The Wyoming Cowboys stepped up in a big way at home to earn a narrow 19-18 victory over the 20th ranked Mountaineers tonight, winning two of the last three matches to push them to victory.
Headed into tonight, head coach Mark Branch noted the importance of the fans to the team.
“We are at home and need to make our crowd a factor by wrestling with aggressiveness,” he said.
That’s just the energy that Pokes supporters brought tonight.
“Tonight was definitely the best [crowd] we’ve had this year,” Branch said. “I love the support we get and it does make a difference.”
After going down 7-0 in the first two matches, the Cowboys needed some momentum. The huge turning point for Wyoming was a major victory for Cole Brooks in the third set. Brooks completed a pin of WV Jordan Titus that electrified the crowd and scored 6 points, making it 7-6.
From there, the teams battled back and forth, with West Virginia picking up momentum and holding a 15-13 heading into the final three matches.
It was at this moment that Eddie Neitenbach squared off against 16th ranked Dennis Robin. Neitenbach was dominant through two rounds, jumping out to a 12-2 lead, and was able to hold on in the final moments to earn a 12-7 victory.
Joey Novak then gave the crowd a scare in the next match, and was down 6-2 with a minute left in the third set. He turned it on in the waning moments however, tying it up and sending it to a final sudden death round, where he scored a takedown to earn the win.
Rune Lawrence of West Virginia tried to mount a comeback in the final faceoff of the night, but his 4-1 win wasn’t enough to top Wyoming, who held on for a 19-18 victory.
Brook’s dominant pin in the third set proved to be the difference, despite him dealing with sickness this week.
“We had to scramble last night and weigh somebody else in,” said Branch. “We were trying to figure out what the doctor call would be and if they were gonna let him wrestle.”
“Going out there against a really good kid ignited the crowd and really won the dual for us,” Branch said.
The Pokes hit the road for a Valentine’s day dual against Air Force before heading back home to wrap up their regular season against Northern Colorado on Feb. 16.
