#6 NC State too much for #12 Princeton, cruises to 29-12 win

Popolizio’s guys returned to Reynolds Coliseum for the first time in nearly two months on Saturday, where they played host to the #12 Princeton Tigers. The Tigers represented the toughest test of the dual schedule to date, and the Pack passed with flying colors.

The dual started at 174 pounds, where Daniel Bullard got things rolling with a first period pin. His top game is so nasty, and once he got an early takedown you could tell it was the beginning of the end for Parker. This performance, along with his salute to the crowd, injected some early life into Reynolds and made for a great environment for the rest of the dual.

Trent Hidlay followed this up with a dominating major decision, and just like that the Pack were up 10-0. At 197, a highly-anticipated matchup never really approached competitive as Nick Reenan fell to #3 Pat Brucki via a 13-3 major decision. Brucki is a beast and will compete for a national title this March, so I do not intend to take any credit from him, but it is clear that Reenan still doesn’t fully trust his knee following ACL surgery earlier this year. It’s going to take some time before we see Nick fully-optimized, especially at this new weight class.

At heavyweight, Deonte Wilson picked right back up where he left off from the Southern Scuffle, as he claimed a comfortable 6-1 victory. Then at 125, the Pack sent out backup Tommy Cox to do battle with #3 Pat Glory. Glory won by technical fall to give the Tigers some hope, but that would soon be extinguished by four straight NC State victories.

Among those was a dominant 13-4 major decision for Tariq Wilson. I’ve been particularly harsh of Tariq so far this season, so I will be the first to give him credit - this appeared to be the Tariq of old. He got back to what makes him so special: a high attack rate coupled with a smothering top game. Over four minutes of riding time, and a feet-to-back takedown to close out the match were some of the highlights in Tariq’s game today. Hopefully this is a sign of what’s to come, as the Pack needs their All-American to score some points at ACCs and NCAAs.

The 149 pound bout was over pretty much as soon as it started. A legal slam from Wolfpack wrestler Matt Grippi rendered Mike D’Angelo of Princeton unable to continue, so the Pack claimed the 32-second medical forfeit, and the six team points that come along with it.

At 157, a pair of top-5 wrestlers squared off with #2 Hayden Hidlay taking on #5 Quincy Monday. This was a competitive bout that was simultaneously comfortable for Pack supporters. Hayden always looked in control of the match and that reflected in the 7-2 final score. Princeton claimed the final bout of the afternoon at 165, but their efforts ultimately fell far short. In all, the Pack won 7 of the 10 matches to claim the 29-12 dual victory.

#6 NC State 29-12 Princeton

• 174: #21 Daniel Bullard (NCSU) pin #25 Kevin Parker (PRIN); 1:58 (6-0 NCSU)
• 184: #3 Trent Hidlay (NCSU) major dec. Nate Dugan (PRIN); 18-6 (10-0 NCSU)
• 197: #3 Patrick Brucki (PRIN) major dec. #14 Nick Reenan (NCSU); 13-3 (10-4 NCSU)
• 285: #23 Deonte Wilson (NCSU) dec. Aidan Conner (PRIN); 6-1 (13-4 NCSU)
• 125: #3 Patrick Glory (PRIN) tech fall Tommy Cox (NCSU); 17-2 (13-9 NCSU)
• 133: Jarrett Trombley (NCSU) dec. Ty Agaisse (PRIN); 1-0 (16-9 NCSU)
• 141: #18 Tariq Wilson (NCSU) major dec. Marshall Keller (PRIN); 13-4 (20-9 NCSU)
• 149: Matt Grippi (NCSU) inj. default #9 Mike D’Angelo (PRIN); 0:32 (26-9 NCSU)
• 157: #2 Hayden Hidlay (NCSU) dec. #5 Quincy Monday (PRIN); 7-2 (29-9 NCSU)
• 165: Grant Cuomo (PRIN) dec. #10 Thomas Bullard (NCSU); 7-6 (29-12 NCSU)

The Pack return to the road next weekend with two duals against Drexel (Friday at 7PM) and Hofstra (Saturday at 4PM).