CHANDLER, Ariz. – Kaleb Larkin and Julian Chlebove shined in front of a near-sold out Hamilton High School crowd on Friday evening, but the No. 11 Sun Devils couldn't quite catch No. 9 Iowa State in the Battle on AZ87, falling 28-10.
Chlebove set the tone early with an emphatic 13-3 major decision against Ethan Perryman, bringing the Hamilton High crowd to life.
But Larkin, making his collegiate debut, caused the crowd to erupt with a pin just :48 into his contest against Zach Redding.
Kaleb Larkin, a Gilbert resident, set this place off with a pin at 149 for No. 11 @ASUWrestling vs. No. 9 @CycloneWR at Hamilton High.
— Jason P. Skoda (@JasonPSkoda) January 6, 2024
Suns Devils up 10-8. pic.twitter.com/XXJRIZns37
After splitting the first four matches, the Sun Devils couldn't capitalize in the remaining six.
NOTABLES
- Larkin's debut was highly anticipated, given his recent run at the 2023 Bill Farrell Memorial International, in which he became the youngest wrestler to win his bracket. At 20 years old, the freshman captured his first Senior-level international event and punched his ticket to the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. A packed crowd on Friday night surely understood the talent before them – and the Sun Devil delivered.
- Larkin wasn't the only Sun Devil making a debut. In the final bout of the night, heavyweight Cohlton Schultz, the three-time All-American and 2022 Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year, emerged onto the map with thunderous applause for his 2023-24 season debut. He battled #3 Yonger Bastida, but narrowly fell in a 4-3 decision.
- Due to home events at Desert Financial Arena and Mullett Arena, the Sun Devils took this show on the road and partnered with nearby Hamilton High to host the Battle on AZ87. A unique atmosphere produced a terrific environment, as a crowd of nearly 3,000 was treated to top matchups across the board.
#9 IOWA STATE 28, #11 Arizona State 10
125 | Kysen Terukina (Iowa State) over Tristan Mascarenas (Arizona State) (Dec 12-6)
133 | Julian Chlebove (Arizona State) over Ethan Perryman (Iowa State) (MD 13-3)
141 | Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State) over Cody Foote (Arizona State) (TF 20-4 4:51)
149 | Kaleb Larkin (Arizona State) over Zach Redding (Iowa State) (Fall 0:48)
157 | Cody Chittum (Iowa State) over Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) (Dec 9-5)
165 | David Carr (Iowa State) over Nicco Ruiz (Arizona State) (TF 20-4 5:36)
174 | MJ Gaitan (Iowa State) over Cael Valencia (Arizona State) (Dec 8-4)
184 | Will Feldkamp (Iowa State) over Tony Negron (Arizona State) (Dec 12-7)
197 | Julien Broderson (Iowa State) over Jacob Meissner (Arizona State) (Dec 11-4)
285 | Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) over Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) (Dec 4-3)
Thanks for having us, @HHS_Athletics_1 ?? pic.twitter.com/CPwORtjfGm
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) January 6, 2024
COACH'S CORNER
Head Coach Zeke Jones
Opening Statement:
"The goal is to go out on the mat and win every match every time. So, it's disappointing. There's some takeaways. We got to see the first Kaleb Larkin match, which people are going to enjoy him for the next five years. Nice to see Julian (Chlebove) get a good win and get a major. But, overall when you lose eight matches, it's disappointing. I think we just weren't tough enough when matches were close and it was on the line. We just weren't able to fight back. We got pushed around and bullied and we have to decide whether we're going to fight back in those matches. We could have won a couple of them, right? We were in them."
On what the team can do to come out on top of close matches:
"I think we have to get tougher. I think we have to get in better shape and I think our kids have to make a decision when they get to that 4 to 6-minute, halfway from the second period to halfway to the third period when the time and score are behind. A little bit of riding time. And I've got to find a way to win that scenario and generally it's 'get tough and go after the win, don't wait for the win to come to you, go get it.' We have to go get it. That's what we have to do."
Freshman Kaleb Larkin
On pinning his opponent:
"I didn't really expect to get it. I mean, usually they kind of belly out after I hit that little ankle trip, but he stayed back up into me. So, I just shelved it, snagged that cradle, and then I got it."
Redshirt Junior Julian Chlebove
On his match and the atmosphere:
"It was awesome to be out here in this environment. It felt really good. It was a packed house. I was just excited to get out there and get my hand raised."
UP NEXT
The Sun Devils will hit the road to visit CSU Bakersfield on Sunday, January 7 at 3 p.m. AZT. Follow along via the live stream or through @ASUWrestling.