The action on the mat in Carmichael Arena was much more competitive than the scoreboard indicated in the first half of the wrestling doubleheader Saturday.
Though C.D. Mock’s North Carolina team fell to No. 4 Virginia Tech 25-9, the Tar Heels were only a few key points away from giving the Hokies a run for their money.
Freshman Antonio Giorgio only trailed Virginia Tech’s 184-pounder 2-1 at the beginning of the final two minute period before he fell victim to an explosive start and found himself pinned to the mat 20 seconds into the period.
Even freshman Corey Mock in his upset of the defending ACC champion Jesse Dong forfeited two points in the final 10 seconds of the match, costing him the major decision and the team an extra point.
“You put those things back in to it and we go in to heavyweight 15-13 against a team that’s top 10 in the country,” C. D. Mock said.
The Golden Eagles of Clarion were much easier prey for the hungry Tar Heels in the second half of the doubleheader as the Heels took the first three bouts on their way to a 32-10 victory.
Other than Corey Mock, though, redshirt freshman Zac Bennett and redshirt junior Thomas Ferguson were the only other Tar Heels to notch victories against the Hokies. Ferguson came out strong against Matt Epperly, recording a take down and a near fall in the first 20 seconds of the 174-pound bout and never looked back. Epperly won the ACC championship last season in the 165-weight class.
Despite the hot start, coach Mock expected more from Ferguson than the two-point decision he got in the match against the Hokies, and Ferguson admitted that he let himself coast to victory in the first bout. He started his second match with similar intensity but finished off the Golden Eagle with one of his go-to moves.
“I wasn’t expecting the pin at all. I’ve scored a lot of points with that move this year — it’s a roll-through-tilt. I hit it in the first period and saw that he was really close to getting pinned,” Ferguson said.
