Attack Attitude Pays Dividends

MOORHEAD, Minn. (11/14/17)--- For the first month of training Concordia head coach Phil Moenkedick has preached the philosophy of attacking opponents to his team. That principle paid huge dividends in the Cobbers' opening dual meet of the season. Concordia won four of the first five matches against cross-town Division II rival MSU Moorhead and bettered the Dragons 22-18.

"I was ecstatic at how the team responded to attack mode in training and it showed tonight," commented Moenkedick. "We were able to set the tone for matches early and also wear down some of their wrestlers later in matches."

The win over MSU Moorhead is the eighth straight for the Cobbers in a streak that dates back to the 2010-11 season.

Senior Aaron Dick led by example in the very first match of the night. With the dual meet starting at 133, Dick went after his opponent from the opening whistle and scored two takedowns in the first 90 seconds of the match before getting his opponent on his back and earning the pin fall at 1:33.

Dick's six-point win kicked the Cobbers into high gear from the starting line and they would never trail in the dual meet.

"Aaron was the spark plug the team needed," said Moenkedick. "He has worked hard in the room and I am glad to see it pay off for him early in the season. It was a great way to start the dual and I knew that any pin would be huge for the team."

The Cobbers earned the win in the dual meet in the ninth match of the night at 285. Freshman Ethan Kimber, who was wrestling up a weight class, ground out an 8-4 decision to give Concordia a 22-12 lead after the Dragons had cut the margin to 19-12 with a pin fall at 197.

Kimber got a takedown in the first period and then used a takedown, an escape and riding time to earn his fourth win of the season.     

Ty Johnson, Tony Struntz, Travis Deegan and Jonah Lange had the other wins for the Cobbers.

Johnson got Concordia back on track at 149 after CC dropped a 5-1 decision at 141. Johnson had a 2-point near fall in the first period and then a takedown in the third to seal his 8-4 decision.

Struntz followed Johnson's win at 149 with a dominating performance at 157. He was the embodiment of the attack philosophy as he scored four takedowns on his way to an 11-3 major decision. He didn't allow his opponent to score a point in the second or third periods after wearing him down in the high-octane first period.

Deegan gave Concordia another spark in his match at 165. Deegan squared off against Weston Dobler who transferred from Division I Oregon State and was a two-time North Dakota state champion in high school. Deegan didn't allow Dobler to get any type of offensive going and went on the attack in the second period. Deegan scored a 4-point near fall from the top position after the start of the second period and then finished off the match with a takedown in the third period. He tacked on a point for riding time to bring the final score to 7-1.

Lange, like freshmen Struntz and Kimber, was participating in his first collegiate dual meet. He earned his 5-3 win with a three-point second period. After a scoreless first stanza, Lange got an escape and then a takedown in the second period. He then broke the 3-3 deadlock with a takedown towards the end of the third period.

WHAT'S NEXT: Concordia will host the annual Finn Grinaker Open on Saturday, Nov. 18 in the Olson Forum. There will be wrestlers from more than seven area schools competing in the event which bears the name of Concordia Hall of Fame coach Finn Grinaker.   

Final Score:
Concordia-Moorhead 22, Minnesota State Moorhead 18
Date: November 14, 2017
Location: Moorhead, Minn.
Arena: Alex Nemzek Fieldhouse (MSU Moorhead)
Start Time: 7 p.m.
End Time: 8:45 p.m.
Total Time: 1:45

Individual Match Results:
133 - Aaron Dick (CC) pin fall Aaron Sistrunk (MSUM); 1:31 (Concordia leads 6-0)
141 - Tommy Walton (MSUM) dec. Adam Presler (CC); 5-1 (Concordia leads 6-3)
149 - Ty Johnson (CC) dec. Zach Scott (MSUM); 8-3 (Concordia leads 9-3)
157 - Anthony Struntz (CC) maj. dec. Jonathan Hoffner (MSUM); 11-3 (Concordia leads 13-3)
165 - Travis Deegan (CC) dec . Weston Dobler (MSUM); 7-1 (Concordia leads 16-3)
174 - Adam Blees (MSUM) dec. Jake Johnson (CC); 3-1 (Concordia leads 16-6)
184 - Jonah Lange (CC) dec. Mitch Kotschevar (MSUM); 5-3 (Concordia leads 19-6)
197 - Preston Lehman (MSUM) pin fall Kody Van Den Eykel (CC); 4:02 (Concordia leads 19-12)
285 - Ethan Kimber (CC) dec. Cody Anderson (MSUM); 8-4 (Concordia leads 22-12)
125 - Cole Jones (MSUM) pin fall Jake Nohre (CC); 2:09 (Concordia leads 22-18)