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THURSDAY February 5, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels January 26, 2004 Raiders sail through Pacific By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings Saturday night couldn't have gone much better for the three seniors on the fourth-ranked Southern Oregon University wrestling squad. Satsuki Doi | Ashland Daily Tidings Southern Oregon's David O'Brien (right) locks up Pacific's Judd Vincent in the 184-pound match Saturday at McNeal Pavilion. "A night like tonight, you've got to focus on those guys," Raider Head Coach Mike Ritchey said of the seniors. "That was one of those warm, fuzzy finishes." In their final home dual meet of their SOU careers, veterans Colin Murphy, Brian Wilson and Wes Balensifer each walked away with individual victories as the Raiders rocked Pacific University 40-6 at McNeal Pavilion. "We performed better," Balensifer said. "I thought we out-classed them at almost every single weight. That's good when you can do that." The team victory moves Southern (3-4) one step closer to securing its 34th-straight winning season. With four duals remaining, the Raiders need to win three of their four remaining contests. "Everyone who's gone through this program for the past 34 years has worked for that," Balensifer said of the streak. "I don't want to be a senior going out and breaking it." The night opened with Raider freshman Junior Valladolid beating Pacific's Kevin Spangler at 125 pounds, 12-8. "That kid, Spangler, is pretty tough, so that was a good win," Ritchey said. "When you get two freshmen out there, you never know what's going to happen. It was good for Junior to get a win like that at home. It was a bit of a surprise." Eight matches and six wins later, Balensifer met Boxer Austin Bissonette on the mat for the heavyweight contest. Forty-eight seconds later, the match and the meet was over. The pin, Southern's fourth victory-by-fall of the night, showed why Balensifer is ranked No. 2 in the NAIA at 285 pounds. "I guess it's what you want to do," Balensifer said. "It's nice to go out with a win at home and pin him." Three more pins, six other wins Pacific hasn't beaten the Raiders in four years and have tallied just five victories over Southern in the 43 years the two programs have butted heads. Saturday night, the Boxers never really stood a chance. "You never expect to be that dominant," Ritchey said. "I think we always expect to go in and compete, but it's good for momentum." At 133 pounds, Raider junior Lee Ottow earned the first pin on the evening when he took Aaron Fernandez to the mat in 1:24, giving Southern a 9-0 lead. While SOU 141-pound sophomore Dan Herb fell 8-5 to Boxer Garrett Miyake, second-ranked Murphy responded with a 9-1 major decision in the 149 bout. Up next, at 157 pounds, seventh-ranked Raider Jimmy Grochowsky recorded the Raiders' second pin. Grochowsky took care of PU freshman Lucas Nakao in 1:31, pushing SOU to a 19-3 lead. Second-ranked Wilson notched another Southern major decision at 165. The win was secure before sophomore Rick Story took a hard loss at 174. SOU then captured the last three matches with force. Sophomore David O'Brien, ranked fifth at 184, scored 12 points in the second and third rounds to win by technical fall. Sophomore Grant Thompson would one-up O'Brien pinning Boxer freshman David Bednar in 4:24 before Balensifer put out the lights in the heavyweight match. Hitting the highway "We've got to win it all on the road now, which makes it a little more challenging," Ritchey said. "We don't have the Raider fans behind us at those events so it makes it pretty tough." The Raiders won't return to McNeal Pavilion until Valentine's Day for the regional championships. Southern will wrap up it's dual-meet schedule with four away contests, attempting to keep its three-decade-long winning record alive. "We just need to be intense, get out there and don't let up," Balensifer said. "If we just make them believe they don't belong out there with us, then we can win. I don't see why we can't." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: A new improved archive search is coming! Look for it in mid-February! .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - ODOT Road Cams