Kohawks drop close dual to Air Force

CEDAR RAPIDS - It was a special dual against a special opponent.

For the first time in Coe wrestling history, the Kohawks hosted an NCAA Division I team, and wanted to provide a show for their home fans.

Coe, ranked fifth in Division III, proved it can be competitive, but the Air Force Academy edged the Kohawks, 19-18, last night in front of an estimated 1,500 fans at Eby Fieldhouse.

“There were some exciting matches for the crowd,” Coe Coach John Oostendorp said. “From a coach's standpoint there was three or four matches where we didn't do as good enough as we needed to at the end of them.”

Air Force Academy Joel Sharratt, a former University of Iowa teammate of Oostendorp who won an NCAA title for the Hawkeyes, was impressed by the atmosphere for a “great” dual.

“We couldn't be happier,” said Sharratt, whose Falcons open Western Wrestling Conference competition at University of Northern Iowa on Sunday at 2 p.m. “We're a Division I team, wrestling a Division III team, that's more fans in the stands than a lot of places we go.”

The crowd produced a thunderous ovation when Coe's Scott King made lightning struck twice.For the second straight year, he trailed against his Air Force foe before winning by fall. He was behind 7-6 in the final minute and appeared to be giving up a late takedown when he flipped the Falcons' Clayton Gable to his back for a pin in 6:33 at 174.

Watch the crowd's reaction

“With it being close like that at the end of the match, having the crowd behind you the entire time you're able to get up for a big move like that,” said King, calling the crowd the biggest for a home dual in his three years at Coe. “he was driving, he had his head on the outside and I was able to elevate his hips and roll him through.”

Watch King's finish

Once King had Gable on his back he wasn't going to let up, and he receive a boost of energy from the crowd. he gave the Kohawks a 15-12 lead.

“I didn't want to look up at the time because I didn't want to give him any separation,” said King, a former Tipton prep. “I just heard the crowd get louder and louder so I knew time was coming and I was able to lock it up.

Top-ranked 165-pounder Nick LeClere, who lost a decision to gable last year, scored five takedowns for a 12-4 major decision over Colby Kluesner. Former Western Dubuque prep Jimmy Gotto opened the dual with a 16-1 technical fall over Mengyuan Qiu. They displayed the attacking and offensive style their coach demands.

“They wrestled hard,” Oostendorp said. “They wrestled the way we want.”

Heavyweight Alex Burkle closed the meet with a 6-3 decision.

The Kohawks won four matches, which is one more than their 21-13 loss to Air Force in Colorado Springs, Colo. They also were aggressive to open matches, scoring the first points at five weights. Oostendorp wasn't interested in morale victories.

“You score the first ones then you should be able to keep scoring them,” Oostendorp said. “There's a lot we can learn and take from this.”

The difference in the dual came in a late scoring situation when Air Force's scored a takedown with less than four seconds left for a 13-5 major decision at 197. Dylan Hyder (133), Carter McElhany (141), fifth-ranked Cole VonOhlen (149) and 157-pounder Josh Kreimeier scored four straight wins to build a 12-5. Greg Isley added a decision at 184 for the Falcons (1-0).

Sharratt said a goal of the Falcons' program is to develop the wrestlers to be well-trained officers in service. The battle with Coe was a good teaching tool.

“Give credit to Coe,” Sharratt said. “They came out and wrestled awfully strong.”