LA GRANDE, Ore. – The first NAIA opponent of the season didn't for (3) University of Providence men's wrestling didn't end up being much of a problem. The Argos beat (RV) Eastern Oregon University 38-9 with 5 pins, and wins against two of EOU's three ranked wrestlers.
 
The Argos certainly came in the favorite but with (11) Isaac Wilson injured at 125 the team was particularly vulnerable in the first few weight classes which is EOU's strength. True to form, the Mountaineers swept the first three matches, but not by nearly as much as they could have.
 
Transfer junior Dorian Sapien squared off against (9) Mhar Cabella and only lost by a 7-4 decision. Sophomore Eli Walston put up a strong fight in a high scoring 133 match, that went into sudden victory after the score was tied 15-15 through three periods. He gave up a takedown in overtime for a 17-15 decision loss. Next was redshirt-sophomore Jarren Komac at 141 who also lost by decision (10-3).
 
"We knew we were going to be a little out-gunned in the first few matches, but I'll tell you what, our little guys hung on okay against some of the best kids in the country," Head Coach Caleb Schaeffer said. "That was really exciting to see and Eli is really solidifying his spot at 133."
 
Komac's loss put UP behind 9-0 but that would be the team's last loss of the night. The Argos rallied off 7 wins and 38 points to close the dual.
 
That run started off with (5) Shonn Roberts scoring over and over again at 149. The 2016-17 All-American scored 1 takedown and 3 4-point near falls to lead 14-0 at the end of the first period. He let his opponent escape to start the second period and then got another takedown to end the match in a Technical Fall (16-1).
 
The 157 weight class was featured one of two matches between two ranked wrestlers. UP's (7) Casey Dobson squared off against (11) Drake Randall who wrestled for rival Montana State University-Northern last year. When the two faced each other in a dual between the Argos and MSUN early in the 2016-17 season, Randall beat Dobson 5-2.
 
This time around, Dobson wasted no time establishing who was the better wrestler. He scored the first point of the match with an early take and then turned that into a pin, winning by Fall (1:12). That was the first of UP's 5 pins.
 
"Randall gave up fits last year when he was at Northern," Schaeffer said. "That was a big win and a big pin for Casey."
 
Of the five Argo wrestlers left, redshirt-sophomore Gage Bentley was the only one to not pin his opponent, but he still came up with a win. The 165 match was a close one in the first period, with EOU's Marco Retano getting an early takedown on Bentley. The Argo was able to get a reversal on that takedown and held a 4-3 lead at the end of the first three minutes.
 
Bentley wasn't dominant in the next two periods, but he was clearly in control of the match, earning 3 more takedowns for a 12-6 minor decision win.
 
Then the pin party really started. (7) Adrian Lions-Lopez took about 30 seconds to adjust to the length of Jacob Dupuis at 174 and then made his move, getting a takedown that eventually turned into a win by Fall (2:45). The JUCO All-American has won each of his first two matches as an Argo with pins.
 
Redshirt-sophomore (8) Randy Keesler wrestled up a weight class with Lions-Lopez taking the 174 slot but it didn't seem to make much of a difference. Keesler looked poised for a technical fall victory, getting a takedown and then letting his opponent escape to set up another quality shot. Halfway through the second period, Keesler had 5 takedowns and a 4-point near fall but he did one better than a tech fall. With 57 seconds left in the period, he finally got his opponents should on the mat for a win by Fall (4:03).
 
The 197 weight class featured two returning All-Americans with UP's (4) John Hensley going up against EOU's (T9) Eric Fan from EOU. Most of the match was rather conservative with the skills of each wrestler canceling the other out. Fan came close to a takedown a couple times but Hensley was able to squirm out just in time.
 
With a slim 3-0 lead in the second period, Fan took another shot that Hensley countered and eventually the two went falling to the mat with Hensley on top and he took advantage, forcing a pin to win by Fall (4:35).
 
"To get a fall there was absolutely huge, to dominate that match against a returning All-American," Schaeffer said. "That just shows you how far he has come since last year."
 
That left junior (10) Matt Hopkins with the pressure to keep the pin streak going at 285. In 2016-17 Hopkins was really a 197 wrestler, but often wrestled up a class in dual to let Hensley handle the 197 spot. This year he bulked up and is a true heavy weight.
 
With the strength of a heavyweight and the quickness of a lanky 197, the junior established his superiority right away. He earned 2 takedowns and almost had his pin with a 2-point near fall before getting the pin for real at 2:16).
 
"You know what, these guys are going to be a lot of fun to watch all year. They're getting a lot of bonus points and having a lot of fun," Schaeffer said. "They enjoy wrestling and enjoy being together. They're going to be a joy to coach this year."
 
Dating back to last year, the Argos are 15-2 in duals and 2-0 this season. The team's 38 points against EOU was the highest point total in a dual for the program since February 12, 2015. Next up for the Argos will a dual against longstanding rival, (17) MSU-Northern in the team's home opener on November 8 at 7 p.m. in the McLaughlin Center.