Just when the big green machine gets rolling, a monkey wrench gets thrown into the gears.
The No. 16 Oregon wrestling team went through a disastrous weekend, suffering two narrow losses in California.
Things started to fall apart even before the Ducks left Eugene, as junior standout Shaun Williams was knocked out of the lineup with a concussion. The loss proved to be a major factor as both matches were decided by seven points or less. The Ducks gave up six points with the forfeit at 125 pounds.
“We are a good team and did some really good things,” head coach Chuck Kearney said. “But we’re not quite good enough to wrestle without Shaun and go down 12-0.”
On Friday, Oregon visited No. 22 Fresno State. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 9-0 lead on three decisions, including No. 15 Nathan Vazqeuz’ win over No. 19 Eugene Harris.
The Ducks stole the lead with the bulk of their lineup from 184 pounds to heavyweight. Sophomore Eric Webb knocked off his fifth ranked opponent of the season with an upset over No. 2 Billy Blunt, who was penalized for misconduct.
Senior All-American’s Doug Lee, Chael Sonnen and freshman Luke Larwin all earned victories to take the lead at 14-9.
Fresno State responded by winning the final three matches, beginning with the forfeit at 125 pounds, to win 21-14.
On Sunday, Oregon traveled to nearby San Luis Obispo for a match with Pacific-10 Conference foe Cal Poly. With a 2-6 record, the Mustangs didn’t seem to be much of a threat.
In the opening match, Sonnen led Cal Poly’s David Schenk 11-0 and was only four points away from a technical fall. Schenk then scored a reversal and earned a fluke pin with 2 minutes, 31 seconds remaining to win.
Oregon never regained the lead. After the forfeit at 125 pounds, the Ducks and Mustangs exchanged wins until the 174 pound match, where No. 17 Steve Strange scored an 11-2 major decision over Oregon’s Leif Williams to clinch the match for Cal Poly.
Lee earned a six-point win by disqualification in the final match, but it was too little, too late. Final score: Cal Poly 23, Oregon 20.
Sophomore Casey Hunt earned a 5-3 decision over Aaron Gharst at 141 pounds while Harris earned a 16-7 major decision over Josh Blagg.
Cal Poly won its first conference match and its first over a ranked opponent.
“We’ve got to keep our eye on the prize,” Kearney said. “We’ve go to have short memories and keep preparing for the Pac-10 Championships and the NCAA tournament.”
Oregon fell to 7-6 overall, 4-2 in the Pac-10. It was the Ducks’ third straight loss and second in the conference. The Ducks host Pac-10 leader Arizona State this Friday.