Wrestling Nearly Upsets Pittsburgh, 20-16
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. –
It came down to the final match of the night, but the Lock
Haven University wrestling team (4-7, 1-2 EWL) couldn’t pull off the upset
of the University of Pittsburgh (8-6, 4-1 EWL) 20-16 tonight at Thomas
Fieldhouse. Sophomore
Seth Martin (Selinsgrove,
Pa./Selinsgrove) continues to impress,
upending Matt Kocher in convincing fashion, 9-1.
“Martin really impressed me today,” said
LHU head coach Rocky Bonomo. “He took it
to a ranked guy and really controlled the match. Add to that a freshman (Rory
McCoy) bumping up a weight class to 174 and going down to the wire
with a ranked guy, and there’s some things to be excited about.”
The meet started at 125, as freshman
Obe Blanc
(Naples,
Fla./Lely)
dominated Zach Bowman 21-8. Blanc scored nine takedowns in the match.
At 133, junior
Jim Collins (Jonestown, Pa./Northern
Lebanon)
took Drew Headlee to the limit, but a Headlee takedown with
51 seconds left sealed his victory.
In one of the more courageous losses of
the evening for the Bald Eagles, freshman
Brian Ellis (Bethlehem,
Pa./Liberty) battled No. 8 Ron Tarquino, and
nearly stole a win. Down 5-2 at the end of the second, Ellis got a quick
escape and a near-takedown that Tarquino was able to convert into his own
two-point move. Tarquino scored two more takedowns in the period to get the
12-4 major decision, putting Pitt in the lead 7-4.
At 149, junior
Joshua A. Medina (Las
Vegas/Pima C.C.) continued his domination of Eastern Wrestling League (EWL)
opponents, with a 15-5 major over Mike Ciotti. Medina is 3-0 in EWL duals
for his career. Martin followed with his 9-1 drubbing of Kocher, putting the
Haven back in front, 12-7.
Pittsburgh would take the next three
weight classes, but not without a fight. Justin Nestor edged
B.J. Mikeska (Derry,
Pa./Bloomsburg University) 3-1 at 165 before freshman Rory McCoy
(Hughesville, Pa./Hughesville) had his come-from-behind attempt thwarted
by Zachariah Doll.
McCoy, down 8-4 after the first period,
got a takedown to Doll’s escape, cutting the lead to 9-6. In the final
period, McCoy got a reversal and stall points to cut the advantage to 10-9
before losing on a Doll takedown in the final five seconds.
In the highest-scoring bout of the
evening, Keith Gavin out-did LHU’s
Mike Metzger (Reading,
Pa./Governor Mifflin) 17-11.
At 197, junior
Morgan Horner (Hasbrouck
Heights, N.J./Hasbrouck Heights) came out on fire,
scoring nearfalls in each of the first two periods before fatigue set in for
the final stanza, with Horner riding it out for a 13-3 major victory, tying
the team scores at 16.
The contest came down to the heavyweight
bout, where undersized freshman
Jamie Nagel (Shade Gap, Pa./Mount
Union Area) couldn’t thwart Zach Sheaffer’s major
decision, 14-2.
Martin, Bonomo, McCoy, Blanc, Collins,
Ellis, Medina, Mikeska, Metzger, Horner, Nagel and the rest of the Bald
Eagles are back in action Sunday, Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m. as they host No. 22
West Virginia University.
| Wt. |
Pitt 20, LHU 16 |
|
|
| 125 |
Obe Blanc (LHU) maj.
dec. Zach Bowman, 21-8 |
|
|
| 133 |
Drew Headlee (Pitt)
dec. Jim Collins, 8-4 |
|
|
| 141 |
#8 Ron Tarquino
(Pitt) maj. dec. Brian Ellis, 12-4 |
|
|
| 149 |
Joshua A. Medina (LHU)
maj. dec. Mike Ciotti, 15-5 |
|
|
| 157 |
Seth Martin (LHU)
maj. dec. Matt Kocher, 9-1 |
|
|
| 165 |
Justin Nestor
(Pitt) dec. B.J. Mikeska, 3-1 |
|
|
| 174 |
Zachariah Doll
(Pitt) dec. Rory McCoy, 12-9 |
|
|
| 184 |
Keith Gavin (Pitt)
dec. Mike Metzger, 17-11 |
|
|
| 197 |
Morgan Horner (LHU)
maj. dec. Lou Thomas, 13-3 |
|
|
| Hwt. |
Zach Sheaffer
(Pitt) maj. dec. Jamie Nagel, 14-2 |
|
|
| |
*all
rankings by NWCA |
|
|
