Wrestling Downs Clarion, 19-13, at Fitzgerald Field House
2/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Wrestling Downs Clarion, 19-13, at Fitzgerald Field House
2/10/2004
PITTSBURGH ? The Pittsburgh Panthers improved to 7-5 and 4-1 in the Eastern Wrestling League with a 19-13 victory over Clarion at Fitzgerald Field House on Tuesday evening. It was Pittsburgh?s third consecutive win over the Golden Eagles (2-7, 0-4 EWL) and the Panthers improved to 6-1-3 in their past 10 matches against their EWL foe.
The match began at 125 pounds with Drew Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg) scoring a decision victory over Peter Derstine of the Clarion Golden Eagles. Headlee improved to 15-5 on the season and 5-0 in EWL dual meets.
Headlee got an escape point at the beginning of the second period to break a scoreless tie and then got a late takedown to increase his lead to 3-0. A reversal by Derstine with a minute left in the match cut the lead to one but Headlee got a reversal of his own with just 0:18 remaining to score a 6-2 win with riding time.
At 133 pounds, sophomore Mike Ciotti (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) increased the Panthers? lead with a decision win over Clarion?s Louis Russo. Ciotti, like Headlee, scored an escape point in the second and a late takedown for a 3-0 lead. Russo came back with an escape point in the third frame but Ciotti got another two points to take a 5-1 advantage. Russo got another escape point but a third takedown finished off the bout at 8-2 with riding time.
In one of the featured bouts of the evening, Ronald Tarquinio (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) wrestled Frank Edgar of the Golden Eagles for the fifth time in a span of one year. The only point of the first two periods came on an escape by Tarquinio but Edgar countered with an escape of his own in the third and then a takedown seconds later for a 3-1 advantage. With 1:07 remaining, Tarquinio was able to escape to make it a 3-2 match but that?s as close as he got to cut the match lead to 6-3.
The 149-pound match was a tough battle with Matt Kocher (State College, Pa./State College) and T.J. McCance. Both wrestlers gained an escape point during regulation and neither wrestler was able to score in the first overtime period. Kocher won the toss and escaped from the down position and was able to get up after 13 seconds in the first of the double rideout periods. He then held McCance down for his entire 30 seconds for the 2-1 victory. Kocher earned his team-leading 26th victory and his 10th in dual meets.
Chris Horning of the Golden Eagles cut the meet lead to 9-7 with a 10-0 major decision over Donald Rush (Avella, Pa./Avella) at 157 pounds. It was Rush?s third bout of the season and first dual meet, filling in for the injured Justin Nestor (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds).
Zachariah Doll (Quakertown, Pa./The Hill School) had a 1-0 lead after two periods over Clarion?s Jeremy Reitz in the 165-pound match with an escape point. In the third period, Doll was able to hold Reitz down for the entire two minutes for a 2-0 victory to improve to 17-5 on the year and gave the Panthers a 12-7 advantage.
Two first-period takedowns enabled sophomore Francis Iorfido (Johnsonburg, Pa./Johnsonburg) to take a 4-1 lead over Clarion?s Aaron Wright. The only scoring in the second period was an escape point by Wright to make it a 4-2 bout. Iorfido held on for a 6-2 decision to improve to 22-7 for the year and 9-3 in dual meets at 174 pounds.
The Golden Eagles earned their third victory of the meet at 184 pounds with Kyle Cathcart defeating freshman Michael Heist (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) by a final score of 3-0 with riding time. It was Heist?s first dual meet of the year, giving the Panthers three true freshmen in their starting lineup.
Josh Birt (Spokane, Wash./North Idaho JC/East Valley) won the 197-pound match over Charlie Cilinski with three takedowns over the first four minutes of the bout. Birt added two more late takedowns and got four points with a 16-5 major decision. It was Birt?s team-leading seventh major on the season.
A fierce first period between Travis Shirley (West Middlesex, Pa./Kennedy Christian) and Matt Wilcox ended with a 6-4 advantage for the Panthers? senior. A reversal by Wilcox in the second frame tied the heavyweight bout at 6-6 but Shirley pulled ahead by one with an escape point in the third. A takedown by Wilcox with just 0:35 remaining plus riding time gave the Golden Eagle freshman a 9-7 victory.
The Panthers will be back in action against Lock Haven University on Friday, February 13. The meet will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Fitzgerald Field House for Senior Recognition.