EDMOND, Okla. – The Maryville wrestling team faced one of the nation's toughest tests on Friday night, traveling to Edmond, Okla., to take on top-ranked Central Oklahoma. The Bronchos, featuring multiple individually ranked wrestlers, used bonus-point victories throughout the lineup to secure a 34-6 win over the Saints at Hamilton Field House.
 
INS & OUTS
Maryville's two wins on the night came in the middle of the lineup at 157 and 174. No. 7-ranked Cole Ritter earned a 7-4 decision over Tucker Waitman at 174, using takedowns in the first and second periods for the win.
 
At 157, Nick Zamora added Maryville's other victory, earning a 6-4 decision. Zamora broke a late tie with a third-period takedown and held on through the final seconds to secure the win.
 
Central Oklahoma showcased its depth across the lineup, including No. 1-ranked Jason Henschel at 133 and No. 2-ranked Branson Britten at 184. Both earned bonus-point victories for the Bronchos as UCO collected five bonus-point wins overall, including three technical falls and a fall at heavyweight.
 
The Bronchos built a big lead early with technical falls at 133, 141, and 165. At 197 it was No. 9-ranked Jeramiah Larson against No. 4 Garrett Wells for the biggest ranked matchup of the day. Larson grabbed the escape in the second period to go up 1-0, a point Wells matched to open the third. Larson grabbed what looked to be the deciding takedown with 49 seconds left, but a near immediate escape from Wells put him on the defensive. The higher-ranked Wells came out on top, however, scoring a near walk off takedown in the final seconds to win the match.

#1 CENTRAL OKLAHOMA 34, MARYVILLE 6
125: El Kirk (UCO) over Elijah Almarinez (MU) (Dec 9-4)
133: Jason Henschel (UCO) over Yashua Amen (MU) (TF 15-0 2:56)
141: Josh Taylor (UCO) over JP Homfeld (MU) (TF 19-4 6:20)
149: Jaxon Keoltzow (UCO) over Caleb Carter (MU) (Dec 5-0)
157: Nick Zamora (MU) over Hayze Ivey (UCO) (Dec 6-4)
165: Brady Benham (UCO) over Javier Gutierrez (MU) (TF 18-3 6:21)
174: Cole Ritter (MU) over Tucker Waitman (UCO) (Dec 7-4)
184: Branson Britten (UCO) over John Gholson (MU) (MD 10-0)
197: Garrett Wells (UCO) over Jeremiah Larson (MU) (Dec 6-4)
285: Ryan Nichols (UCO) over Orest Nazarchuk (MU) (Fall 2:11)
 
UP NEXT
The Saints are done for 2025. They return after the new years for NWCA National Duals, Jan. 8 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.