Starks upsets Bressler, but wrestling falls at Oregon St.

True freshman Eric Starks scored an upset victory over the 11th-ranked wrestler in the nation and No. 6 Chris Drouin continued his hot streak, but it was not enough as the Arizona State University wrestling team dropped its second close dual in a row on the road, this time falling at Oregon State, 19-13, Sunday in a Pac-10 dual in Corvallis, Ore. The loss dropped the Sun Devils to 5-7 overall on the year and 3-3 in the Pac-10 while the Beavers improved to 10-7 on the year with a 6-2 mark in the league.

The dual opened at 125 pounds where No. 12 Anthony Robles made it two-for-two in his return to the line up and in matches with Jake Gonzales as he scored an 8-3 decision to stake the Sun Devils to an early 3-0 lead. At 133, David Prado dropped a 9-0 major decision to Kelly Kubec, which put the hosts on top with a 4-3 lead.

The Sun Devils retook the lead at 141 as Drouin scored a 10-2 major decision over Garrett Drucker, bringing the ASU lead to 6-4. Drouin’s win improved him to 23-5 on the year and 11-1 in duals with 10 of those dual victories resulting in bonus points. Despite his victory and their second lead of the day, the team score became tied at 7-7 following the 149 match when No. 16 Heinrich Barnes scored an 8-2 decision over ASU’s Vicente Varela.

The Beavers reclaimed the lead for the second time in the dual with two more victories in a row, first at 157 with Jon Brascetta taking a 3-1 decision over Michael Swigart. OSU followed that up with a 4-0 decision win at 165 with Keegan Davis defeating Kyle DeBerry to put the hosts on top, 13-7.

Starks was up next and struck right away as he scored a takedown just six seconds in the match and built nearly a two-minute advantage in riding time before closing the first period up, 2-1. Bressler escaped in the second after starting down to tie the score at two before Starks did the same to start the third for a 3-2 lead. After fending off several shots from Bressler before taking the match, 4-2, with another point added for riding time. The victory was the first over a ranked foe for Starks after falling to four others ranked in the Top 11 this year.

The Sun Devils tied the dual one match later as Jake Meredith scored a 5-4 decision over Brice Arand, evening the score at 13-13. But, the Sun Devils could not climb back over the hump as the Beavers won the final two matches of the day, including Chad Hanke defeating Jake Cranford at 197, 9-6, and Clayton Jack winning a 7-1 decision over Imanibom Etukeren at heavyweight.

ASU will close out its regular season slate of duals next Saturday afternoon as the Titans of CS Fullerton pay a visit to Tempe for a 2:30 p.m. dual inside Wells Fargo Arena. Former Sun Devil All-American and current rising star in the UFC Ryan Bader will be on hand before and after the dual to sign autographs.

Oregon State (10-7, 6-2 Pac-10) defeats Arizona State (5-7, 3-3 Pac-10), 19-13
Sunday, 8, 2009 - Corvallis, Ore.
125 - #12 Anthony Robles (AS) dec. Jake Gonzales, 8-3
133 - Kelly Kubec (OS) major David Prado, 9-0
141 - #6 Chris Drouin (AS) major Garrett Drucker, 10-2
149 - #16 Heinrich Barnes (OS) dec. Vicente Varela, 8-2
157 - Jon Brascetta (OS) dec. Michael Swigart, 3-1
165 - Keegan Davis (OS) dec. Kyle DeBerry, 4-0
174 - Eric Starks (AS) dec. #11 Kyle Bressler, 4-2
184 - Jake Meredith (AS) dec. Brice Arand, 5-4
197 - Chad Hanke (OS) dec. Jake Cranford, 9-6
285 - Clayton Jack (OS) dec. Imanibom Etukeren, 7-1