Ramos rolls in return home

EVANSTON, Ill. - It was a homecoming of sorts for Tony Ramos.

The University of Iowa red-shirt freshman grew up about an hour away from the Chicago area, winning three prep state titles for Glenbard North High School in Carol Stream, Ill.

Ramos had a successful return, winning three bouts in his Midlands Championships debut Wednesday at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena. Ramos capped the opening day with a 3-1 victory over Hawkeye teammate Tyler Clark in last night's 133-pound quarterfinals.

It's his first time wrestling at the Midlands, but he isn't a stranger to one of the most highly-touted wrestling tournaments. Ramos has attended the event since he was about 8, watching his older brother, Frankie, who was in attendance, compete in the tournament for Eastern Illinois.

“I have coaches, teachers and family here,” Ramos said. “It's a big thing.”

Ramos is well aware of trails blazed through the Midlands, referring to the likes of the legendary Dan Gable and Iowa's four-time All-American and two-time national champion Mark Ironside.

“It's a tough tournament. If you're making it to the semis or the finals you've got potential and big things for you in the future,” Ramos said. “I want to go out there and do the same thing. I want to be known on the top pedestal.”

Ramos notched major decision in his first match then had a 7-4 win over Nebraska's Ridge Kiley, who wrestled at Eagle Grove and Iowa City West. He then used a takedown in the final 10 seconds to edge Clark, who had beaten him in a wrestle-off to start the season.

“I feel that match was a big match,” said Ramos, who started Iowa's last three duals but said he needs to separate himself from contenders for the starting spot. “I feel like I earned my spot finally.”

The pair exchanged escapes before Ramos shot a low-single and finished by shoving Clark to the mat. Ramos, who faces No. 2 seed B.J. Futrell of Illinois next, said he needed to be more aggressive offensively after only taking two shots.

“I was hesitant on my shots,” Ramos said. “I need to get to my offensive and go, go, go and score points.”

Clark, who just returned from a broken hand suffered in the opening tournament, had a major decision before knocking off Northwestern's sixth-seeded Levi Mele, 6-2, to reach the quarterfinals.

Iowa's defending 125-pound Midlands champ and top-seeded Matt McDonough was impressive. McDonough, the defending NCAA champ as well, a technical fall and two pins to reach the semifinals. Hawkeyes Coach Tom Brands refers to “McDonough mode” and he was firing on all cylinders.

“I feel real confident (and) strong,” said McDonough, who faces Ryan Mango of Stanford in the semifinals. “Wrestling a little smarter and more patient but yet more aggressive. Things are working well right now.”

Grant Gambrall was also a No. 1 seed for the Hawkeyes and gave them a third semifinalist. Gambrall handled Stanford's Dan Scherer, 8-0, in the quarters at 184. It was his third major decision of the day, and now he faces former Sheldon state champion Josh Ihnen of Nebraska in the semifinals.

After the first day, Iowa was in third place with 52½ points. The Hawkeyes, who have won three straight Midlands team titles, trail University of Wisconsin by six and Lehigh is the team leader with 65. Lehigh and Wisconsin each had four semifinalists, but Lehigh had three in the consolation bracket while the Badgers have one.

Iowa and fourth-place Pitt (49½) each have three semifinalists and four in the consolation bracket.

"It's a rocky road," McDonough said about the team performance. "A lot of young guys. It's just how bad do you want it."

Iowa State matched the Hawkeyes' three semifinalists, and is in fifth palce with 49 points and two wrestlers in the consolation bracket. Chris Drouin (141), Chris Spangler (165) and top-seeded 174-pounder Jon Reader are each a win away from the finals. Drouin and Reader advanced at the expense of Hawkeyes.

Reader scored an 11-2 major decision over Iowa's Ethen Lofthouse in the quarters, adding to Reader's technical fall and a six-point win over UNI All-American Jarion Beets.

Drouin avenged a loss to Iowa's Mark Ballweg, and did so in dramatic fashion. Ballweg led 3-1 with less than 10 seconds left in the match. Drouin scored his first takedown in almost 14 minutes of wrestling Ballweg this year. Drouin added another takedown just 23 seconds into overtime for the 5-3 win.

He said it's always good to win, especially against a rival opponent.

“He actually wrestled well,” Drouin said. “I really had to put some technique together to take him down.”

Drouin dictated the pace of the final minute of regulation. He was forced to increase the pressure.

“It's like a switch in my mind, I'm losing and I got to go,” Drouin said. “Bottom line. ... I'm not going to stand around and lose.”

Wartburg's Byron Tate entered the tournament seeded fourth and advanced to the 1907-pound semifinals. Tate won three close bouts, including a 6-4 decision over Cal-State Bakersfield's Riley Orozco in the quarterfinals.

The semifinals and consolation matches begin at noon today with the finals round beginning at 7 p.m.