The Iowa Central wrestling team flexed its muscle in the first dual meet of the season with a 51-0 blanking of Minnesota West here Wednesday.
The Tritons tallied bonus points in nine of 10 matches, with Joe Colon, Sean Schneider, Vinny Pisani and Kody Kersten all recording victories by pin in the decisive triumph against the Blue Jays.
With the second-ranked and four-time defending national champion Tritons eyeing the first five-peat in the history of junior college wrestling, head coach Luke Moffitt continues to stress the importance of keeping the foot on the accelerator.
"These guys know that national titles aren't won without bonus points. Scoring bonus points has to be something that is drilled into them early so it becomes second nature," said Moffitt. "We had a lot of guys do what it takes to get those extra points, which is good to see early in the year."
Freshman Joe Colon - a two-time state champion at Clear Lake - got the ball rolling for Iowa Central at 125 pounds, pinning Jamal McCallister in just 43 seconds. Colon had three takedowns in the match and put McCallister on his back on the third.
Twin River Valley graduate and former state runner-up Sean Schneider pinned Danny Cordido 31 seconds into the second period at 133. Schneider notched a takedown early in the second to go up 10-1 and then pinned Cordido to give Iowa Central six points.
"With the first home dual of the season, we really wanted to start on the right foot. We want to dominate at the junior college level, and that all starts now," said Moffitt. "Colon and Schneider came out early and gave us momentum. They were on attack the entire time, which is exactly what we want."
Returning All-American Vinny Pisani used patience to keep the pin streak going against Durvon Thompson. With the match at 2-1 in the second period, Pisani took down Thompson into a pinning combination and put the Tritons up 18-0.
Kody Kersten also won at 174 pounds, winning by fall against Bryan Louis with 47 seconds left in the second period.
Freshman Brendon Parker-Risk of Cary, N.C. won by major decision against Ryan Davis. Parker-Risk scored back points late in the match to win 13-1.
Dante Nixon - a sophomore from South Carolina - also won by major decision at 197 pounds through a big third period against Julio Casillas. Nixon entered the final period with an 8-4 lead, but a takedown and back points helped him earn the major.
Heavyweight Phil Mandzik used nine takedowns to dominate Jerrik Bannister for the entire length of the match and win by major decision, 19-7.
Samuel Bonsu won by decision in the closest match of the night against Ryan Teal at 165. Bonsu prevailed by decision, 10-6. Ex-Humboldt prep and returning national qualifier Tanner Kampen won by forfeit at 157, as well as Greg Barner of Audubon at 184.
Iowa Central will be in action next this Saturday at the Iowa State Open in Ames. Action begins at 9 a.m.
"It was nice to perform like this in front of a big crowd considering we only have three home duals this season. We want to give them a reason to follow us," said Moffitt. "Now we have a big test awaiting us Saturday. It should be a good way to gauge where we are at."
Contact Brady Johnson at (515) 573-2141 or by e-mail at sports@messengernews.net
