Penn State’s Young Stars Shine as Ohio State Falls Short in Key Bouts
UNIVERSITY PARK - Ohio State came into Thursday night’s dual with a clear game plan: take the early momentum and ride it into an upset over top-ranked Penn State. But when the first two matches didn’t go their way, the Buckeyes found themselves in a hole too deep to climb out of - especially without some key names in the lineup.
At 125 pounds, it was a marquee matchup between No. 1 Luke Lilledahl and No.
2 Nic Bouzakis - and it delivered. Lilledahl, just a freshman, showed poise beyond his years, securing a takedown in sudden victory to win 4-1.
The win not only keeps Lilledahl undefeated against non-teammates this season, but also locks in his spot atop the national rankings heading into next week.
Then came the 133-pound clash, and again, it was Penn State’s freshman phenom who rose to the occasion. No.
4 Marcus Blaze battled through a cut and outlasted No. 2 Ben Davino in a gritty 3-2 win that went into the second tiebreaker.
Blaze, another true freshman, remains unbeaten at 18-0 on the season - with seven of those wins coming against top-20 opponents. He’s not just surviving in the college ranks - he’s thriving.
These two bouts were circled on every wrestling fan’s calendar, and they lived up to the hype. For Ohio State, though, losing both was a gut punch. The Buckeyes knew they needed to flip one - if not both - to stand a real chance against a deep and dominant Nittany Lions squad.
And that was before you consider the absences.
Ohio State was without three key starters: No. 1 Brandon Cannon (157), No.
6 Ethan Stiles (149), and No. 4 Carson Kharchla (174).
That’s a trio with serious firepower, and without them, the Buckeyes were fighting uphill all night.
Lilledahl now sits at 16-1 on the year, with four wins over top-15 opponents. His only loss came in November at the Black Knight Invitational - and it wasn’t to just anyone. It was to teammate Nate Desmond, who got the best of him in a rare intrasquad clash.
Blaze, meanwhile, continues to justify his billing as the No. 1 overall recruit in the country coming out of Perrysburg High School in Ohio. He’s been as advertised - and then some.
Both Lilledahl and Blaze passed their biggest tests of the season so far, and chances are, we haven’t seen the last of these matchups. With the Big Ten and NCAA Championships just weeks away, don’t be surprised if these names headline some of the biggest bouts on the biggest stages.