Sheldon, Horner shine on senior night

CEDAR RAPIDS - Senior night is a chance to recognize contributions made to a program throughout a wrestler's career.

Coe seniors Ryan Sheldon and Donnie Horner shared the spotlight in a pre-dual ceremony and did it again in competition.

The veteran duo recorded consecutive major decisions late, powering 17th-ranked Coe to an 18-16 win over rival No. 18 Cornell last night at Eby Fieldhouse. The win marks the ninth straight win in the series for Kohawks, who have not lost in the last 16 duals against the Rams.

The night was special for Sheldon in one of his final duals for Coe (8-8).

'You don't ever see yourself standing out here as a senior until it actually is here,” Sheldon said. 'It goes by so fast. To go out and get bonus points for the team and get a victory like that feels pretty good.”

The Rams (12-8) lead 13-10 with three matches remaining and favored at heavyweight. Sheldon, a returning All-American, stepped in at 184 pounds, posting a 10-0 win over Brian Cristion. He was business as usual, focusing on his personal performance, racking up a takedown, reversal and three nearfall.

'It doesn't matter if we're up by 20 or down by 20,” Sheldon said. 'I just want to go out there, do my stuff and try to get bonus points.”

Horner, ranked 10th, followed with a 13-2 win over Aburough Abegesah at 197. He tallied five takedowns, scoring seven points in the final period. He was not concerned with the team score.

'I don't really think about that,” Horner said. 'Coach always says to go out and fight to score, so that's my mentality.

'I don't really pay attention to the team score. I trust the guys below me to take care of it, so I don't have to worry.”

The win was a milestone for Horner. He had never beaten a Cornell wrestler, losing some hard-fought matches to former Ram national champion and two-time finalist Alex Coolidge.

'That was kind of cool,” Horner said. 'It's nice to get a win against your rival.”

Coe's upperweights have been the strength of this year's team, and they came through again. With Cornell leading, 10-6, at intermission, Coe's second-ranked Farai Sewera scored a 12-3 major decision at 165 to tie the score.

Coe Coach John Oostendorp said you need to rely on experienced wrestlers and now they have to build on the gains made during the week.

'They came out tonight and worked hard in those positions to get those bonus points,” Oostendorp said. 'They're not going to give them away. You have to work and earn them in a match.”

The Kohawks (8-8) received a boost from Sheldon's high school teammate at Cedar Rapids Kennedy prep. Luke Kremer scored a takedown in the final six seconds at 141 for a 6-4 win over Jarod Brathor.

Cornell's Brent Hamm produced the biggest win of the evening. Hamm scored a takedown in the second sudden-victory overtime period for a 7-5 win over fourth-ranked Ryan Harrington.

'Going into the postseason with a big win is a good momentum shift,” Hamm said. 'I know I've been putting in a lot of time the last couple weeks.

'It was nice to come out against a big rival and do my part. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough.”

Hamm said he started slow, but received a boost with a second-period takedown that tied it, 3-3. He escaped in the final period to force overtime. He took his best shot when it presented itself.

'Sometimes it comes down to that and you have to gut it out in the end,” Hamm said. 'I knew where I was late in the match, and where I was going to be. Every time I went back to the center, took a deep breath and went after it.”

Trevor Engle (149) added a major decision for the Rams.

AT EBY FIELDHOUSE

Coe 18, Cornell 16

125: Jan Rosenberg (Coe) over Scott Smith (Cornell) (Dec 9-5)

133: Nathan Shank (Cornell) over Mike Gussarson (Coe) (Dec 14-9)

141: Luke Kremer (Coe) over Jared Brathor (Cornell) (Dec 6-4)

149: Trevor Engle (Cornell) over Josh Donkle (Coe) (MD 13-2)

157: Aaron Engle (Cornell) over Brody Beck (Coe) (Dec 7-4)

165: #2 Farai Sewera (Coe) over Michael Maksimovic (Cornell) (MD 12-3)

174: Brent Hamm (Cornell) over #4 Ryan Harrington (Coe) (SV-2 7-5)

184: Ryan Sheldon (Coe) over Brian Cristion (Cornell) (MD 10-0)

197: Donnie Horner (Coe) over Aburough Abegesah (Cornell) (MD 13-2)

285: Eric Tucker (Cornell) over Nick Elsbury (Coe) (Dec 3-0)

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