ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The No.9 ranked Parkside Wrestling team traveled to St. Cloud, Minn. to compete against No.3 ranked St. Cloud State on Thursday night. The Rangers came away with an upset victory in a close match by a final score of 20-19. The Rangers gave St. Cloud State their first home loss since 2010 and their first NSIC conference loss since 2011; also ending the streak of 88-straight conference dual victories for St. Cloud State.
 
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HOW IT HAPPENED
The night began in the 125-pound class where freshman and No.9 ranked Shane Corrigan got the upset party started as he knocked off No.6 ranked Paxton Crees in an 11-3 Major Decision. This marks Corrigan's fifth major decision of the season and his first win over a ranked opponent. At 133-pounds, sophomore Matthew Chi made his second dual appearance of the season but ultimately fell to No.12 ranked Caleb Meekins, giving the Huskies a 6-4 lead. 

Redshirt sophomore Cayden Henschel got the Rangers back on track with a 5-3 decision over the No.8 ranked Alyeus Craig. This was Henschel's first win over a ranked opponent this season. At 149-pounds, redshirt sophomore and No.10 ranked Jalen Spuhler came away with a huge upset over No.4 ranked Joey Bianchini by 12-6 decision. No.12 ranked redshirt sophomore Ben Durocher lost in the 157-pound matchup to No.4 ranked Nick Novak by 5-2 decision. Through five matches, the Rangers held onto a 10-9 lead.

At 165-pounds, redshirt senior Shane Gantz, who came into the night with a 21-0 record and ranked No.1 in the country, was taken into overtime where he came away with a 9-7 victory. Following the 174-pound matchup, the Huskies took over the lead after sophomore Crosby Schlosser lost due to a technical fall in the fourth minute. No.10 ranked redshirt sophomore Reece Worachek won the 184-pound matchup by a 6-3 decision. Freshman Joe Swanson returned to action in the 197-pound class but lost on a technical fall to No.4 ranked Dominic Murphy. 

Going into the heavyweight matchup, the Huskies lead the Rangers 19-16. Meaning the final match was a must-win for both top-ten programs. It was redshirt sophomore and No.10 ranked Lloyd Reynolds up for the Rangers. Through three periods, the match was tied 1-1 with both wrestlers scoring on an evasion. In the first overtime, Reynolds was able to keep one foot in-bounds as he scored a takedown in front of the scorers table to win the match 3-1 by sudden victory.

With the match being tied 19-19, the final point came down to criteria. This means the Rangers earned the winning point due to them winning six total matches to the Huskies four. The Rangers move to 2-0 in conference as they hand the Huskies their first NSIC loss since January 27^th, 2011. This win also snaps a streak of 88 consecutive conference wins for the Huskies. A total of three matches featured an upset over a nationally ranked opponent, and all three came from Parkside. 

Two wrestlers competed for extra work at the end of the match, both redshirt sophomore's, Jason Guadarrama and Jordan Craft. Craft returns home with a 6-2 decision and improves his record to 8-5 on the season. Guadarrama finished the night with a pin for the Rangers just 1:41 into the match. This pin is his ninth of the season as he moves to 11-5. 
 
HEAR FROM COACH BECKER
"Tonight was an incredible moment for these guys and our program. A lot of head to head ranked match-ups and we were able to come out on top. I couldn't be more proud of the fight they brought and how they battled. Although, the battle was won in the months leading up to this match. How these guys live their lives is what won them this dual meet. 
We have 20+ guys back home who I want to thank for pushing our starters. Sometimes it's not easy being the backup and we couldn't have won without our entire team. 
I have a ton of respect for Coach Costanzo and his program. They have built a dynasty over the years and that is what we look to do here. We won the battle tonight but there is a lot more wrestling to go this season. Lastly, thank you to all our families, alumni, and fans for your continued support!"
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Rangers will return home to face Augustana in De Simone Arena on Friday January 20^th at 7 p.m.