Hawkeyes pound Panthers in pinfest

IOWA CITY - Anyone attending the wrestling dual between the University of Iowa and University of Northern Iowa could be subject to criminal charges.

None of the 5,490 fans who witnessed the top-ranked Hawkeyes' beating of the Panthers did anything to stop the assault. Most cheered.

The Hawkeyes were the definition of dominant, scoring six falls and thumping UNI, 48-3, last night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa dominated every aspect of the dual, including a 29-1 takedown advantage and outscoring the Panthers, 82-21 in match points. That's exactly the goal for the Hawkeyes (9-0).

“That's what you're about. That's what you preach,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said. “That was a team focused on tonight and focused on doing what they need to do to widen the gap.”

The Hawkeyes put the dual away like they did their individual opponents, building a 28-0 lead by the halftime break and scoring bonus points in each of their nine wins.

Even a demanding Brands had a hard time from being impressed by the blowout.

“I have to put my game face on here and get back to being sourpuss and not smile so much,” said Brands, admitting he was caught grinning during a post-meet radio interview. “That makes the staff and the program feel good.

“You feel good but these guys made me feel good.”

The Hawkeyes received big contributions from two fresh faces. Nate Moore (133) and Montell Marion (141) each made their inaugural appearance as a starter. It was a good glimpse of the possible future hawk lineup.

“Two good debuts,” said Brands, noting they returned to the wrestling room for an additional workout. “They had good wins. That's a good build for the mind and then they went up and built their mind and body some more.”

Moore, a red-shirt freshman, filling in for senior Dan Dennis who was wearing a boot on his foot after suffering a sprained ankle in practice last night, pinned Ryan Jauch in 2 minutes, 42 seconds.

Marion followed with a fall of national qualifier Trent Washington. Marion was impressive racking up three takedowns before using a bar arm for the pin in 3:28. It gave Iowa an 18-0 lead.

“Basically, making sure that I was scoring on my offense,” Marion said. “Just make sure I finished the match as quickly as I can.”

Marion, once a UNI commitment who chose to attend the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. before attending Iowa, was excited for his long-awaited chance. He returned from a suspension from an incident last February. “I've shown that I put the mistakes behind me and I'm ready to represent Iowa in a positive way,” Marion said. “Eliminate all negativity and show people who have invested in me that it was worth it.”

Matt McDonough sparked the Hawkeyes again with a fall to start the meet at 125. Brent Metcalf added a pin at 149.

Unlike the Iowa State dual, Iowa started strong after intermission with pins from Ryan Morningstar at 165 and Jay Borschel at 174, extending the lead to 40-0.

Morningstar locked up a cradle, decking David Bonin in the third. Borschel turned Jarion Beets for a second-period pin.

Aaron Janssen (157), Phil Keddy (184) and Chad Beatty (197) scored major decisions. Twenty-one bonus points doused any chances for a possible letdown after Iowa State, which was emphasized by the coaches.

“Coach has been talking a lot about not letting them get even a moral victory,” said Borschel. “I think we listened. That's a good sign we're listening.”

Christian Brantley was the only bright spot as UNI (3-4) suffered its worst loss in school history. Brantley scored a takedown in the first period and held on to win, 3-2, over Blake Rasing for his second straight match in this series.

“We didn't compete well,” UNI Coach Brad Penrith said. “It was like their energy was zapped. A lot of our guys wrestled that way. There was no emotion ... no anything.”