Brock Sundlie didn’t do the math before he took to the mat Tuesday. But he liked how Ozark winning eight of its first 10 matches with Nixa added up to a 43-32 triumph for the Tigers.
With Ozark holding a 37-12 lead, Sundlie clinched a Tigers victory with a pin at 170 pounds.
“I was focused on my match, so I didn’t really put (the points) together until after,” he said.
Sundlie (17-6) put himself in position for a cradle and a pin at the 3:51 mark against Nixa’s Cole Crahan (12-11).
“He’s good in neutral. He has a strong stance and is hard to break,” Sundlie said. “I had to work him until I found that opening. I found the opening and took it.
“The cradle is one my top three moves,” he added. “I practice it a lot and felt good about it once I clenched it.”
Sundlie was coming off an idle weekend, as Ozark competed at the Branson Tournament.
“I had some soreness to fight through, so I took it easy during the Branson Tournament,” Sundlie said. “It was tough sitting out, but I got to watch my teammates wrestle and Braxton (Strick) beating a No. 1-ranked guy was a big deal and fun to watch. It feels good to be back.
“I like wrestling for the team more than I do individually,” he added. “It’s more fun when you have a group of people you’re wrestling for. I was really excited tonight about (Levi Maskrod’s) win. That kind turned the tide for our team.”
Maskrod (19-10) posted the upset of the night. He avenged a loss to Nixa’s Aidan Ward from earlier this season by pulling out a 7-6 victory at 132. Ward beat Maskrod by a majority decision 13-0 at the Kansas City Stampede last month.
“Between then and now, I’ve worked past being in my own head before a match,” Maskrod said. “I was kind of nervous before our first match. I was excited for the opportunity at a rematch tonight. I had it in my mind that I had to work hard for my team.”
Ward (15-6) had a winning streak of six matches end.
Maskrod was also pleased not to make mistakes he’s made in the past that left him vulnerable to opposing takedowns.
“When I shoot too soon before getting in good position, I give up bad takedowns,” he said. “I didn’t give up bad takedowns tonight. I also needed to fight hard in neutral because that’s where I could close the gap.”
Ozark coach Tod Sundlie shuffled his lineup a bit by moving Strick from 152 to 160 and inserting Alex Shephard at 152.
Shephard responded with a win by fall in 4:34 against Nixa’s Porter Osborne.
“The plan was to tire him out, basically and then hopefully I would score on him after that. He had technical strength more than physical strength. When I got the half(-nelson) in, I could feel he was tired.”
Damien Moseley (106), Caden Harrington (113), Lucas Campbell (145) and Strick also all recorded a pin for Ozark.
Nixa received pins from Zan Fugitt (120), Peyton Moore (126), Avry Rutherford (182) and Brennan Carey (195). John Gholson (220) won by majority decision and Charles Speake (285) won 5-2.
Ozark has beaten Nixa three years in a row.
Ozark 43, Nixa 32
106: Damien Moseley (O) pinned Logan Flemming (N) 1:37; 113: Caden Harrington (O) pinned Sam Mayes (N) 1:07; 120: Zan Fugitt (N) pinned Keaton Hurst (O) 1:24; 126: Peyton Moore (N) pinned Jovanni Balsamo (O) :19; 132: Levi Maskrod (O) def. Aidan Ward (N) 7-6; 138: Nolan Moeller (O) majority dec. Dylan Webster 12-0; 145: Lucas Campbell (O) pinned Nate Brower (N) 3:44; 152: Eric Shephard (O) pinned Porter Osborne (N) 4:34; 160: Braxton Strick (O) pinned Alexander Bewley (N) 2:24; 170: Brock Sundlie (O) pinned Cole Crahan (N) 3:51; 182: Avry Rutherford (N) pinned Johnny Williams (O) 2:58); 195: Brennan Carey (N) pinned Hudson Kissee (O) 1:08; 220: John Gholson (N) tech. fall Peyton Greer (O) 19-4; 285: Charles Speake (N) def. Sean Collins (O) 5-2.
