Five Bulldogs turn in place finishes at Doane Open

By Jacob Knabel on Dec. 3, 2022 in Wrestling

CRETE, Neb. – In terms of quantity and quality, the Concordia University Wrestling team placed a significant emphasis on the Doane Conner/Oppenheim Open on Saturday (Dec. 3). A group of 19 Bulldogs represented the program at the Fuhrer Field House in Crete, Neb., and came away with a combined five place finishes and 35 victories. Many of the Bulldog starters from Friday’s dual win over Bethany College (Kan.) returned to action and tested themselves against a large field that was separated into both “open” and “amateur” brackets.

Head Coach Chase Clasen’s squad earned two place finishes in the loaded open brackets. Creighton Baughman came back from a first-round loss to take third place at 141 pounds and Issiah Burks claimed sixth place at 165 pounds after he initially made his way to the semifinals.

“That open division is no joke,” Clasen said. “Creighton the year before took third in the amateur division. We decided to put him in the open division this year and that’s a step up in competition. He loses his first match to a Nebraska kid and ends up marching back and taking third. That’s huge – we keep telling the guys to come back and get the next one. He lived that out. Issiah Burks also had some really good matches against some All-Americans and high-level guys. We’re seeing a lot of positives. The same could be said about Jose Sanchez. We’re seeing a lot of improvement in those older guys.”

Doane Open place finishers

·        Creighton Baughman – 3rd (open 141)

·        Issiah Burks – 6th (open 165)

·        Tommy Wentz – 4th (amateur 157)

·        Torrance Keehn – 5th (amateur 174)

·        Garret Moser – 5th (amateur 184)

Baughman’s five wins were tied with Tommy Wentz for the most on the team at the tournament. Baughman had wrestled competitively with the University of Nebraska’s Blake Cushing before being caught and pinned late in the third period. Baughman (ranked No. 20 in the NAIA at 141) responded with four-straight contested wins, including one via fall over Hastings’ Dalton Michael. Along the way, Baughman also nipped NCAA Division II Daniel DeRosier, 2-1, of the University of Nebraska-Kearney.

A strong start to Burks’ sixth year inside the program continued on Saturday as he defeated Grand View University (Iowa)’s Scott Betterton, 4-0, in the first round and then topped Doane’s Benjamin Dobler, 8-6, in the quarterfinals. Burks (Hemet, Calif.) then lost by a 6-2 score to the NAIA’s No. 1-rated 165-pounder, Marty Margolis of Grand View. Burks lost one more contested match before calling it a day.

A transfer from York College, Wentz also went on a nice run after beginning the tournament with a loss. Included in Wentz’s five wins was a pin of NCAA Division II Wayne State College’s Chase Eggleston and a tight win over teammate Kobe Lyons in the 157-pound amateur bracket. In solid showings of their own, Torrance Keehn (174) and Garret Moser (184) collected four wins apiece. Keehn notched two wins by fall and then won a 9-6 decision over Blake Daher of Benedictine College (Kan.) in the fifth-place match. The run for Moser featured a pair of victories over opponents from JUCO Indian Hills Community College.

Said Clasen, “I think those guys are starting to hit their groove. Torrance is a true freshman and he’s realizing he’s got to just wrestle. He’s really talented. Same with Tommy and Garret. They looked phenomenal. I’m super excited for those guys. As the day went on, our team looked better and better. The nerves were going away because they wrestled so many matches. They were wrestling free and good things were happening.”

Among not previously mentioned Bulldogs, six others turned in multiple wins at the Doane Open: Bryce Karlin (3-2 at 125), Kobe Lyons (3-2 at 157), Grant Wells (2-2 at 125), Charles Hutson (2-2 at 157), Jose Sanchez (2-2 at 174) and Cy Renney (2-2 at 285). Karlin and Renney picked up two pins apiece. By day’s end, Concordia grapplers combined for 10 pins. Sanchez tested his mettle in the open division and was one win away from taking home a place finish. Meanwhile, Josh Broyles also produced one win at 149 pounds.

Next up on the slate will be the Concordia Bulldog Duals scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 17. The complete schedule of duals for that date will be announced soon. This will mark the third season in a row that the program has hosted the event just prior to Christmas.