ramos, Metcalf and McDonough post wins at Agon V

CEDAR RAPIDS - Tony Ramos and Brent Metcalf have ignited Iowa crowds in the past.

With some heated exchanges and some fireworks, the pair did it again.

They helped the Hawkeye Wrestling Club sweep the main and co-main events of Agon V: Iowa against the World last night at the U.S. Cellular Center. In the main event, Metcalf topped 18-year-old phenom Aaron Pico, 4-1, following Ramos' exciting 12-8 rally to beat 2008 Olympic champion Henry Cejudo.

Ramos rallied from an 8-2 deficit, setting the crowd and his coaches into a frenzy and leading to hugs from his brother, Frankie, on the mat.

'It was awesome,” Ramos said. 'I haven't been able to do it in a year. I'm glad I was able to do it again for them.”

Ramos trailed 8-4 and scored a takedown before a restart with 45 seconds left. He scored two exposure points and continued to wrestle, getting a takedown and cinching up a cradle for the come-from-behind win. He knew he needed something big.

'I knew I had to finish that cradle,” Ramos said. 'Once I lock up a cradle, I'm good. I was hoping to get the fall though.”

Cejudo was hurt when Ramos tried to lock up a leglace on the edge of the mat. Cejudo had surgery on his ankle nine days ago, removing a piece of bone after his last mixed-martial arts fight. he still has the stitches, getting them out Tuesday. 'The reason why I wrestled is because I made the commitment and it was in Iowa,” Cejudo said. 'I didn't want to disappoint the Iowa people, so I wrestled. I gave it my all, but at this point, it was 60 percent.”

Cejudo said he appreciates the support of wrestling in this state. He said he wouldn't want to compete any other place.

'It was good,” Cejudo said. 'I love wrestling in Iowa.”

The electricity continued into the final bout, where Metcalf scored the only takedown. Things got chippy near the end, leading to a penalty point for Metcalf.

'It's about what I expected,” said Metcalf. 'A guy who is physical and is going to be very good defensively being able to hold you off.

'I eventually got to my offense and scored, but I want more.”

Metcalf directed comments at Pico in a post-match interview as he left the stage. The message was Metcalf was more offensive, even though Pico disagreed.

'I'm wrestling a match, or a fist fight, and I'm not going to complain about it but don't get on me about not wrestling,” Metcalf said. 'Let's do it right.”

Matt McDonough added a win as well, beating Angel Escobedo, 6-2. He scored four straight points in the second period.

'I wrestle better as the match goes on,” McDonough said. 'It doesn't matter if it's six minutes or 60 minutes. The longer it goes the better you get and the more you rise to the occasion.”

McDonough was far from satisfied with the result. he did enough to avenge a loss to Escobedo in the final of the 2010 Big Ten Championships. He never trailed in the match, scoring the opening takedown.

'I don't think I wrestled my best match,” McDonough said. 'I got the job done. it was good and it was workmanlike.”

The Cyclone Wrestling Club's Deron Winn opened the senior-level event with a win over Phil Keddy. Winn closed out with two second-period takedowns for the 6-3 victory.

'It feels good,” Winn said in the post-match interview.

Former Northwestern wrestler Jason Welch exacted a little revenge against former Hawkeye NCAA champion Derek St. John, who beta Welch in the 2013 national finals in Des Moines. Welch beat St. John, 12-10, in an action-packed match.

Iowa fans received a preview of things to come with Hawkeye recruit Michael Kemerer, of Pennsylvania. The nation's top-ranked 145-pound prep faced Bettendorf state champion Fredy Stroker, who is ranked third nationally by InterMat.

Kemerer made a good first impression, posting a 5-4 win over Stroker, who has committed to wrestle for the University of Minnesota. He looked forward to competing in front of wrestling fans in Iowa.

'I think it was good experience with all the fans,” Kemerer said. 'It's nice to have them on your side. At the same time, I think I could have had a better showing. I got the win but you don't want to have to leave it up to reviews and judgment calls.”

Kemerer took a 1-0 lead into the second, but fell behind 2-1 after a Stroker takedown. Injury time prolonged the finish as Stroker injured his left knee. Kemerer scored a late takedown for 3-2, setting a flurry at the end.

Stroker appeared to have a winning takedown with time running out, but an official's review determined they traded two-point moves for exposure and a takedown.

'I feel confident when I wrestle the way I can,” said Kemerer, who will compete next week in Independence for the Dream Team Classic. 'I kind of wrestled the situation instead of the way I do and it almost cost me the match.”

Another Iowa recruit opened the dual successfully. Top-ranked Hawkeye commit, Alex Marinelli, of Ohio, dropped No. 2 Josh Shields, of Pennsylvania, 9-4. He rolled with three first period takedowns, building a 7-2 lead after the first.

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