The Northern State University wrestling team faced a tough test on Sunday, hosting 13th-ranked St. Cloud State in a hard-fought duel that ended in a 29-11 loss at Wachs Arena.

Despite the final score of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference dual, the Wolves showed flashes of grit and growth against one of the top programs in the nation. NSU coach Josh Nolan emphasized that competing with elite teams often comes down to small moments.

“Wrestling one of these top five teams, it comes down to the little situations,” Nolan said. “It comes down to being gritty and winning those key exchanges.”

One of the highlights of the afternoon came from Sloan Johannsen, who delivered a dominant performance at 125 pounds. Johannsen wasted no time, scoring a takedown and securing a pinfall just 12 seconds into the first period.

“That’s the guy we think he can be,” Nolan said of Johannsen. “Going out there and executing fast, getting on top of guys and putting them away, we think he can do that with anybody in the country.”

Johannsen said his mindset played a major role in his fast start.

“I was really ready to rip,” Johannsen said. “I came in with a really good mindset into the match, and I was ready to get my offense going. The opportunity presented itself to cradle him up.”

After the pin, Johannsen fed off the energy inside the facility.

“It was awesome,” he said. “I got up off the mat, I looked over at the crowd, and I had all my teammates sitting mat side. I had to hype them up.”

Johannsen also credited his recent work on his feet for setting the tone.

“My mindset was I wanted to hit takedowns,” he said. “I’ve been working a lot on my feet lately, and that was my goal. I got the first takedown, and I wasn’t going to not take the opportunity to try to get six points for my team.”

Rudy Lopez also put together a strong showing for the Wolves, turning in an offensive clinic as the match progressed. Lopez was narrowly ahead 3-1 after the first period, but he opened things up in the second, recording two takedowns and two back points to take a 10-2 lead heading into the third.

In the final period, Lopez took control, scoring four takedowns in under a minute and finishing the match with seven total takedowns.

“Just opening up my offense and trusting it,” Lopez said of his performance. “Shooting and attacking the whole period.”

He added that setting the tone early was key to his performance.

“It feels good setting the tone early, putting my hands on him right away, early and often, scoring as many points as I can,” Lopez said.

Nolan praised Lopez’s approach and consistency regardless of the opponent.

“That’s the guy we expect to see out there,” Nolan said. “It doesn’t matter who he’s wrestling, we expect him to go out there, fire on all cylinders, and score in a bunch of different ways.”

While the Wolves came up short on the scoreboard, Northern State gained valuable experience against a nationally ranked opponent.

NSU will host another NSIC foe on Friday, taking on Jamestown at 7:30 p.m. at Wachs Arena.

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