Maryland wrestling’s prior two duals against Morgan State weren’t close.
The Terps cruised past the Bears in their 2023 and 2024 meetings by an average margin of 34.5 team points. Friday’s contest was no different, as Maryland dismantled Morgan State 39-7 at Hill Field House in Baltimore. Maryland’s 39 team points were its most since last season’s contest against Morgan State.
Maryland’s bookend weight classes thrive
Entering Friday’s dual, coach Alex Clemsen said he wanted to see more from Maryland’s (3-0) bookend weight classes.
The groups saw mixed results last weekend at the “Throwdown on the Yorktown” event. Both 125-pound wrestlers dropped bouts while both heavyweights secured wins.
The two groups used different styles against Morgan State (0-4), but saw similar success.
[Maryland wrestling sees big gains from Dominic Solis after redshirt season]
Abram Cline got the nod against the Bears’ 125-pounder Jimmie Jones and was patient with calculated movements. The sophomore used nearly the entire first period to gather a sense of Jones’ style, frequently engaging in hand fighting, but not much more.
In the following period, Cline attacked. He gathered an escape after starting in the downward position before notching a double leg takedown seconds afterwards. Cline then reverted to his conservative play style, staying in top position and accruing over three minutes of riding time.
Sophomore Oscar Williams did the opposite, notching a takedown with the bout’s opening seconds. Williams then spent the remainder of the bout on heavyweight Eli Turpins, repeatedly rolling him to the side to secure three near falls. The bout lasted all of 2:27 with Williams winning via technical fall.
Branson John ends another bout early
Commanding wins defined No. 15 Branson John’s early season. Five of John’s nine wins entering the contest came by at least eight points, and his bout against 197-pounder Eric Washington followed the trend.
The sophomore’s mentality is to stay aggressive and take the most shots.
“You don’t score on the shots you don’t take,” John said on Oct. 23. “The more shots you take, the more you set yourself up to win.”
[Maryland wrestling wins first 2 duals over Gardner-Webb, The Citadel]
The sophomore relentlessly attacked Washington’s legs Friday, securing four takedowns and a near fall in the first period. Washington stayed in the bout with a trio of escapes, but 30 seconds into the following period, John ended the bout with another takedown.
The technical fall win was John’s second in his past three games and marked the shortest of his 10 bouts this season.
Maryland picks up a pair of wins by forfeit
Perhaps Maryland’s biggest advantage came early in the dual. The Terps started slowly the previous weekend, but they didn’t do anything to jump out to an insurmountable lead.
Despite three 133-pounders listed on Morgan State’s roster — one of which ranks inside Flowrestling’s top 33 — and four 157-pounders, the Terps won via forfeit at both positions.
The two forfeits gave Maryland 12 free points — more than Morgan State scored Friday night.
