Coleman Scott was not happy.
The second home contest for North Carolina’s wrestling team did not go as planned Saturday, as the No. 22 Tar Heels (1-2) fell to No. 6 Nebraska (6-0), 30-6, in a match that was never in doubt.
“You lose five matches, with a deciding takedown in the third period, 0-5," said Scott, a second-year coach. "Tough times call for tough people, and we have zero tough people."
Tim Lambert got things started for the Cornhuskers in the 125-pound weight group, as he pinned sophomore James Szymanski for UNC. Nebraska rolled from there, with No. 4 Eric Montoya winning 14-2 in the 133-pound group against redshirt sophomore Tyrone Klump.
In the 141-pound group, No. 9 Joey Ward got an individual win over No.11 Colton McCrystal of Nebraska. In the 174-pound group, No. 8 Ethan Ramos fought through a tough first round against No. 20 Micah Barnes before blowing ahead in the last two rounds to improve to 3-0 on the year in dual competition.
“Those two can be excluded," Scott said of UNC's two victorious wrestlers. "They’re tough every time. But Ward’s gotta get better. Leaving a kid like that in the match is ridiculous."
The two upperclassmen scored the lone victories on the day for North Carolina. The squad lost eight out of 10 matchups Saturday, including the last three of the competition. In the 184-pound group, No. 3 T.J. Dudley was phenomenal for Nebraska against Elijah Kerr-Brown. Dudley’s combination of speed and strength proved too much for the redshirt first-year, as he scored a tech fall and won 18-1 to give Nebraska a 24-6 advantage.
Scott looks to see improvement from his squad in the next few weeks, as the Tar Heels paricipate in the Southern Scuffle on New Year’s Day in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
“(I want them to) just fight," he said. "Realize that they’re not the only ones that think this is hard and not the only ones going through it."
