SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Wrestling team gave the home crowd plenty to get excited about in its first home appearance of the 2022-23 season. The Bulldogs took seven matches from visiting Bethany College (Kan.) on Friday (Dec. 2) and emerged with a 36-9 victory inside Friedrich Arena. Dominant wins by Issiah Burks (technical fall) and Stephen Duffy (pin) highlighted the evening.
This was the first time Head Coach Chase Clasen has presided over a home dual. Concordia improved to 4-1 with the latest victory.
“We told the guys that we want to get some fans in the stands and the best way to do that is to put on a performance and score a lot of points,” Clasen said. “There were a few matches where we definitely did that. We were still a little hesitant in some of those matches. That’s just going to take some repetition and drilling and being in those positions. Mainly it comes down to you just have to pull the trigger. Once some of our guys realize that, the sky’s going to be the limit.”
The reemergence of Duffy at Concordia has provided a nice lift to the lineup. The native of Kenesaw, Neb., was one of three Bulldogs to win contested matches with bonus points on Friday. Duffy heeded Clasen’s desire to see aggression on the mat. It was really only a matter of time as Duffy quickly took Gannon Mosher to his back while earning near fall points. Only 1:12 had elapsed when the 184-pound Duffy polished off his third pin of the season.
The route for Duffy has been an unusual one, but he’s happy to be back in a Bulldog singlet. He’s gone 4-1 in dual action this season. Said Duffy, “It’s exciting. I’m happy to be back and I’m happy with my decision to come back. It was a long journey. I took some years off – wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I made the decision to come back and wrestling and I’m really happy with it.”
A native of Hemet, Calif., Burks is determined to make the most of his sixth season inside the program. He came within an eyelash of a pin of Jacob Barnes at 165 but still managed to end the match in the first period. Burks won by an 18-1 score with 14 of his points coming via near fall and another four totaled via two takedowns. It was also a fine evening at 133 for York native Thomas Ivey, who notched four takedowns and a reversal as part of his 12-2 triumph.
Three open weights for Bethany played a role in the lopsided team score. The Swedes were open at 125, 141 and 157. That meant that former JUCO All-American Creighton Baughman (141) will still have to wait to wrestle his first home match. The other victory for Concordia was delivered at 174 by Jose Sanchez, who pulled a 6-3 decision with the help of two takedowns. The Swedes got their wins from Kaden Goff (149), Chase Pywell (197) and Rocky Whitehead (285).
This was the first action for the Bulldogs since they went 1-1 at a conference dual event prior to Thanksgiving. With plenty of season left, Clasen sees Burks and Duffy setting an example. Said Clasen, “Issiah Burks and Stephen Duffy have been carrying the torch the entire team. As soon as that whistle blows, they’re on. They don’t take a second to feel guys out. They’re out there scrapping, and that’s what we preach every day. Every time that whistle blows, there’s no hesitation.”
A group of 20 Bulldogs is scheduled to be back in action on Saturday morning at the Doane University Open in Crete, Neb., where a tournament will be staged for both men and women. The event is set to begin at 9 a.m. CT from Fuhrer Fieldhouse.