No. 8 NC State dominates Duke on the mat, 46-3

RALEIGH With the cheerleaders and the band in the house, the No. 8 NC State wrestling team matched the energy in Reynolds Coliseum.

Coming off its first loss of the season, the Wolfpack (11-1, 1-1) jumped all over the Duke Blue Devils (3-8, 0-2) in front of 2,605 fans, winning 46-3.

In the last two seasons, NC State has defeated Duke by a combined score of 89-3.

The Pack extends its winning streak over the Blue Devils to eight matches. The average margin of victory during that streak has been 36-6.

Breaking out the pyro and fire for the first time this year, the Pack wrestlers did their part to energy high on the mat.

NC State won nine straight matches, seven of them by fall or major decision, to take control early in the night.

"Great atmosphere for college wrestling," Pack head coach Pat Popolizio said. "Our fan base continues to show up and expand. That's critical as we keep moving forward with our program and competing against higher level teams."

The dual started at the 125 class and junior Jarrett Trombley wasted little time, pinning Ethan Grimminger with 10 seconds remaining in the first period.

Kai Orine was just as dominant for the Pack in the 133 class, using a couple of late four-point near falls en route to a 21-1 win over Logan Agin.

Ryan Jack and Jackson Arrington had consecutive major decisions before Ed Scott pinned Logan Ferrero in the 157 class.

Popolizio inserted some new faces into the starting lineup against the Blue Devils and they didn't disappoint.

Luke Ahrberg defeated Gabe Dinette 7-2 in the 165 class and Dylan Fishback got his first pin at home this season, defeating Luke Chakonis in the 184.

Isaac Trumble followed Fishback's pin with one of his own, coming at the same time stamp as Fishback (1:55, first period). The crowd enjoyed every minute of the route, keeping that energy high all night.

"You can see the guys appreciate it," Popolizio said. "They want to go out there and put on a show for people."

The wins by ranked wrestlers Scott and Trumble were a welcomed sight for the fans after the two suffered losses last week in Blacksburg.

Popolizio was never concerned about how they would respond.

"We have such good competitors," Popolizio said. "A lot of season left and all the goals the guys set are still in front of them. We just have to keep getting better week to week."

No. 8 NC State 46, Duke 3
125: No. 26 Jarrett Trombley (NCSU) def. Ethan Grimminger, Fall 2:50
133: No. 25 Kai Orine (NCSU) def. Logan Agin, 21-1, Tech Fall
141: No. 5 Ryan Jack (NCSU) def. Christian Colman, 13-4, Major dec.
149: No. 17 Jackson Arrington (NCSU) def. Patrick Rowland, 10-2, Major dec
157: No. 7 Ed Scott (NCSU) def. Logan Ferrero, Fall
165: Luke Ahrberg (NCSU) def. Gabe Dinette, 7-2 dec.
174: No. 31 Alex Faison (NCSU) vs. Conor Becker, Forfeit
184: Dylan Fishback (NCSU) vs. Luke Chakonis, Fall
197: No. 6 Isaac Trumble (NCSU) def. Brayden Ray, Fall
285: No. 22 Jonah Niesenbaum def. Tyrie Houghton (NCSU), 5-4 dec.

Up next: NC State travels to Virginia on Feb. 3

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Players Mentioned

Luke Ahrberg

Jackson Arrington

Alex Faison

Dylan Fishback

Ryan Jack

Kai Orine

Ed Scott

Jarrett Trombley

Isaac Trumble