Muleskinner

Issue date: 2/7/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Drew Woolery: Muleskinner Hudson picks up his opponent. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Drew Woolery: Muleskinner Banner [Click to enlarge]

In the match between Central Missouri's Jeremy Hudson and Fort Hays State's Shawn Kuhlman, the scorekeeper couldn't get the time on the scoreboard to read the time.

Twice the match was paused until the referee and coaches could help him.

Although Central Missouri came off a notable 35-12 win over the No. 13 Missouri Baptist last Thursday, this dual belonged to Fort Hays from the start.

Just like the scorekeeper, the Mules had some difficulties during Senior Night on Saturday at the Multipurpose Building. For the five seniors who took part: Hudson, Vince Bertecci, Jesse Sheets, and Adam West, it was disappointing.

West was out with a neck injury and was replaced by Caleb Hulse. He lost to Kyle Patton in the first dual.

Then, the Mules' Marcus Walker turned the tables on his opponent, Blake Fisher, who put up the first point in the match with an escape. But Walker, 7-11, answered back with a reversal that turned the momentum in his favor.

"It was the turning point in the match," Walker said. "At a certain point in the match I made a mistake, and I had to redeem myself."

Walker went on to get the pin, putting the Mules up 6-3.

The Tigers soon retook the lead when Sheets, who was recovering from a cut elbow, injured his hamstring, and he couldn't recover as he lost due to the injury. By that time Fort Hays was up 19-6 and didn't look back.

Jeremy Hudson got the next win for the Mules. Beginning the match, Hudson took control, getting the first takedown on Kuhlman.

"The coach always tells you to get the first takedown, and set the tone of the match, so that's what I try to do," Hudson said. "It [the takedown] felt good. I thought it was a relief. After that, you can breathe a little bit and you can wrestle."

"There is a lot of stuff that he is still learning," said coach Robin Ersland. "There was one of the finishes on the takedown, tonight where nobody has shown him that before, so now he's trying to figure it out."

Hudson won 11-6 over Kuhlman, but the Tigers kept coming. The rest of the Mules lost their matches including favored Vince Bertucci.

"The guy [Bertucci] has next is nationally ranked, and then we go to Central Oklahoma and he wrestles last year's national runner-up," said Ersland. "He's going to have to step it up, and take his wrestling to a whole different level."

Fort Hays won the dual 28-9. Injuries along with some mistakes played a role. Even with back-up wrestlers like Walker stepping up, the team still looks for answers.

"We have really been bitten by the injury bug," Ersland said. "Adam West is hurt. He's out for the season. Sheets has a bad hamstring that is pretty severe. I don't know how fast he'll be able to come back from that."

The Mules' next three duals of the season will be on the road. The first will be tonight, when the Mules takes on Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at 7 p.m.

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