Photo Gallery

BOISE, Idaho – Redshirt senior Chris Castillo made sure the Boise State wrestling team kicked off its homestand on the right foot Friday, picking up a major decision at 157 pounds in the final match of the evening to give the Broncos a 19-18 victory over North Dakota State.

Boise State trailed 18-15 after nine bouts, but had won five of the matches. Unaware that a decision would give the Broncos a victory on criteria, Castillo said after the match he was looking for bonus points.

“I wanted to be on the offensive the entire time,” Castillo said. “After the first round, and getting a last-second takedown, I knew I was going to have to get on my offense and take the match to him. I felt his will breaking little by little.”

The Broncos (3-2, 1-0 Pac-12) ended a three-dual slide against North Dakota State (0-4, 0-0 Big 12), the team’s first victory over the Bison since Jan. 20, 2012 (21-16).

Two local products put the Broncos on the board early, as redshirt senior Taylor West (165) and redshirt junior Austin Dewey (174), both from Boise, gave the Broncos a 6-0 lead. West picked up a 5-2 decision, and Dewey won 5-1.

Seventh-ranked Hayden Zillmer followed with a pin at 184 (5:50), tying the dual for the Bison, but another local standout – Harley DiLulo, from Meridian – put the Broncos back in front. DiLulo earned a 5-3 decision in overtime, scoring on a takedown with 6.8 seconds left on the clock.

NDSU won three of the next four matches, including a pin from 16th-ranked Josh Rodriguez (2:39) at 125 pounds. Geordan Martinez got the Broncos within three in the evening’s penultimate match, notching a 10-5 decision and setting up Castillo.

“Normally, you can’t get pinned twice in a dual and come away with a victory,” head coach Greg Randall said. “Our guys found a way to do that tonight, and that’s what matters.”

Redshirt sophomore Josh Newberg was also victorious for the Broncos, winning 9-5 at 133 and avenging a previous loss to Nico Colunga that ended his run at the Reno Tournament of Champions.

The Broncos continue their homestand Sunday (Jan. 17) against Wyoming, the second of four-straight home duals. The Broncos and Cowboys are slated to hit the mat at 1 p.m. in Bronco Gym.

MATCH-BY-MATCH RESULTS
165: Taylor West (BSU) dec. Grant Nehring (NDSU), 5-2
174: Austin Dewey (BSU) dec. Blake Thompson (NDSU), 5-1
184: No. 7 Hayden Zillmer (NDSU) fall Keavon Buckley (BSU), 5:50
197: Harley DiLulo (BSU) dec. Logan Paxton (NDSU), 5-3 (SV-1)
285: Ben Tynan (NDSU) dec. Gaylen Edmo (BSU), 7-3
125: No. 16 Josh Rodriguez (NDSU) fall Rami Haddadin (BSU), 2:39
133: Josh Newberg (BSU) dec. Nico Colunga (NDSU), 9-5
141: Tommy Walton (NDSU) dec. Jake Velarde (BSU), 5-3
149: No. 17 Geordan Martinez (BSU) dec. Clay Ream (NDSU), 10-5
157: Chris Castillo (BSU) major dec. Kyle Gilva (NDSU), 16-5