Raiders face No. 4 Montana State-Northern

ASHLAND – The second-ranked Southern Oregon wrestling team faces a tough week as the Raiders will host No. 4 Montana State-Northern in an NAIA Top-Five dual on Thursday before traveling to Reno for the 2012 RenoTournament of Champions.

Southern Oregon, 2-0 in duals this season, will go against an MSU-Northern team that is coming off an emotional 21-20 win over then-No. 6 Great Falls. The win improved the Northern Lights' record to 2-2. The teams will square off for the 11th time since 2001 on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Bob Riehm Arena.

“We've always had a good rivalry with them and they're always tough,” SOU head coach Mike Ritchey said of the Lights. “I know they've got some real tough individuals. At 165 they've got the No. 1-ranked individual, and he's a pinner. Mestrovich has wrestled him before but I don't think he's beaten him, so that could be a good matchup.”

The Raiders boast four top-ranked wrestlers, as Prescott Garner (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) climbed to No. 1 at 133 pounds in the latest poll. He joins season-long top-ranked Raiders Mitchell Lofstedt (Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg) in the 125, Jimmy Eggemeyer (Kodiak, Alaska/Kodiak) in the 149 and Brock Gutches (Central Point, Ore./Crater) at 174. A total of 10 SOU wrestlers received rankings, tied with top-ranked Grand View for the second-highest total behind only third-ranked Great Falls (11).

Southern Oregon is 6-4 all-time against Montana-State Northern, with the Raiders claiming the last six matches between the teams. The Raiders have knocked off the Lights six times in the last four years, including twice in each of the last two years. Last season, SOU knocked off then-seventh ranked MSU-Northern 27-18 in Havre, Mont., before taking down the sixth-ranked Lights 35-8 at the NAIA National Dual Championships.

Cameron Neiss ranks third in the 133 and will match up with top-ranked Garner in one of the highlighting matches of the night. Third-ranked Max Payne will challenge Gutches in the 174 in another one-versus-three bout. Raider wrestlers will also look to upset top-ranked Ethan Hinebauch in the 165 and second-ranked Kody Reed in the 184.

“They're going to bring a good lineup in, so we're going to have to get after them to get it done,” Ritchey said. “They're always in shape and ready to wrestle, so it will be a great preparation for the Reno Tournament of Champions.”

Following Thursday's dual, the Raiders will travel to Reno for Sunday's Reno Tournament of Champions. The tournament features teams from all across the country and spanning almost every division of collegiate competition.

“I think there's 32 teams, and 25 of them are Division I,” Ritchey said. “We'll definitely find some guys that can wrestle, and hopefully the guys will be physically and mentally prepared to head down there and we're looking forward to it.”

Last season the Raiders picked up 39 points to place 11th overall, while four individuals placed at the tournament. Three of those placers will compete this year for SOU, as Lofstedt placed third and Eggem Gutches each claimed sixth.

“Our goal is to get in the top five this year,” Ritchey said. “That might be a chore, but you've got to set a goal so if we can climb into the top five that would be quite an accomplishment for us.”
Raiders face No. 4 Montana State-Northern