Friend turns foe at scrimmage

For an intrasquad scrimmage, the IU wrestling team took their opponents very seriously. One wrestler was even sent to the emergency room for stitches. \nThe Hoosiers opened their season Saturday with an intrasquad scrimmage between the two best wrestlers in each weight class. Although they were wrestling teammates, the guys didn't hold much back.\n"We wrestle the same guys every day," senior Viktor Sveda said. "Today you had a little more on the line."\nSveda is a two-time All-American. He defeated freshman Andy Rios 10-4 in the 184-pound class. Other returning wrestlers also fared well on Saturday. All-American junior Greg Schaefer won a closely contested 125-pound bout 7-3 over freshman Joe Dubuque. \n"It's a good way to get your feet wet," Schaefer said. "It's more mental though. You go through the steps like you would in a real meet."\nThere were two semifinal matches in the 174-pound class with freshman Brady Richardson defeating freshman Jack Barnhisel 10-7 in the first. In the other semifinal, sophomore Andrew Wolf pinned freshman Mike DeBartolo in 2:32. Wolf would later defeat Richardson 11-0 in the final match.\nNCAA-qualifier sophomore Coyte Cooper recorded a technical fall, 24-7, over freshman Steve Warther.\n"This meet gives you the taste of competition," Cooper said. "It makes you be sure you are near weight."\nAt 133, freshman Cameron Sakon defeated freshman J.P. Stanley 4-3. Sophomore Steve Amy outlasted junior Jason Bader 7-2 at 149.\nIt was in the 157-pound match where freshman Rocky Mantella would have to quit his match against sophomore Alex LaPointe due to a gash above his eye. Sophomore Jereme Maye, a transfer student from Neosho Junior College, pinned freshman Chad Watson at 165. Redshirt freshman Pat DeGain defeated sophomore Brandon Sisson 5-1 in the 197 bout.\nOverall, head coach Duane Goldman was pleased with what he saw. He liked the change in atmosphere from the wrestling room to a real mat.\n"It was an icebreaker," Goldman said. "It was good to have the ref making calls and the crowd to be here. I was really impressed with a lot of the freshmen. It was nice to see what they can do."\nAlthough the match was against fellow teammates, both the wrestlers and the coaching staff said they were pleased with the event. They open their season next weekend at the Missouri Open.\n"We got our first feel of competition," Sveda said. "The first matches are just for working some kinks out. Today was sort of like a dual meet. It's the environment. It simulates a match more than practice"