Burgess Major Decision Provides Edge as Buffalo Tops Central Michigan 19-14
A key bonus-point win at 157 and a late heavyweight clincher carried the Bulls to a five-point road victory in Mt. Pleasant.
Buffalo left McGuirk Arena with a 19-14 road win over Central Michigan after a handful of bonus-point swings decided a tight MAC dual. The Bulls built an early cushion, then held off a Chippewa surge that featured two major decisions in the middle weights.
The turning point arrived at 157 pounds when No. 29 Kaleb Burgess scored an 11-3 major decision over No. 26 Mason Shrader. Burgess’s four-team-point major flipped the momentum and extended Buffalo’s lead to a margin the visitors would ultimately protect through the lineup.
Central Michigan mounted its comeback with back-to-back bonus wins. Wyatt Ferguson produced a 14-2 major at 184, and Luke Cochran followed with a 19-6 major decision at 197, cutting the deficit and keeping the Chippewas within striking distance late in the dual.
Buffalo’s early work in the lineup set the stage. The Bulls picked up decision wins at 125, 141 and 149 to open the meet, and Rafael Knapp delivered a 4-1 sudden-victory finish at 174 to preserve a lead heading into the final third of the card. Those results, paired with Burgess’s major, forced Central Michigan to rely on bonus results to claw back.
With the dual hanging in the balance, Magnus Bibla closed it out at heavyweight, edging Bryan Caves 4-2 to clinch Buffalo’s road victory. The Bulls’ mix of timely decisions and a decisive bonus at 157 proved enough to withstand the Chippewas’ two majors and seal the 19-14 result.