Rizqallah Falls In First Round at NCAA Championships
3/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
ST. LOUIS - Fifth-year senior John Rizqallah, who is making his third consecutive appearance at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at 184 pounds, dropped a hard-fought match to third-seeded Blake Stauffer of Arizona State, 4-1, in Thursday's first round at the Scottrade Center.
Stauffer, the reigning Pac-12 Champion who has won 25 straight matches, improved his record to 32-1, while Rizqallah fell to 17-13.
With the first period nearly coming to a scoreless close, Stauffer recorded a takedown with just eight seconds left near the edge of the circle to take a 2-0 lead into the second period.
Although Rizqallah escaped midway through the second to cut the deficit to 2-1, Stauffer managed to rack up more than a minute of riding time.
In the third period, Stauffer quickly escaped to make it 3-1. In the closing seconds of the final period, Rizqallah had his best opportunity for a takedown, but Stauffer held him off in a near stalemate before the clock ran out.
Rizqallah will wrestle later tonight in the second session of the NCAA Wrestling Championships in the consolation round. Live coverage is available at WatchESPN.com and TrackWrestling.com.
Players Mentioned
