The only way Seymour’s Ed Ramirez could have been more dominant in his 120-pound match was if he scored a pin.
He was so thorough against Scottsburg opponent Trey Smith, Ramirez’s 15-0 plurality gave him an early decision in Thursday night’s dual wrestling showdown with the visiting Warriors.
“I was kind of trying for the pin, but I didn’t get it,” Ramirez said.
A mixture of forfeits from both sides balanced with some key victories from Ramirez and Brody Shipley at 220 pounds provided Seymour with a 41-30 victory and possession of “The Big Shoe,” a traveling trophy emblematic of the competition between the schools.
Given tight restrictions on attendance due to the coronavirus, this was probably the smallest crowd of such a match.
More than anything, Seymour wanted some action, and coach Adam Wolka worried when Brown County called in sick to the meet.
Two guys competing 100 pounds apart on the scale scored the Owls’ biggest wins. Making weight is a constant element in amateur wrestling. Ramirez is always paranoid he will go over, so he skipped lunch and said he would only snack on an egg later so as not to gain weight before the next meet Saturday.
Wolka tells him to eat, saying Ramirez takes unnecessary extreme precautions and then weighs in five pounds light.
“He gets nervous,” Wolka said.
Ramirez said he knew it would help the team to pick up as many extra points as he could.
“My goal was to pin him and not get pinned,” he said. “I just kept getting the near fall. ”
It wasn’t as if the crowd egged him on. The sounds of silence enveloped Lloyd Scott Gymnasium.
“I kind of do (miss the cheers),” Ramirez said. “It’s more fun with the cheers.”
Wolka gave Shipley a prematch pep talk, which boiled down to “You can take this guy” speeches.
Shipley scored a pin over Brice Mack in 26 seconds.
“Before I went out, coach said, ‘Go out there, get a takedown and a pin,'” Shipley said. “I was surprised I got it done like that.”
Shipley does not have making-weight difficulties, weighing in four pounds under.
At times, he takes pleasure teasing teammates about their weight challenges, Wolka said.
“He likes to tease them,” Wolka said. “He’ll come in and say, ‘I drank six Gatorades and ate two pizzas.'”
Scottsburg was undermanned with only seven grapplers, but those who came performed well.
“They won more head to head,” Wolka said. “Ed and Brody had great matches.”
Ramirez said he would celebrate with any treats so he wouldn’t run into weight troubles Saturday. But maybe after that.
“No, no milkshakes tonight,” Ramirez said. “Maybe Sunday.”
Wrestling at Seymour
Seymour 41, Scottsburg 30
113 pounds: Rolando Baltazar (Owls) win by fall 1:51 over Kellen Carter (Warriors)
120: Ed Ramirez (O) win 15-0, 3:37 over Trey Smith
126: Jayden Criswell (W) def. Chase Rogers (O)
132: Luis Nicolas (O) win by forfeit
138: Ben Kriete (O) win by forfeit
145: Gage Muse (W) win by fall, 3:57 over Alex Schlatterer (O)
152: Collin Hankins (O) win by forfeit
160: Alex Martinez (O) win by forfeit
170: Hunter Richart (W) win by fall, 1:11 over Lalo Bustos (O)
220: Brody Shipley (O) win by fall at 26 seconds over Brice Mack (W)
285: Ben Craig (W) win by forfeit