CHATTANOOGA---It's Match Week No. 6 in the Southern Conference schedule for the Chattanooga Mocs. This one brings final two duals of the regular season and final prep for the Southern Conference Championships. The league is hosting this year's event March 7-8 (Fri-Sat) in Asheville, N.C.
 
Resources for the Week Ahead: Notes | Stats | Indiana | Bellarmine
 
A Look Back
Talk about an exciting weekend. The Mocs had just one bout but my oh my was it a doozy. The Gardner-Webb Bulldogs jumped out to a 14-0 lead and 17-3 through six matches when the Mocs steamrolled through the "heavys" with three tech falls and an emphatic major decision at 285 to steal the win, 22-17.
 
Match Stories: Gardner-Webb
 
Match Slate This Week
Friday, Feb. 21: Indiana | Maclellan Gym | 7 p.m. | Series History
Sunday, Feb. 23: Bellarmine | Maclellan Gym | 2 p.m. | Series History
 
Turning the Page
Redshirt freshman Ethan Vergara got the "monkey off his back" this weekend's win over the Bulldogs. In the squad's three conference losses, the final result was clinched in a loss at 285. While there are 10 matches, so each student-athlete contributes to the results equally, it does bear an extra burden that "Big E" has carried. He shed that in a big way with a 12-2 major decision with the team on his broad shoulders again.
 
Afterwards he shared this with GoMocs.com. "I've been struggling a lot with that. The past four or five duals have come down to me, and I haven't pulled through. I think this time around, I thought a lot more about my team than myself. I feel like I get in my own head a lot, so I thought maybe I might just think about only my brothers and my coaches in this program. It goes way beyond just myself and my matches, although it is my match out there, I gotta put it all on for my family, so it feels really good."
 
Forgotten Man
Caught up in the match's finish Sunday was a key win in the middle of the tough start. Noah Castillo took the mat with his squad down 14-0 and nearly got an extra point in righting the ship. His 13-7 triumph got the Mocs a vital three points in a 22-17 win. Flipping that decision turns it into a 20-19 loss. It's easy to get caught up in the "Tech Train" from 174-197 and the Vergara victory, but don't forget Castillo's key decision.
 
Notable

• Undefeated in SoCon matches: Kamdyn Munro (7-0) & Noah Castillo (7-0).
• True freshman Landon Jones did a thing Sunday. He moved up TWO weight classes for his first career SoCon dual. Gardner-Webb did not have its regular starter at 197 available, so they bumped up starting 184 Jackson Potts after Munro was announced to get an edge. Jones went out and earned five points with a tech fall in an impressive performance putting the Mocs ahead for the first time, 18-17.
• We mention this in every story it seems, but it is remarkable. Munro has scored 37 of a possible 42 points in his seven SoCon dual wins.
• Desiante's 48 dual points scored leads the team. Munro is second with 43 followed by Castillo and Blake Boarman (36).
• 174 (13-2 between Desiante & Jones) holds a 2-match advantage over the 11-4 mark by the 157s (Castillo/Tavian Camper/Cavarius Liddie) is the battle for top class in 2024-25.
• Despite the 5-9 record and heavily laden schedule with ranked opposition, the Mocs are just -3 in dual score for the season amassing 312 points to 315 by opponents. That's 22.29 to 22.50 average score to date.

 
What They're Saying
Coach Kyle Ruschell on how quickly the season has gone:
" It's like that every year because you're just so involved from week to week, and you're getting ready for the next competition. And then the next competition. You're just kind of gearing up each weekend and before you know it, it's over. So yeah, it's wild that it's here."
 
Ruschell on Jones stepping up in a big way at 197:
"'Bones' really stepped up to the challenge. That's what we saw when we were recruiting him. He wrestled up at some tournaments because they needed people in that weight class, and we saw him just go after it and go after people. And that's what we loved about him when we saw him in recruiting. So, we knew we could put him in this situation, and he would wrestle hard."
 
Ruschell on what he hopes to gain from this final tune up to the SoCon Championships:
"Seeing that what we're working on is starting to translate in these matches. We only have these last two competitions to make sure that we're tightening up the screws and letting us know what we need to work on. Ultimately, all competition until conference and Nationals is just data gathering. Hopefully, we're turned in the right direction and come March we're peaking at the right time."
 
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