A 16-point lead is good enough for most sports, but not in the sport of wrestling. The Oregon wrestling team held a large but not insurmountable lead over Stanford with four matches remaining. That’s when the Ducks delivered their knockout punch.
Consecutive pins by Doug Lee, Chael Sonnen and Eric Webb not only clinched the match for Oregon, but turned it into a rout in front of 418 at McArthur Court Sunday.
Lee, who wrestled for the first time this season, tangled with Stanford’s Harold Penson for 5 minutes, 48 seconds before earning the match-clinching pin. The senior All-American had to sit out Oregon’s first two competitions with a sprained ankle and began practicing only four days ago.
“I was more concerned with my shape than my injury,” Lee said. “The ankle feels great. But I haven’t been able to practice much.”
Sonnen responded with a pin in 5:53 over the Cardinal’s Fred Luminoso to bring the team score to 31-3. The win pushes Sonnen’s season record to 6-0, 2-0 in the Pacific-10 conference.
Webb recorded the third straight pin in 3:14 at the heavyweight position over Brad Selby.
“Everything clicked today,” Webb said. “Following two guys like Doug [Lee] and Chael [Sonnen] in a lineup makes my job easier.”
With the 184, 197 and heavyweight positions filled with three of Oregon’s top wrestlers, the Ducks now have a formidable 1-2-3 punch at the top of their lineup.
“That threesome has put some fear in opponents and coaches,” Oregon head coach Chuck Kearney said. “There’s no place to hide in the top weights.”
Four other Ducks remained undefeated this season. Junior Eugene Harris tossed around the Cardinal’s Shawn Harmon for an 18-6 major decision while improving to 4-0 on the year.
Sophomores Brian Watson and Tony Overstake both earned come-from-behind victories at 133 and 149 pounds, respectively. Watson earned a two-point takedown at the buzzer to edge Justin Walker, 4-3.
Overstake pulled away from Stanford’s Isiah Camp after a back-and-forth battle for a 17-10 decision. Overstake is now 6-0 on the season.
Stanford threatened to score at 165 pounds when the Cardinal’s John Garfinkel led Oregon’s Leif Williams 5-2 with only 44 seconds remaining. Williams then reversed Garfinkel for two points, then earned two near-fall points with 38 seconds remaining to win.
“What [Williams] did tonight was a real positive sign,” Kearney said. “To snag victory from the jaws of defeat will help him turn that psychological corner. It’s just a matter of him discovering that he is a good wrestler.”
Junior Shaun Williams closed out the match with a 10-8 decision against the Cardinal’s Nathan Peterson.
“We’re excited about dominating today,” Kearney said. “But we need to work on opening up the match stronger. We’ve got to increase our opportunity to score and work on being the aggressor.”
The Ducks are now 2-0 in the conference heading into next week’s Civil War matchup with Oregon State. Stanford fell to 2-3 on the season, 0-3 in the Pac-10.