No. 5 Coe gears up for postseason beating No. 19 Cornell

CEDAR RAPIDS - At this time of year, Coe Coach John Oostendorp wants his entire wrestling lineup moving forward.

That can apply to development in practice and when they take the mat for competition.

The fifth-ranked Kohawks pressed forward against rival Cornell last night, bounding into the postseason by winning seven of 10 matches for a 29-9 win at Eby Fieldhouse in the regular season finale for both teams.

The win gave Coe its fifth straight win against the Rams, who haven't beat the Kohawks since 1999. It also gave the Kohawks sole possession of second place in the Iowa Conference with a 7-1 mark, while Cornell dropped to 6-2.

"I think our guys are moving forward now, and getting ready for the final push" Oostendorp said. "I think our guys feel good where we're at right now. We want to continue to build (and) keep that momentum going right now with everybody."

It was a good gauge as they focus on progress from now until the IIAC tournament Friday, Feb. 25 at Simpson College in Indianola. The conference meet determines national qualifiers for the NCAA Division III Championships in La Crosse, Wis., in March.

"We're really looking at this as a good win for us tonight," Oostendorp said. "Win a rivalry match in a good environment. It was more of a pressure filled environment, which is good for your kids to see how they'll respond."

The Kohawks  responded well on a night where it honored their senior wrestlers, which including top-ranked and defending NCAA champion 125-pounder Clayton Rush. He opened the dual with a 19-5 major decision over No. 9 Tim Hood.

Rush said it was somewhat sad wrestling at Coe for the final time, but had a good experience to cap his career at home.

"I enjoyed it that's for sure," said Rush, who hopes to remain involved with the program. "Great turnout, which always makes it more exciting."

Oostendorp praised Rush for his contributions to the program and in the manner he made them.

"He's been a big part of our program," said Oostendorp, whose team has finished in the top four at nationals the last three years. "He has all the characteristics you look for in a wrestler.

"He's humble off the mat. A very likeable young man but he's a great competitor on the mat."

With that same competitive attitude, Rush was thinking about what got away more than what he accomplished. Rush built a 14-point lead after the second period with seven takedowns and five nearfall points, but couldn't escape from Hood in the final period.

"Finish the deal," Rush said about his dominant thgouht after the dual. "I wrestled two good periods."

Rush is looking to finish the deal on consecutive NCAA crowns, trying to become Coe's first two-time national champion after earning the second NCAA crown in school history last year. He's not taking anything for granted.

"It's a whole new year. Last year was last year," said Rush, who is 28-1 with the only loss coming to the University of Iowa's NCAA champion Matt McDonough. "You have to go into it with the right frame of mind. Anything can happen.

"You have to go out there and put them down. You have to take their will."

Coe (16-5) broke Cornell's will with five straight wins after trailing, 6-4, after three matches. James Locke scored a 6-3 decision over Jacob Schwebke at 149, giving Coe a lead it didn't surrender. Freshman Dmitri Boyer, wrestling up a weight to fill in for injured Dale Handley, scored a fall at 157. Boyer took some lumps early, but has rebounded with strong performances.

"In college wrestling that's what you need to do," Oostendorp said. "You needed to push through the tough times to get to the good. He's a talented wrestler but I like the way he raised his level in the room."

Nick LeClere (165), Scott King (174) and senior Seth Rehn (184) followed with wins. King won a wild match, 18-10, over Dewrek Munsey. King opened with three takedowns in the first period, but after Munsey cut his lead to 8-6, King used a key five-point move at the end of the second to distance himself. Fifth-ranked heavyweight Alex Burkle capped the meet with a pin.

The Kohawks were dominant on their feet, scoring 24 takedowns to eight of Cornell (14-8-1). Coe also had eight nearfall points without allowing one. It paid to be aggressive.

"That's really what the sport's about," Oostendorp said. "The people winning at the highest level are aggressors."

Cornell received consecutive wins from Tigue Snider and Kevin Donahue at 133 and 141 for a 6-4 lead. Donahue, ranked 10th,  used an escape with 20 seconds to go and scored a winning takedown as time expired to edge Chris LeClere, 3-2.

125 pounds - Clayton Rush (Coe) major dec. tim Hood, 19-5 (7,0); 133 - Tigue Snider (Cor) dec. Drew Hinschberger, 4-1 (1,0); 141 - Kevin Donahue (Cor) dec. Chris LeClere, 3-2 (1,0); 149 - James Locke (Coe) dec. Jacob Schwebke, 4-2 (1,1); 157 - Dmitri Boyer (Coe) pinned Cody Backhaus, 4:03 (2,0); 165 - Nick LeClere (Coe) dec. Joe Hambleton, 3,0); 174 - Scott King (Coe) major dec. Derek Munsey, 18-10 (5,3); 184 - Seth Rehn (Coe) dec. Andrew Roberts, 9-3 (4,0); 197 - Alex Coolidge (Cor) dec. Ethan Ball, 5-1 (2,0); Hwt. - Alex Burkle (Coe) pinned Wyatt Bauman, 4:49 (2,0)

Takedowns - Cornell 8, Coe 24.

Reversals - Cornell 2, Coe 3.

Escapes - Cornell 17, Coe 10.

Nearfall points - Cornell 0, Coe 8.

Penalty points (awarded) - Cornell 0, Coe 1.

Riding time points - Cornell 1, Coe 5.

Total match points - Cornell 38, Coe 78.