ASHLAND – If the Southern Oregon men's wrestling team, sitting outside of the NAIA Top 20, wasn't taken seriously as a Cascade Conference contender before Friday night, the Raiders will be now.

In front of an excitable crowd at Bob Riehm Arena, SOU celebrated its first home dual of the season with a 21-18 of upset No. 7-ranked rival Eastern Oregon. The Raiders improved to 2-0.

They clinched the win in the heavyweight match, which they entered leading 19-18. Tied 1-1 in the third period, Antonio Garcia went ahead with an escape and padded his advantage over Darrian Hoobery with a takedown en route to a 6-2 decision. A jubilant toss of his headgear resulted in a one-point deduction, accounting for the final score.

A couple of upsets keyed the victory. SOU 125-pound freshman Simon Graeber started the night with a 17-10 defeat of No. 23 Luciano Fasulo, turning around a 7-5 deficit in the second period with a near fall. Later, 174-pounder Alex Hernandez topped No. 10-ranked Keegan Mulhill 3-1 with a takedown in the final seconds to give the Raiders a 19-9 lead.

EOU got within a point thanks to No. 4-ranked Kyle Knudtson's pin at 184 and No. 6 Jay Smith's decision at 197, but Garcia then kept the Raiders in front.

SOU's No. 2-ranked Evan Potter, a sophomore at 133, stayed perfect on the season with a first-round pin of No. 21 Zach Mauras. Aaron Gandara, ranked No. 7 at 149, dominated Jaxon Morlan – wrestling up from his No. 9 ranking at 141 – to the tune of a 14-0 major decision.

Freshman 165-pounder Jordan Faifai added another clutch win for the Raiders, using a reversal to go up 3-2 on Vincent Kramer in the second period and adding a riding-time point for a 4-2 decision.

SOU wrestles again on Saturday, facing Corban at 4 p.m. at Salem's Sprague High.

Southern Oregon 21, Eastern Oregon 18
125 – Simon Graeber, SOU, dec. Luciano Fasulo, 17-10. (3-0)
133 – Evan Potter, SOU, p. Zach Mauras, 2:05. (9-0)
141 – Braden Carson, EOU, dec. Derek Ramos, 8-7 (OT). (9-3)
149 – Aaron Gandara, SOU, major dec. Jaxon Morlan, 14-0. (13-3)
157 – Michael Fox, EOU, p. Travis Thorpe, 6:05. (13-9)
165 – Jordan Faifai, SOU, dec. Vincent Cramer, 4-2. (16-9)
174 – Alex Hernandez, SOU, dec. Keegan Mulhill, 3-1. (19-9)
184 – Kyle Knudtson, EOU, p. Kabb Christensen, 2:17. (19-15)
197 – Jay Smith, EOU, dec. Andrew Herrera, 4-0. (19-18)
285 – Antonio Garcia, SOU, dec. Darrian Hoobery, 6-2. (22-18)
*1 point deducted for SOU unsportsmanlike conduct.