TEMPE, Ariz. – Sun Devil fans got their first chance to see the 2019-20 Arizona State Wrestling team in action as they held the annual Maroon & Gold Scrimmage Friday night at Desert Financial Arena. Both sides had a strong showing, but the Gold team came away with the narrow 19-12 victory.
The Sun Devils were joined by some familiar faces, as program alumni Anthony Robles and Brian Stith returned to guest coach the teams. 2011 National Champion Robles coached team Maroon and two-time All-American Stith coached team Gold.
After exhibition bouts at the heavyweight and 174 lb. weight classes, newcomer Nicholas Raimo (125) kicked off the official score-earning portion of the evening by earning a major decision victory over redshirt-freshman Aaron Valenzuela, giving the Gold team an early lead 4-0 lead.
Cade Belshay (197) followed up with a 5-3 decision over Brady Daniel, getting the Maroon squad on the board in the night's second bout.
The night would continue in similar fashion, with the Maroon and Gold teams trading victories throughout.
Of note for the Sun Devils, redshirt-senior Josh Shields (165) pinned Ryan Molt in 2:47, adding six points to the scoreboard for the Maroon team and notching the night's only pin for either side.
Having moved up a weight class to 184 lbs., back-to-back national champion Zahid Valencia earned the night's only technical fall, enough to give his Gold squad the edge to take the intrasquad victory.
The Sun Devils open the season on the road next weekend at the Journeyman Duals in Troy, NY. The team will compete in a pair of duals against Purdue and Virgina on Saturday, Nov. 9, before competing in the Journey Collegiate Classic on Sunday, Nov. 10.
ASU returns home the following weekend to host Augustana (South Dakota) (Nov. 15/7 p.m.) and McKendree (Nov. 16/12 p.m.), before playing host to No. 1 Penn State Friday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets for all home duals here: https://thesundevils.com/sports/2014/10/29/209739045.aspx
Those who want to support the team at a higher level are encouraged to join the Inner Circle. More information can be found at https://www.sundevilclub.com/wrestling-inner-circle.
Results:
Bout 1 (125 lbs): Nicholas Raimo (Gold) MD Aaron Valenzuela score, 12-4
Bout 2 (197 lbs): Cade Belshay (Maroon) DEC Brady Daniel, 5-3
Bout 3 (149 lbs): Josh Maruca (Gold) DEC Dillon Ulrey, 7-2, 1:29 RT
Bout 4 (165 lbs): Josh Shields (Maroon) FALL Ryan Molt 2:47
Bout 5 (141 lbs): Navonte Demison (Gold) DEC Cory Crooks, 7-1 (SV1)
Bout 6 (133 lbs): Josh Kramer (Maroon) DEC Julian Chlebove, 7-6
Bout 7 (184 lbs): Zahid Valencia (Gold) TF Austin Clayton, 18-3
Bout 8 (157 lbs): Jacori Teemer (Gold) MD Hunter Balk, 16-2
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