Pitt
Michigan State
Panthers Close in Several Matches against Michigan State
1/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 20, 2006
PITTSBURGH - It was Spirit Night at the Fitzgerald Field House as the Panthers took on the Michigan State Spartans in their third home competition of the season. With three matches within two points at the end and an exciting fall at 149 pounds, Pitt wrestled in a tough 28-9 loss to Michigan State.
"Michigan State's a good team. We should have wrestled harder, and the inexperience hurts. We have a lot to learn still," said Head Coach Rande Stottlemyer. "Our overall effort was pretty solid, but sometimes winning is more than effort. We have to find a way to win."
The match started at with the 197-pound bout as Pitt's Mike Heist (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) took on Michigan State's Jeff Clemens. The two went scoreless in the first period and maintained the pace into the second where Heist took the lead with an escape, but Clemens came back with a two-point takedown to give him the 2-1 lead entering the third. The final period went the same way with Heist earning an escape point and Clemens getting two for the 5-1 victory, putting Michigan State in the lead 3-0.
The heavyweight bout between Pitt's Lou Thomas (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg) and Michigan State's Max Lossen was also scoreless in the first period, but it didn't take long for things to get going in the second. Thomas scored a point on an escape, giving Pitt the lead for the first time. Leading 1-0 going into the third period, Thomas was able to earn another escape point, but it wasn't enough as Lossen scored four points on takedowns and one on an escape to give him the 5-2 victory, putting the Spartans in the lead, 6-0.
Pitt's Brad Gentzle (Easton, Pa./Easton) faced a tough match at 125 pounds where he faced Michigan State's Nick Simmons, a two-time All-American who's ranked fourth in the nation. Simmons took the early lead, scoring six points in the first period on takedowns, and won with a fall in the second at the 3:22 mark. His pin put Michigan State up 12-0 going into the 133 bout.
Mike Ciotti (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) was able to put Pitt on the scoreboard as he faced Michigan State's Jeff Wimberly. Wimberly took the lead in the first period with a two-point takedown and a three-point near escape, but Ciotti battled back with an escape and takedown of his own to make the score 5-3 heading into the second period. Ciotti kept the momentum going in the second period, taking the lead after a two-point reversal and a point for an illegal hold by Wimberly. Another five points for near falls in the third and a point for riding time earned Ciotti the Panthers' first victory with a 12-5 decision.
He moved the team score to Pitt 3, Michigan State 12. At 141 pounds, senior Ronald Tarquinio (McDonald, Pa./West Allegheny) faced his second top-five opponent in a week as he took on Michigan State's Andy Simmons. The two wrestlers were scoreless in the first two periods with two cautions against Michigan State heading into the third. Simmons earned the first point with an escape and ended up getting a riding point at the end to win, 2-0. The Spartans advanced 15-3.
The 149 bout got the crowd going as true freshman Joey Ecklof (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) faced No. 12 Darren McKnight from Michigan State. Ecklof scored first with a two points on a takedown in the first period, but McKnight retaliated with an escape to make the score 2-1 heading into the second. Ecklof scored an escape point to give him a 3-1 advantage entering the final period. An escape and technical foul put McKnight on the board, but Ecklof didn't let up, getting the pin with one second left in the match. His fall at the 6:59 mark marks his fourth on the season.
"It doesn't matter who he is, if he's ranked, how well-known he is. He's just another opponent," Ecklof said of beating a ranked opponent in only his fifth dual of the season.
He did mention, however, the momentum that keeps him going when the crowd gets involved like the fans this evening. "You always wrestle for the crowd," he said. "And tonight the crowd showed up."
Another Lehigh Valley native, Sean Richmond (Emmaus, Pa./Easton) took on Michigan State's Tony Greathouse at 157 pounds. The first two periods remained scoreless, and it was Greathouse who got on the board in the third with an escape and a takedown. A point for riding time gave him the 4-0 win, keeping Michigan in the lead 18-9.
Justin Nestor (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) faced Michigan State's Greg Goidosik at 165 pounds. Nestor scored an escape in the first period, but Goidosik battled with two takedowns, making the score 4-1. In the second period, Nestor scored two points for a reversal while Goidosik earned one for an escape, giving him a 5-3 lead going into the third. He scored two more on escapes in the final period, though Nestor was able to earn two for a takedown. Goidosik earned another victory for Michigan State with his 7-5 decision, maintaining their lead 21-9.
At 174 pounds was Pitt's Nick Padezan (Irwin, Pa./Penn Trafford) against Michigan State's R.J. Boudro. Boudro took an early lead in the first period, scoring two points on a takedown. Padezan came back with an escape, but Boudro score on another takedown, giving him a 4-1 lead. In the second period, Boudro kept his momentum, scoring on an escape and takedown before Padezan came back with an escape of his own. Boudro kept the lead 11-3, entering the third period. He earned a stalling point and a point for riding time, taking the match with a 13-3 major decision. Michigan State advanced to 25-9.
The final bout of the evening was between Pitt's Kyle Deliere (Cecil, Pa./Canon-McMillan) and Michigan State's John Murphy. An exciting match that went neck and neck until the end, it started with Murphy earning two points for a takedown and Deliere coming back with an escape in the first period. Another escape in the second tied the score 2-2, entering the final period. Murphy earned two for a reversal. Deliere came back with an escape, but Murphy's point for riding time gave him the 5-3 victory. Michigan State won the match 28-9.
The Panthers will be busy next week with two competitions ahead of them. They will travel to Cleveland State on Thursday, Jan 26, for a 7 p.m. match, and they'll return to the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse on Sunday, Jan. 29, to face Kent State at 2 p.m. Cleveland State will be the Panthers' second conference opponent this season.
197: Jeff Clemens (MSU) dec. Mike Heist (P), 5-1 [3-0, MSU]
HWT: Max Lossen (MSU) dec. Lou Thomas (P), 5-2 [6-0, MSU]
125: Nick Simmons (MSU) WBF Brad Gentzle (P), 3:22 [12-0, MSU]
133: Mike Ciotti (P) dec. Jeff Wimberly (MSU), 12-5 [12-3, MSU]
141: Andy Simmons (MSU) dec. Ron Tarquinio (P), 2-0 [15-3, MSU]
149: Joey Ecklof (P) WBF Darren McKinight (MSU), 6:59 [15-9, MSU]
157: Tony Greathouse (MSU) dec. Sean Richmond (P), 4-0 [18-9, MSU]
165: Greg Goidosik (MSU) dec. Justin Nestor (P) 7-5 [21-9, MSU]
174: R.J. Boudro (MSU) maj. dec. Nick Padezan (P), 13-3 [25-9, MSU]
184: John Murphy (MSU) dec. Kyle Deliere (P), 5-3 [28-9, MSU]
