ASHLAND – Friday night's 37-6 defeat of 10^th-ranked Menlo College will serve as a perfectly sufficient starting point for the No. 2 Southern Oregon University wrestling team.

Action at Riehm Arena didn't commence until about 9:30 p.m. due to a volleyball match that preceded it, but the Raiders started fast with wins from two wrestlers making their debuts and eventually got pins from All-Americans Brock Gutches (Central Point, Ore./Crater), Taylor Johnson (Redmond, Ore./Redmond) and Dalton Urrutia (Lebanon, Ore./Lebanon).

"This early in the season we'll obviously have some things to work on, but I liked our aggressiveness," 20^th-year Raiders coach Mike Ritchey said. "We were on the attack and that's half the battle at this point."

Grants Pass product Casey Colter, a 125-pounder, won his first match at SOU in an 8-2 decision against Elias Hernandez, not conceding a point until the third period. Devon Poppen, a 133-pound freshman from Oregon City, then pinned Brian Ha in 3:44 for his first win.

After Menlo's Steele Escobedo beat freshman Kyle Sether (Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City) 5-1 in the 141-pound match, the Raiders claimed the next six weight classes.

At 149 pounds, fourth-ranked Tyler Cowger (Sweet Home, Ore./Sweet Home) broke a scoreless tie with a takedown in the third period on his way to beating Jose Maldonado, 3-1. The sixth-ranked Urrutia, who redshirted last season, took care of Christian Franks in 2:13 at 157 pounds, and Urrutia's brother, Garrett, scored an 11-3 major decision against Zac Grove at 165 – receiving the final point on riding time.

Gutches, the three-time defending NAIA 174-pound champion, predictably finished off Josh Sowma in 56 seconds, and third-ranked 184-pounder Jacob Abrams (The Dalles, Ore./The Dalles-Wahtonka) handled Nick Harris, 9-4.

Johnson, ranked No. 2 at 197 pounds, scored a near fall of Paul Bracamonte early and pinned him in 1:28. Clayton Burtis (Colton, Ore./Colton) nearly pulled off an upset of second-ranked Scott Brasil in the heavyweight match, but Brasil's takedown in the final seconds sealed a 5-2 decision for Menlo.

SOU has won 12 straight head-to-head matchups with Menlo. The Raiders will bring a group to the Pacific Open in Forest Grove on Sunday, then look forward to Thursday's dual at Oregon State.

SOU 37, Menlo 6
125 – Casey Coulter (Grants Pass, Ore./Grants Pass), SOU, dec. Elias Hernandez, Menlo, 8-2.
133 – Devin Poppen (Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City), SOU, p. Brian Ha, Menlo, 3:44
141 –Steele Escobedo, Menlo, dec. Kyle Sether (Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City), SOU, 5-1
149 – Tyler Cowger (Sweet Home, Ore./Sweet Home), SOU, dec. Jose Maldonado, Menlo, 3-1
157 – Dalton Urrutia (Lebanon, Ore./Lebanon), SOU, p. Christian Franks, Menlo, 2:13
165 – Garrett Urrutia (Lebanon, Ore./Lebanon), SOU, maj. dec. Zac Grove, Menlo, 11-3
174 – Brock Gutches (Central Point, Ore./Crater), SOU, p. Josh Sowma, Menlo, :56
184 – Jacob Abrams (The Dalles, Ore./The Dalles-Wahtonka), SOU, dec. Nick Harris, Menlo, 9-4
197 – Taylor Johnson (Redmond, Ore./Redmond), SOU, p. Paul Bracamonte, 1:28
285 – Scott Brasil, Menlo, dec. Clayton Burtis (Colton, Ore./Colton), 5-2