Richard Anderson photo
Wyoming redshirt freshman Shane Onufer looks to take control against Stanford's Victor Haug Friday at the UniWyo Sports Complex. Onufer won by a fall.
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
It’s not like Mark Branch looks for perfection, he just looks at the negatives first in order to turn them into positives later on.
Even with a 34-10 win over Stanford to open the home wrestling season, Branch found several things to critique with his new-look Cowboys.
“Tonight was a small glimpse into the future of this program...a small glimpse,” said Branch after coaching his first dual with Wyoming. “It was nice to meet the Wyoming crowd. We had some good spots and the level of competition level was higher than we have seen so far this year, but we have a long way to go.
“Of course, the level of competition went up, but I saw us going back to things that we’ve been trying to get away from, some bad habits. Of course, in most of these situations, I’m probably looking for the negative and looking for where we can improve.”
Wyoming got pins from redshirt freshmen Brock Smith (157 pounds) and Shane Onufer (174)and a major decision victory by sophomore 141-pounder Cole Dallaserra and won five of the eight matches wrestled (along with two forfeit wins).
It just could have been better in Branch’s eyes.
“It’s just elementary stuff,” Branch said, ‘Like coming off bottom. We’re doing baby stand-ups and we haven’t done that all year. A couple of them looked shell-shocked on their feet. Their standing flat-footed, not being aggressive. We’re moving side-to-side, we’re not moving forward to our opponent. I know we have room to improve, but those things I’m not real happy about right now.”
Branch, however, was pleased with the efforts of some of his younger wrestlers, especially that of Onufer and Smith, who each gave the Cowboys six points with aggressive pins.
Smith scored an exciting win by fall at 157-pounds over 2008 NCAA participant Lucas Espericueta. Smith caught his opponent off-guard with a rush, put him on his back and did not let up until both of Espericueta’s shoulders were on the mat two minutes into the match.
“It was my first match in front of the home crowd, so I was a little excited, pretty nervous,” Smith said. “I just tell myself to put my heart into every match and win or lose, I am going to put everything I have on it. That’s what I did.”
Smith is now 9-1 on the young season.
“Brock Smith is a raw talent who has been a surprise for us from day one,” Branch said. “Tonight, he beat a good wrestler and I’m excited about that.”
Fellow redshirt Onufer simply over-powered and pinned his opponent at 1:54 in the first period. Onufer said that if he gets his opponent in a pinning situation, he’s going to stick him.
“I just went out there and kind of felt it out there a little bit and hit a high crotch and took him down and worked it over,” Onufer said. “That’s my bread and butter, the power-half. I just wanted the match over with and win this dual. It was a big step for us as a team.”
The win keeps Onufer unbeaten on the season at 9-0.
“Shane (Onufer) did what he was supposed to do and wrestled aggressively,” Branch said.
While newbies on the college varsity level, both Smith and Onufer are buying into Branch’s aggressiveness and like what they see form the program.
“We’ve been training really hard for almost three months now," Onufer said. “We’re just ready to go and we’re all really excited to get on the mat and show everybody what we are all about. We’re a new Wyoming; this is a new team. This is a new everything for us.”
“Coach Branch has been pushing us,” added Smith.” We’re working a lot of technique and just improving everything we possibly can and just taking one step at a time."
The Cowboys also got a solid 10-3 win from redshirt freshman Michael Martinez to begin the evening at 125 pounds. Dallaserra then earned four team points with his impressive 10-1 major decision victory at 141, followed by a grinding 4-0 win at 149 pounds by senior Cody Chipperfield.
The Cowboys will get right back at it Saturday morning with the 36th annual Cowboy Open. Action begins at 9 a.m. in the War Memorial Fieldhouse.
“In a tournament setting, I hope maybe we come out and open it up a little bit more, and we’re a little more aggressive,” Branch said. “The level of competition is no doubt a lot better than we’ve faced, so we’re going to see All-Americans and nationally ranked guys."
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COWBOYS 34, CARDINAL 10
125 -- Michael Martinez (WYO) dec. Matt Sencenbaugh 10-3
133 -- Porfirio Madrigal (STAN) dec. Cory VomBaur 7-3
141 -- Cole Dallaserra (WYO) major dec. Timmy Boone 10-1
149 -- Cody Chipperfield (WYO) dec. Max Rosefigura 4-0
157 -- Brock Smith (WYO) pinned Lucas Espericueta 2;04
165 -- Nick Amuchastegui (STAN) dec. Eric Coxbill 9-7
174 -- Shane Onufer (WYO) pinned Victor Haug 1:54
184 -- Joe LeBlanc (WYO) wins by forfeit
197 -- Jake Johnson (STAN) major dec. Alfonso Hernandez 11-1
Hwt. -- Jacob Scharbrough (WYO) wins by forfeit
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