By Stephani Bee

For the Daily Titan 

A Cal Poly SLO wrestler takes down a CSUF wrestler in a match. Photo by Ron Fu/Daily Titan Staff Photographer.

Unranked in the preseason, the Titans lost to No. 26 Cal Poly San Louis Obispo, 26-13, on Saturday at Titan Gym.

It was the season opener for both teams. Kicking off the wrestling season for the Titans was Todd Noel, wrestling in the 174-pound division against Ryan DesRoches.  

Holding a deadlock for the first 45 seconds, Noel started to gain momentum, earning a takedown in each of the first two rounds. DesRoches would go on to make two takedowns of his own and three escapes, winning 7-4.

Mustang sophomore Ryan Smith took on Titan freshman Dylan Klink in the 197-pound match. 

Smith took control of the match early, earning two takedowns, with Klink responding with two escapes.  

In the second period, Smith quickly took down Klink, flexing his power with three more takedowns and holding tight to a 10-4 lead. 

Playing escape artist, Klink managed two more escapes in the third period, but it was not enough to overcome Smith, who had surged ahead by 10 points, winning the match 16-6.

The first action for ranked individuals came in the heavyweight division, as CSUF junior Kurt Klimek, ranked 33 in the nation, was pitted against Cal Poly SLO sophomore Lenny Romero.

This was not their first meeting. Klimek had a history of facing Romero, beginning when he was a high school sophomore.

Taking Romero down halfway through the first period, Klimek shifted momentum in his favor for the second period, which he began with a booming takedown of Romero.  

Though Romero was able to escape a lunging Klimek in the third round, he was unable to hold off for long, as Romero was corralled and again overpowered by Klimek, who easily won the match 10-2.

Despite being a ranked wrestler, Klimek had not felt any additional pressure in trying to win the match. On the contrary, it made him work harder and focus on the task at hand.

“It (being ranked) only put pressure on me to work harder,” Klimek said after the match. “I have a really good guy who comes and works with me and got a game plan for today. The guy I wrestled with, I’d wrestled about a month ago, so I knew what he was going to try to do. He came at me hard for the first minute, so I just weathered the storm.”

A Cal Poly SLO and CSUF wrestler tangle up during a match at Titan Gym. Photo by Ron Fu/Daily Titan Staff Photographer.

The highlight of the match came in the lightest division of the day, as 125-pound CSUF wrestler Andre Gonzalez took on Micah Ferguson, who have also squared off against one another in previous years.

After earning a 2-0 lead on a takedown, control slipped away from Gonzalez, who fell behind 4-2. Wrapped up by Ferguson in the second period, Gonzalez escaped his arms and evened the match with a takedown of his own.

  “The second round I avenged myself,” Gonzalez said. “I told myself to stick to the game plan. I’d been working for this match for a couple of weeks, so I kept telling myself, ‘Stick to the game plan. Stick to the game plan.’”

As the final seconds of the period ticked away, Gonzalez overtook Ferguson, pinning him as the crowd roared its approval and teammates cheered on the sidelines, a gesture that Gonzalez appreciated.

“It was exhilarating to have the crowd backing me up, screaming for you,” he said.

Pronounced the winner, Gonzalez leaped into the arms of Assistant Coach Risto Marttinen.

Head Coach Dan Hicks was quick to describe Gonzalez’s pin as one of the highlights of the match.

“That was the first time he had beaten him,” Hicks said. “I’m really proud of him.”

The lone match in which there were two ranked individuals was found in the 141-pound weight class, with CSUF’s Adin Duenas, ranked 25, and Cal Poly SLO’s Filip Novachkov, ranked 16, took to the mats in one of the more anticipated battles.

 Both wrestlers exploded out of the gate, but it was Novachkov who earned the first takedown.  

After a crafty flip by Duenas, Novachkov was again able to record another takedown. Duenas closed the gap to 7-5 in the second period, but Novachkov took control in the third round, earning five more points and winning 12-7.  

In the final match of the day, representing Cal Poly SLO, Steven Vazquez took on CSUF’s Clayton Schuelke in the 165-pound bout. Vasquez was quick in recording two takedowns, although Schuelke responded to both takedowns with escapes.

Schuelke’s escapes were not enough to stack up to Vasquez though, as the Mustangs had six takedowns in his 13-6 victory.

Hicks felt that the Titans had opportunities to win and wasn’t pleased that they failed to capitalize.

“I wasn’t too happy with a couple of the guys who had a chance to win but didn’t wrap it up,” Hicks said. “I think we had a chance to win, and I was real disappointed that we let it slip off.”