Haynes fills weight class spot, wins

The freshman filled the weight class vacated by senior Max Askren.

By Zach Miller

Published Nov. 13, 2009

In his first career start for Missouri wrestling, redshirt freshman Brent Haynes defeated Illinois senior Patrick Bond 4-1 on Thursday. Bond came into the match ranked No. 12 in the nation.

This offseason, Haynes was named the new starter in the 197-pound weight class after All-American senior Max Askren moved down to the 184-pound weight class.

Haynes started off on a good foot in the first period, surviving a strong attack by Bond and was able to hold him off to keep the score tied at zero.

"The game plan going in was to keep going forward, not to make a mistake," Haynes said. "I wanted to come out of there zero-zero."

Despite fatigue, Haynes was able to hold his own again in the second period. Haynes built up more than a minute and a half of riding time in the second period before Bond escaped to score the first point of the match.

"We practice everyday, keep grinding and grinding," Haynes said. "You learn that there are times when you feel like you can't go anymore, but you just got to keep going."

In the final period, the Illinois crowd cheered as Bond kept Haynes on the mat for more than a minute before Haynes was able to escape and tie the match.

The match seemed to be headed for overtime before Bond brought Haynes to the mat with about 20 seconds remaining.

Bond was not able to establish full control before the two got tangled up and Haynes established control in the final seconds. The late takedown brought the Missouri crowd to its feet as Haynes kept Bond down to earn a 4-1 victory.

"I'm a real emotional guy," Haynes said. "They just tried to keep me calm."

His emotions came out after the match as he celebrated by waving his arms to keep the crowd fired up. "It was good seeing Brent Haynes fight through," coach Brian Smith. "That was definitely a big one for him."

Coming into the first match of the year, the 197-pound weight class was one of the question marks for the No. 8 Tigers. Askren, a two-time All-American, had a lot of success at 197 but is starting at 184 this season.

The new weight class was not a problem for No. 2 Askren as he defeated No. 10 senior John Dergo of Illinois minutes before Haynes pulled off the big upset.

"Brent handled business," Askren said of Haynes. "He wrestled incredible. I was really excited for him. There were some points in the third period that he looked kind of frustrated, which is where a lot of new guys get into trouble. But he didn't falter."

Haynes' victory broke a 3-3 tie to give Missouri a 6-3 lead — its first lead of the match — and a lead it did not lose until the second-to-last match of the meet.

"Awesome," Haynes said of the meet. "In the first big match, first dual at home, it was awesome."

Smith said he was aware of Haynes' tenacity.

"He's a tough kid," Smith said. "We knew it going in."