N.C. State tops Virginia Tech 21-10 in ranked ACC rivalry dual

THIRD PERIOD: Scott chooses down to start the third, and he escapes to take the lead. Brady's not done though, and he goes in for a shot, but Scott holds him off. Back on their feet, Scott positions himself for a potential headlock, but the ref calls a stalemate. Less than 90 seconds to go. Scott with the 4-3 lead. Brady shoots in, trying to draw a stall call against Scott, but with thirty seconds remaining, all the pressure is on Brady. Fifteen seconds. Ten seconds. Five seconds. Scott took a shot in the last seconds for good measure, and he'll end this one with the 4-3 victory to give N.C. State the 21-10 team win. 

SECOND PERIOD: Brady chooses down to start the second period, and Scott goes to work on top. Brady escapes, even looking for the reversal there, but he gets his one point, and he's back on his feet. The Hokie holds a 3-1 lead right now, and riding time is not a factor, as the first period ticks away. Scott looks for action and draws a stall call against Brady. Scott shoots, Brady responds with his own shot, and Scott works his way around on the countershot for two points. He'll tie the match with that takedown and end the period on top, so momentum is on Scott's side as he sets for the third. 

FIRST PERIOD: Ed Scott has been nicknamed “Head Lock Ed Scott,” and while he was aggressive early, it’s Brady with the first takedown to earn a 2-1 lead after Scott escapes. N.C. State has locked up the team win, but a victory from Brady would be huge for team morale. Less than a minute remaining. Thirty seconds remaining. The first period ends with a Brady advantage 2-1, but the last ten seconds brought a frenzy of action that should continue into the second period. 

THIRD PERIOD: Andonian chooses bottom to start the third period, and picks up the escape. Wilson has a 6-1 lead with riding time, so he's one takedown away from bonus points. Andonian is on the move, working Wilson around the mat, but Wilson goes for the body lock, and the two wresters go out of bounds. Wilson has risen to the occasion, and he's wrestling in peak form against a really tough, unpredictable foe. Wilson is hit for stalling as he backs up off the the mat, but, on the edge, he goes for another throw, and picks up the takedown. That's an 8-1 lead for Wilson with the riding point secured. If he holds down Andonian for the next 24 seconds, he'll get the bonus. This is big for Wilson and for State, as this would lock up the dual as well. Andonian escapes, and goes for a takedown, but Wilson ends up the victor, without a doubt. N.C. State wins the bout 9-3 and leads the dual 18-10. 

SECOND PERIOD: Wilson chooses bottom to start the second period. Andonian tries to continue riding as Wilson works to his feet, and the Pack All-American picks up the reversal and back points with a savvy move. Andonian, stuck on the bottom, is hit with a stall call as Wilson goes for a turn. This is the kind of dominance from Wilson on top that we saw last year in his third-place match at NCAAs when he majored Sebastian Rivera at 141 pounds, and he's looking every bit like a title contender again this year. Wilson ends the second period ahead 6-0, and Andonian has just three minutes to chip away at this lead. 

FIRST PERIOD: These are two fun and funky wrestlers, so get ready for a show. The action starts quickly as Wilson goes in for a shot before Andonian works the scramble out of bounds for the reset. We're scoreless after the first ninety seconds, but there have been shots. Wilson and Andonian know that the first period to initiate the offensive will ignite a scramble. And there's the first major move! Andonian looked like he was going for a throw, but Wilson stayed solid and picked up the two points. Thirty seconds left. Wilson continues to ride Andonian, driving him out of bounds, continuing the offense after the whistle, and he'll end the period on top. 

THIRD PERIOD: Myers elects to start bottom to begin the third, escapes, and extends his lead 5-3. Ninety seconds remaining. If Myers wants bonus, he'll need two more takedowns, and he gets one. That's 7-3 Myer...make that 9-3 Myers after another takedown. Here we go. One minute to go. He lets Orine out, and it's 9-4, but he still needs more for bonus. And there it is! The Hokie notches a fifth takedown to put himself in the bonus category. He leads 11-4 with riding time, and but an escape from Orine makes it 11-5, though Myers isn't done, and he picks up a sixth takedown. Orine escapes, but it's all Myers. He wins 14-6 in a dominant performance to give the Hokies four team points. 

N.C. State leads 12-10. 

SECOND PERIOD: Orine starts down to begin the second period, and Myers go to work on top. Myers has pushed his riding time up over a minute, and he continues to work Orine back to the mat at every opportunity. He's wearing down his N.C. State foe, and now he's working for back points, but he's position wasn't stable enough. Orine escapes to tie the score, and that was a big escape for the Pack 133-pounder. Myers does have 1:38 of riding time, so that could be a factor down the stretch, but Myers isn't going to depend on that. He earns a second takedown on the edge and takes the 4-2 lead going into the third. 

FIRST PERIOD: Myers takes action quickly and earns an escape within the first period to take the lead 2-0. Orine escapes, putting himself on the board and narrowing Myers lead 2-1. Back on their feet, Myers looks confident and calm as he maneuvers his way into position. One minute to go. Tech has taken advantage of the momentum swing at heavyweight and converted that into an important and necessary win for them at 125 pounds. Now it's Myers turn to try and put up some point to chip away at that N.C. State team lead. Thirty seconds to go. The sounds of "Wolf-Pack" are echoing through Reynolds as the N.C. State faithful cheer on their young starter in Orine, and the Pack lightweight has done well keeping this one close through the first period. Myers will go into the second leading 2-1 — let's see what these guys can do next.

THIRD PERIOD: You can just tell that effort took energy out of both guys, but they have three more minutes to establish their dominance. Camacho starts down to begin the second period, and he escapes. Latona still leads 3-1 with that takedown on the edge at the end of the second period serving as difference here. And there goes Latona again! He's in on the cradle, but he gets the takedown with nearfall points and extends his lead 7-1. That's exactly what the Hokies need. Less than a minute to go. Latona is working up his riding time as well, but Camacho gets the escape. It's 7-2 in favor of Latona, and riding time is not a factor...yet. Ten seconds, and Latona earns a critical takedown there on the edge. Escape Camacho, but the dual ends 9-3 as Latona drives him into the floor as time expires. So no major for the Hokies, but what a performance from Latona! 

N.C. State leads 12-6 after six weights. 

SECOND PERIOD: Latona chooses down to start the second period, and he escapes early to pick up the first point of the dual. Ninety seconds to go in the period, and Camacho is in on a shot. Latona works his way through the back door and looks to avoid the takedown, but Camacho stays smart and focused. Let's scramble. Latona is trying to put himself in position now, but at this point, Camacho might want to push for the stalemate to reset, but Latona forces the takedown with one second left, and he'll have the 3-0 lead going into the third period. 

FIRST PERIOD: These lightweights know how to handfight. They are going after it early, as both Latona and Camacho chase each other around the mat, looking for an early opportunity. We're scoreless after the first period, but the pace is high. Camacho looked for an ankle pick there in the last ten seconds, but Latona swatted him away. The first period ends 0-0. 

THIRD PERIOD: Howard chooses neutral to start the third period, and he goes in for another shot. Trumble's has the only takedown so far in the match, but his defense is really what's keeping him in the lead. But there's Trumble in on another attack. He wasn't going to settle for a 3-0 victory, he wanted more points, and he got them. Trumble now leads 5-0 with riding time at 1:37. He'll be looking for bonus now! Howard nearly had multiple opportunities there, Trumble's mental toughness kept him in position and in the lead. Trumble may be young, but he has the kind of edge that will help him propel himself to success in both the conference and national tournaments if he wrestles to his potential. With riding time, Trumble wins this one 6-0, making this the second weight class where Virginia Tech has been held scoreless. 

N.C. State leads 12-0 after four. 

SECOND PERIOD: Trumble chooses down to start the second period and earns a quick escape, but Howard is on a shot, and he nearly scores. Fighting to work his way around his N.C. State opponent, Howard shifts his weight, but he can't quite get there, and the ref calls a stalemate, resetting both wrestlers. Another shot from Howard, but Trumble avoids the takedown. Again. Thirty seconds to go. Trumble is going to need to initiate some more offense to avoid being called for stalling, giving the rate of Howard's attacks. The periods ends with Trumble still in the lead 3-0, but this could be a fun third period. 

FIRST PERIOD: Let's see if we can get some more takedowns in this match after three tight, low-scoring matches. These guys are quick and both have the potential to use their length as a strength in an effort to score. Trumble takes a shot and gets under the first, left ankle, but he needs to work for that second leg to score. He's got Howard up on one leg, bouncing around the mat, and there's the trip for two points. N.C. State is on the board, and separating itself from the Hokies in general. Trumble is favored in this match, but Virginia Tech needs some points. Can Howard pull off the upset? So far it's been all Trumble with the lone takedown. Trumble rides out Howard to close the period, and we'll head to the second with the Pack leading at 197 pounds 2-0. 

THIRD PERIOD: Hunter Bolen chooses down to start the third and picks up a quick escape to put himself on the board. Hidlay's comfortable on his feet and has only become better from this position having racked up some freestyle experience over the last two years. This match though, is playing out much like the previous two matches. It's low scoring, tactical and defensive, but Bolen will need to make a move soon to tie things up if he wants to shoot for the win. Fifteen seconds. Hidlay is hit with stalling, but, with ten seconds left, it's going to be tough for Bolen to win off stall calls. Five seconds. Bolen didn't give up, but this one belongs to Hidlay. The Wolfpack wrestler wins 2-1, and N.C. State now leads 9-0 after three. 

SECOND PERIOD: Hidlay is on the board first after Bolen goes for a shot and make an illegal move. Hidlay starts down to begin the second period, and Bolen works to hold him down, but the wrestlers go out of bounds. Hidlay escapes with a little less than 90 seconds to go in the second to extend his lead 2-0. The score, though, doesn't quite reflect just how incredibly even this bout has been. Hidlay has been aggressive and confident all season, but Bolen clearly knows how to slow down the Wolfpack upperweight. The escape and penalty point were the only points of the period, so we'll go into the third with Hilday ahead, just slightly. 

FIRST PERIOD: And now it's the younger Hidlay brother's turn to look for a victory of his own as he takes on a familiar opponent in Hunter Bolen. Tech's Bolen has won three of the last four bouts, but Hidlay has the last win at the 2021 ACC tournament. We're scoreless tonight after the first minute. Hidlay looks aggressive though. Much like Hayden Hidlay, Trent has really filled into his frame and is a powerful force at 184 pounds, as we saw at the end of last year when he pushed NCAA champion Aaron Brooks before ultimately falling 3-2 in the NCAA finals. He's a mission this year to win a national title of his own, but this match against Bolen is an important test to see where he's at against a popular rival before the postseason starts. 

Scoreless after the second minute. Hidlay takes a shot, but you can see Bolen's comfort in wrestling against the Pack fourth-year sophomore. The first period ends 0-0. 

If you're watching the TV coverage, you may have missed the first few minutes of action at 165 pounds, but we've got you covered. N.C. State's Bullard jumps to an early lead with riding time, and he's looking to set a tone here. The Pack need this win and need the momentum going into 174 pounds, so he'll be looking to put up some big points here in the next few minutes. 

He adds to this lead in the third and takes the first bout by a decision win of 3-0. N.C. State now leads the team score by the same numbers, 3-0. Up next: Hayden Hidlay vs. Mekhi Lewis. 

End of the second, Ulrey trails 0-2. Bullard holds 1:27 RT

Bullard takes bottom to begin the third

— Virginia Tech Wrestling (@HokiesWrestling)

Before N.C. State's Thomas Bullard and Virginia Tech's Clayton Ulrey take the mat tonight and start this wild rivalry event, here are a few krikya18.com stories to read to learn more about the athletes competing tonight: 

1. State of the Weight: The top NCAA wrestling contenders, challengers at 125 pounds

Last year this dual came down to 125 pounds as Sam Latona earned the win over N.C. State's Jakob Camacho in an epic finale. The 125-pound weight class is one of the most exciting weights in the country this season, so read more about what some of the nation's leaders have to say about their mindset and preparation for the NCAA tournament. 

2. 3 storylines to know before No. 5 NC State wrestles No. 7 Virginia Tech

Back in January when this dual was originally schedule, krikya18.com previewed the three biggest storylines. Several of them will still play out tonight as these teams battle for ACC pride and conference supremacy. 

3. Mekhi Lewis captures first national title for the Hokies after taking down Vincenzo Joseph

Virginia Tech has a number of star athletes that will take the mat tonight but no one has made more Hokie history than Mekhi Lewis, a junior who became the first Virginia Tech wrestler to win an NCAA title in 2019. He won his weight class in dramatic fashion against two-time champion Vincenzo Joseph, so take some time to relive that match before Lewis takes on another top-level opponent tonight in Hayden Hidlay. Last weekend brought tons of unexpected results and upsets in college wrestling, leading to some rankings shuffle. This krikya18.com reaction column covers all of the major news and takeaways from those results. 

4. Korbin Myers expresses his love for wrestling in a letter to the sport

Speaking of Hokie heroes, Korbin Myers is one of most veteran athletes in the lineup tonight, and he'll be a key player in Virginia Tech's efforts to top the Wolfpack. Myers is expected to wrestle Kai Orine, but, before he does that, hear Myers share the biggest lessons wrestling has taught him so far in his career. 

5. N.C. State wins third consecutive ACC wrestling team title with five champs

Virginia Tech may have won last year's dual meet, but the Wolfpack have earned the W in the last three ACC championships. Last year, they crowned five individual champions at the event, and the Pack are hoping that a win tonight will create some momentum as they chase their fourth title in four years. 

The No. 4 NC State Wolfpack battle in-state rival North Carolina on Friday before meeting the Hokies on Sunday, but they come into the weekend duals with an undefeated conference record and 10 ranked wrestlers. Tech brings a solid team as well, as the Hokies will have nine ranked wrestlers take the mat on Sunday. Here's everything you need to know about match time, weight previews and athletes to watch. 

Date: Sunday, Feb. 20
Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV channel: ACC Network