After dominating Cal State Bakersfield and Fresno State on Friday, Oregon (6-4 overall, 4-3 Pacific-10 Conference) matches up against Stanford and UC Davis this afternoon.
Stanford (5-4, 2-1 Pac-10) lost 38-6 against UC Davis on Jan. 27th, its first Pac-10 defeat. The Cardinal scored its only points because of a UC Davis forfeit.
At 165 pounds, No. 6 Joey Bracamonte will try to continue his undefeated season against Stanford senior Ray Blake.
Bracamonte plans to “attack him from start to finish,” he said.
Last Friday Shane Webster was able to slow down and work.
Aware of a lack of competition, Webster “worked on a few moves” and will do the same this weekend, he said. He will take on Stanford team captain Ryan Hagen (3-14, 1-6 Pac-10).
Oregon’s heavyweight Chris Dearmon is riding the momentum of last week’s match against former Duck and current Fresno State wrestler Cody Parker.
“I gotta build from that, and I gotta wrestle like that every time,” Dearmon said. “It can’t just be a one time thing, it’s gotta be the rest of the season.”
Dearmon, who beat his former sparring partner 7-3, will try to match his intensity in today’s matches against Stanford and UC Davis. Against Stanford, Dearmon wrestles Jared Boyer, who is 5-13 on the season, and at UC Davis he faces either Broc Maffia or Evan Hendrix. Neither of his opponents today have winning records on the season.
“We kind of realize what we can do and what we can accomplish,” Dearmon said. “We just need to pick it up from here and head into Pac-10s with some confidence.”
Fresh off their win against Stanford, the Aggies (4-6, 2-2 Pac-10) will offer difficult contests.
At 174 pounds, UC Davis’ No. 8 Ken Cook will attempt to improve on his team-leading 19 wins against the Ducks. UC Davis’ Marcos Orozco presents a challenge for Ryan Dunn at 125 pounds. Dunn’s energy has fueled the Ducks to control the lighter weight classes in recent matches. The 125-pound redshirt freshman will look to continue his competitiveness. Redshirt freshman Tyler Bernacchi is No. 6 in the Pac-10 and is tied in tournament wins on the season with the Aggies’ Cook. Last season Webster moved from 174 pounds to 184 pounds. The senior has settled into the 184 pound weight class this season.
He is ranked among the best in the nation.
Justin Pearch, third in the Pac-10 at 133 pounds, will take on UC Davis’ No. 4 Omar Gaitan in a key matchup. Pearch just returned from an injury to wrestle against Cal State last Friday, but his coaches hope he will last through both matches for the Ducks. He wants to get back into winning form as he “strives for a national championship,” he said.
The Ducks’ Skyler Woods will wrestle No. 7 Derek Moore of UC Davis for the nightcap at 141 pounds. In the Aggies’ last match, Moore pinned his opponent in five minutes and 50 seconds. He leads the Aggies with five victories by pin for the season.
Oregon senior Chet McBee will look to upset the Aggies, and score some big points in what may be a close matchup.Next Friday the Ducks face Oregon State in the Civil War.