Air Force @ North Dakota State

Air Force topped North Dakota State 21-13 in Fargo, ND on January 28, 2024, picking up a hard-fought dual at North Dakota State University. The Falcons finished with an 8-point margin, buoyed by multiple bonus-point victories that ultimately decided the outcome.

Three major decisions by Air Force proved decisive. Tucker Owens moved the scoreboard with an 11-3 major at 125 pounds, Giano Petrucelli delivered a 14-2 major at 165, and Sam Wolf closed out a dominant 12-0 major at 184. Those three majors accounted for 12 of Air Force’s 21 team points and separated the teams down the stretch.

North Dakota State answered in kind when Max Petersen notched a 15-3 major decision at 149 to keep the Bison within reach, but Air Force’s collection of bonus points gave them the cushion needed. The sequence of bonus-point wins for the Falcons created spacing on the board that NDSU could not overcome despite Petersen’s big result.

Individually, Owens, Petrucelli and Wolf stood out with emphatic major decisions that swung momentum in Air Force’s favor, while Petersen’s major was a highlight for the Bison. In the end, Air Force’s ability to convert near-dominant performances into extra team points was the deciding factor in the 21-13 final.