Wrestling Drops Final Dual Meet, 21-13, to Edinboro
2/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Wrestling Drops Final Dual Meet, 21-13, to Edinboro
2/19/2004
PITTSBURGH ? In their final dual meet of the season, the Panthers? wrestling team dropped a 21-13 decision to Edinboro on Thursday night before 539 fans at the Fitzgerald Field House. The loss dropped the Panthers to 8-6 and 5-2 in the Eastern Wrestling League. The Panthers will resume action at the EWL Tournament in March.
The match started at 125, where freshman Drew Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg) won a 9-0 major decision against Chris Pruden. Headlee scored a first-period takedown and rode out Pruden the remainder of the period. After escaping early in the second period, Headlee scored a second takedown and tilted Pruden for three near-fall points.
At 133, Mike Ciotti (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) dropped a 10-2 major decision to Jacob Gray. Gray scored four takedowns in the match and an escape and riding-time point gave him the eight points needed for a major decision. Ciotti managed two escape points in the match but fell to 5-4 on the year.
Ronald Tarquinio (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) topped Ron Doppelheuer 8-2 to give Pittsburgh a 7-4 lead in the match. Tarquinio scored a takedown with no time left in the first to grab a 2-0 advantage and added two more takedowns in the second and third periods for his 22nd win of the season.
At 149 pounds, freshman Matt Kocher (State College, Pa./State College) lost a 5-4 decision to Deonte Penn, with all of Penn?s scoring coming in the last 13 seconds of the match. After a first-period takedown, Kocher scored two back points while riding out Penn for the remainder of the period. A scoreless second period gave way to Kocher riding Penn for the first 1:45 of the third period before Penn scored a reversal by putting Kocher on his back and getting three near-fall points for the win.
Justin Nestor (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) defeated Eric Ring at 157 pounds with a 3-0 decision. After a scoreless first period, Nestor was unable to escape in the second period giving Ring the chance to escape in the third. But, Nestor tilted Ring for three near-fall points and rode him for the entire third period for the win.
At 165 pounds, third-ranked Matt King handled Zachariah Doll (Quakertown, Pa./The Hill School) for a 12-2 major decision. King scored three takedowns and two near-fall points for an 8-2 lead at the end of the first period. King rode Doll the entire second period and added four more points in the third period.
In the 174-pound bout, Nate Yetzer toppled Francis Iorfido (Johnsonburg, Pa./Johnsonburg) by an 11-3 count for a second straight Edinboro major decision. Yetzer had the only points of the first period, a two-point takedown with twenty seconds left. After Iorfido escaped midway through the second period, Yetzer scored another late takedown for a 4-1 advantage. Three more third-period takedowns and riding-time points created the eight points needed for Yetzer?s major decision.
Mike Croyle (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) fell to Alex Clemsen, 5-1, at 184 for the Fighting Scots? third straight win. Clemsen scored a first-period takedown and escape point in the second to lead 3-0 at the end of the period. After Croyle escaped to start the third period, his attacks on Clemsen were unsuccessful and Clemsen added a second takedown near the end of the period.
At 197 pounds, Josh Birt (Spokane, Wash./North Idaho JC) stopped the Edinboro win streak with a 6-1 decision over Mike LaBella. Birt scored takedowns in the first and third periods and added an escape point and riding time point for his 19th win of the season.
In the final bout, Travis Shirley (West Middlesex, Pa./ Kennedy Christian) dropped a 7-2 decision to Joe Hennis. Hennis was able to counter Shirley?s first shot attempt for a takedown and added two more takedowns and an escape point. Shirley was unable to score any takedowns against Hennis, a much larger wrestler.
The Panthers now take aim at the EWL Championships the weekend of March 6 and 7 at Bloomsburg. Any wrestler that places in the top three in his weight class will earn a trip to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis. There still is a hope for those wrestlers not finishing in the top three to still go to the NCAA Championships thanks to a number of wild-card berths that are handed out.