SEWARD, Neb. – This dual moved like it had a flight to catch at 7 p.m. sharp. Every single match was decided with bonus points as the Concordia University Wrestling program celebrated its seniors with a 48-6 home smashing of visiting Colby Community College (Kan.) on Friday (Feb. 2). The Bulldogs got a pin apiece from Barret Brandt and Jeaven Scdoris and racked up four victories by technical fall as part of the festivities. It took just 38 minutes for the dual to be grappled to completion.
Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad has wrestled its final home dual of the 2023-24 campaign and stands at 8-6 overall. The Bulldogs won their four home duals this season by a combined score of 189-21.
“Each and every one of those guys has done a tremendous job for this program,” said Clasen of the seven seniors. “With me coming in last year having some guys like that to step up and be vocal leaders and help this program has been absolutely amazing. I just thank them for everything. They’re great teammates and they’re great mentors. Having those guys around has been amazing for me. They’re going to be hard to replace and sorely missed. I think all those guys have bright futures ahead of them.”
The fireworks began soon after the senior day ceremony was held. Some of the loudest cheers of the evening rang out when Brandt nailed Kyan Ensign to his back for a fall in 51 seconds. The 165-pound freshman from Syracuse, Neb., earned his 22nd pin of the season for a new program record. Brandt’s pin came as part of a string that saw Concordia as the beneficiary of either a pin, tech fall or forfeit through each of the first eight matches of the night.
Clasen gave the starting nod to five seniors in Friday’s dual lineup, and each one responded affirmatively. At 141 pounds, senior Creighton Baughman (27-5 overall) kept his perfect dual record (14-0) intact with a 15-0 technical fall that wrapped up early in the second period. Baughman earned a takedown and 10 near-fall points as part of his senor sendoff. His fellow classmates followed suit as TJ Allen (16-1 tech fall at 149), Scdoris (pin in 0:39 at 157), Stephen Duffy (15-0 tech fall at 174) and Clayton “CJ” Laabs (12-3 major decision at 285) each manhandled their opponents. Not a single one of those seniors gave up an offensive point to their counterparts from Colby Community College.
For Laabs, this is his fifth in final season with the Bulldogs. Said the Orange, Calif., native afterwards, “Emotions are high. I’ve been here for five years, and I’ve loved every single bit of it. It’s something special to come out here and get a win in front of an amazing crowd.”
Astonishingly, 22 of Brandt’s 27 wins (27-8 record) have come by pin. His reaction following his latest fall was one of humility with an ‘thumbs up’ acknowledgement of the Bulldog volleyball team that brought the noise on Friday night. Brandt speaks loudly with how he goes about his business. Said Brandt of his new school record, “That’s just kind of how I wrestle. It didn’t really faze me. I never set out to go break the pin record. It’s cool that it happened – I’m proud of myself and proud of this team.”
At the top of the lineup, Concordia’s Aidan Trowbridge won by forfeit at 125. Freshman Bryson Bussinger then followed at 133 and took a 16-1 technical fall (5:23). The lone victory for the Trojans of Colby, Kan., was delivered by Ethan Anderson via pin at 197. Anderson emerged as the only Colby wrestler to notch offensive points on the evening.
In addition to the five seniors who were part of the lineup, Dontario Norwood and Anthony Perez were also recognized prior to the dual. The senior class is made up of individuals from near and far. Baughman (Papillion), Duffy (Kenesaw) and Scdoris (Milford) wound up close to home while two seniors hail from California and two are Florida natives.
One more dual remains on the weekend for Clasen’s squad. The main focus is centered on steady improvement and peaking at the conference tournament in two weeks. Said Clasen, “Right now it’s about getting prepped for conference. We want our guys having fun and enjoying the process and kind of sharpening everything up. I think everybody’s ready to go. We want to go out there and feel good for conference.”
The final dual of the 2023-24 season will take place on Saturday as the Bulldogs are set to square off with seventh-ranked Doane (9-3, 7-0 GPAC). The action is slated to get started at 7 p.m. CT from the Haddix Center in Crete. The Tigers remained unbeaten this season in GPAC duals with victories last weekend over Jamestown, Dakota Wesleyan and Morningside.
| Here's a look at Barret Brandt's @CUNEwrestling program record 22nd pin of the 2023-24 season. pic.twitter.com/Ze01YEmY39
— Concordia Bulldogs (@cunebulldogs) February 3, 2024