Nov. 23, 2008

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 14 in the nation, downed No. 24 Virginia 19-15 in the first round of the 2008 Sprawl and Brawl Duals hosted by Binghamton University.  The senior duo of Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) and Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) pushed Penn State out to an early lead and freshman heavyweight Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) clinched the dual with a win in the dual's final bout.

With Penn State getting hit with the upset loss of two All-Americans, it was the steady senior due of Haas at 133 and Friend at 165 that helped Penn State build a lead and give Wade his dual-clinching chance in the final bout.  Freshman Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) opened the action with a solid win at 125 and Haas followed with an important pin of Virginia's Matt Bonson at 133.  The early 9-0 lead was cut into at 141, where 2007 133-pound All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) was upset wrestling up a weight at 141.

Returning All-American Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.), ranked No. 2 at 149, posted a dominating major decision to put Penn State up 13-3 but Penn State was stunned when fellow All-American Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) suffered an upset loss at 157.  Friend answered, however, with a convincing 4-0 win at 165, stopping a potential Virginia run and putting Penn State up 16-6.  Virginia's ranked grapplers at 174 and 184 got hard-fought wins over Penn State's ranked grapplers at those two weights, No. 16 Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) at 174 and No. 13 Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.).  With just two bouts left, Virginia had cut Penn State's lead to 16-12. 

Red-shirt freshman Clay Steadman (McKean, Pa.), while falling 10-6, perhaps set the tone for the rest of Penn State's day with a spirited effort in losing to talented Virginia 197-pounder Brent Jones.  Still, the Virginia win cut Penn State's lead to 16-15, setting up Wade's showcase at HWT.  While neither wrestler managed a takedown, Wade was the dominant wrestler, forcing the tempo throughout the bout.  Wade got a point with an escape in the second period and then dominated Virginia's Jack Danilkowitcz with a 2:00 ride-out in the third period to post the 2-0 win and secure Penn State's 19-15 victory.

Penn State is now 1-2 on the year.  The Nittany Lions will still face No. 15 Edinboro and host Binghamton in today's action. Penn State returns to action in State College when it takes part in the 2008 Nittany Lion Open on Sunday, Dec. 7.  Action begins at 8:30 a.m. and tickets can be purchased at the door.  Penn State's next dual meet is set for Sunday, Dec. 14, when the Nittany Lions host West Virginia in Rec Hall.  Action starts at 1 p.m. Fans can purchase season tickets by calling 814-863-1000 or 800-NITTANY.  Season tickets are $32 for adults and $24 for youth. Single event tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for youth.  Penn State students get in FREE with a Penn State ID.  All Penn State dual meets and post-season action can be heard live in the Centre Region on WRSC (1390 AM State College), WHUN (1150 AM Huntingdon) and live at www.GoPSUsports.com as part of the All-Access package.

 #14 Penn State 19, #24 Virginia 15

Sunday, November 23, 2008 - Binghamton, N.Y.

125: Brad Pataky PSU dec. Ross Gitomer UVA, 4-2                         3-0

133: Tim Haas PSU pinned Matt Bonson UVA, WBF 2:21                            9-0

141: Nick Nelson UVA dec. Jake Strayer PSU, 4-2                         9-3

149: #2 Bubba Jenkins PSU maj. dec. Kellon Balum UVA, 12-4                   13-3

157: Jedd Moore UVA dec. #2 Dan Vallimont PSU, 9-4                               13-6

165: Mark Friend PSU dec. Mike Sewell UVA, 4-0                                      16-6

174: #14 Chris Henrich UVA dec. #16 Quentin Wright PSU, 8-4                  16-9

184: #8 Rocco Caponi UVA dec. #13 Phil Bomberger PSU, 8-1                   16-12

197: Brent Jones UVA dec. Clay Steadman PSU, 10-6                                 16-15

HWT: Cameron Wade PSU dec. Jack Danilkowitcz UVA, 2-0                      19-15

Final Score: #14 Penn State 19, #24 Virginia 15

Attendance: 525

Records: Penn State 1-2; Virginia 1-3

Up next: At Sprawl and Brawl Duals, Sunday, Nov. 23, Binghamton, N.Y.; vs. #15 Edinboro at 12 p.m. and host Binghamton at 3:30 p.m.

BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125:   Nittany Lion sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) took on Virginia's Ross Gitomer at 125 in the day's first bout. Pataky took the bout's first three shots, but Gitomer managed to play defense enough to keep things scoreless (although he got hit for a stall call).  Gitomer then notched the bout's first takedown at the 1:34 mark to take a 2-1 lead (after a Pataky escape).  Pataky continued to press Gitomer, but the Cavalier kept Pataky at arms length and led 2-1 after one period.  Pataky chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie.  Gitomer nearly took Pataky down again early in the second stanza with a solid double-leg, but Pataky's strong hips kept the Virginia grappler from completing the move and kept the bout tied.  Pataky continued to pressure Gitomer, forcing him to the edge of the mat consistently throughout the period.  Finally, with :11 left, Gitomer got hit with a second stall call and Pataky led 3-2 after two periods.  Gitomer chose down to start the last period and Pataky maintained control for nearly a minute before being hit with a stall warning himself.  Still on top after the reset, Pataky continued to punish Gitomer from the top position and built up enough riding time to garner the bonus point.  The Nittany Lion sophomore proceeded to ride Gitomer out and, with the bonus point, posted a 4-2 decision.  The Nittany Lions led 3-0 after the decision.

133:  Senior co-captain Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) took to the mat against Virginia's Matt Bonson.  Each wrestler spent the first half of the opening period looking for an opening.  Haas looked to turn Bonson with an upper body throw only to have Bonson roll out from under the near pin and get a takedown and two back points of his own.  Seconds later, Haas worked his way out and over Bonson, got his own reversal and proceeded to plant Bonson's shoulders to the mat.  After a short struggle, Haas got the thrilling pin at the 2:21 mark and put Penn State up 9-0.

141:  With starter Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) slated to wrestle in the day's final two bouts, senior All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) made his season debut at 141, taking on Nick Nelson of Virginia.  Strayer got in deep on the Nelson's ankle, but a prolonged battle ensued with each man nearly gaining control to get the takedown.  A dangerous hold forced a reset at the 1:15 mark and once again the due tangled in the middle of the mat, each man maintaining control of the other's ankle.  The mad scramble continued for the entire second half of the period and a furious opening period ended in a scoreless tie.  Nelson chose down to start the second stanza but could not break free of a very strong Strayer ride.  The Nittany Lion senior kept his advantage for over a minute, but a scramble on the edge of the mat resulted in a Nelson reversal and Strayer was down 2-0.  Strayer quickly escaped after the reset to cut Nelson's lead to 2-1, but his riding time edge was gone.  Trailing 2-1, Strayer chose down to begin the third period, needing an escape to tie the bout.  Strayer got his escape at the 1:35 mark, tying the bout at 2-2 and immediately looking for a takedown.  He got in deep on Nelson's left thigh, but the Cavalier grappler managed to force a stalemate and action returned to the center circle.  Strayer shot low on Nelson, but the Cavalier grappler stepped back and to the side, reached down and gained control of Strayer's ankle to post the bout-winning takedown with just :20 left.  The 4-2 decision for Nelson cut Penn State's lead to 9-3.

149:  All-American Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.), ranked No. 2 at 149, took on Kellon Balum.  Jenkins had the bout's first real scoring attempt, nearly getting a takedown on the edge of the mat before Balum managed to flee the mat and keep things scoreless.  But Jenkins was undeterred and got the opening takedown at the 1:54 mark, right off the reset.  The returning national runner-up then built up nearly a minute's worth of riding time before Balum escaped to a 2-1 deficit.  Jenkins got a second takedown at the :58 mark to go up 4-1. A strong rideout allowed Jenkins to carry a 4-1 lead with 1:43 in riding time into the second period.  Balum chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 4-2 deficit.  Neither wrestler would manage a takedown in the middle stanza, despite Jenkins controlling the pace and action.  The Nittany Lion co-captain chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 5-2 lead.  Jenkins then added a third takedown at the 1:15 mark and led 7-3 after cutting Balum loose.  A blisteringly quick move by Jenkins in the middle of the mat gave Jenkins a 9-4 lead (after Balum escaped) with just :20 left.  Needing one more takedown for a major, Jenkins used a text book low double to get the takedown with just :15 left and, with the riding time point, post a 12-4 major decision.  The victory put the Nittany Lions up 13-3.

157:  All-American Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 2 at 157 for Penn State, met Virginia's Jedd Moore.  Vallimont wasted no time in taking a 2-0 lead, getting a takedown seconds into the bout.  The Penn State co-captain then put together a dominating ride, building up a 1:12 riding time edge before allowing Moore up.  But Moore stunned Vallimont with a quick high takedown and nearly pinned the Nittany Lion junior.  While Vallimont managed to keep from getting pinned, Moore's five point move gave the Cavalier grappler a surprising 6-2 lead after riding Vallimont out.  Down by four, Vallimont chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 6-3 deficit.  Needing multiple takedowns to avoid the upset, Vallimont gambled on a high single.  Moore countered the move and took Vallimont down again to lead 8-4 after a Vallimont escape with under a minute left.  Vallimont could not break through Moore's defense and trailed 8-4 after two periods.  Moore chose down to start the third and Vallimont allowed him up to a 9-4 lead.  Vallimont had an early chance to cut into Moore's lead but the Cavalier grappler stepped back and out of trouble, maintaining his solid lead with just 1:00 left to wrestle.  Moore kept his distance from Vallimont's offensive efforts and posted a stunning 9-4 win over Vallimont.  The surprise win cut Penn State's lead to 13-6.

165:  Senior Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) took on Virginia's Mike Sewell.  The duo battled through a lively first period, with Sewell nearly getting the bout's first takedown at the 1:00 mark.  But Friend rolled out of the move to keep the bout scoreless and move action back into the center circle.  Scoreless after one period, Friend chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead.  Friend had his first real scoring chance, completing a high single at the :32 mark, but Sewell was strong enough to force a stalemate.  Each man had a brief chance to break through on the edge of the mat as the period ended, but Friend managed to hold the 1-0 lead heading into the final period.  Sewell chose neutral to begin the final period and began looking for a go-ahead takedown.  Friend, however, had his own ideas and got the bout's first takedown at the 1:26 mark.  The solid low shot gave Friend a 3-0 lead and allowed the Nittany Lion senior to put together a strong ride, working the clock all the way down to 0:00.  With the bonus point, Friend posted a very important 4-0 win.  The victory put Penn State up 16-6.

174:  In one of the bout's premier match-ups, Nittany Lion true freshman Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 16 at 174, met Virginia's Chris Henrich, ranked No. 14.  Henrich got the first takedown to lead 2-1 after quick Wright escape at the 1:40 mark.  The Cavalier tripped Wright down to the mat quickly for a second takedown and a 4-1 lead at the1:20 mark.  Wright worked hard from the bottom to escape and nearly reversed Henrich, but the Cavalier grappler managed to maintain control to lead 4-1 with 1:29 in riding time after the opening period.  Wright chose neutral to start the middle period.   He worked the middle of the mat, looking for an opening to cut into Henrich's lead.  But the ranked Cavalier's defense was solid, although he did pick up a stall warning.  Down 4-1, Henrich chose down to start the final stanza and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead.  Henrich got hit for another stall warning, giving Wright a point.  Still trailing 5-2, Wright began pressing for a scoring chance, but Henrich managed to hold on, getting a takedown on a wild Wright shot.  A final Henrich stall call and a riding time point gave the No. 14 ranked man a hard-fought 8-4 win.  The victory cut Penn State's lead to 16-9.

184:  In another highlight dual featuring two ranked grapplers, Nittany Lion senior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.), ranked No. 13 at 184, took on No. 8 Rocco Caponi of Virginia.  Bomberger had the first solid scoring chance of the bout, using a low double to gain control of Caponi's ankles and force a mad scramble on the edge of the mat.  Bomberger nearly completed the move for a go-ahead takedown, but Caponi worked out of trouble and out of bounds to keep things scoreless heading into the second period.  Bomberger chose down to start the middle period and began to work for a go-ahead escape.  But Caponi managed to turn Bomberger to his back for three near-fall points and a 3-0 lead.  Another turn, this one a two-point move, gave the Cavalier grappler a 5-0 lead. The dominating performance on top gave Caponi a 5-0 lead with 2:00 in riding time after two periods.  Caponi chose top to begin the third period, looking to turn Bomberger again and perhaps pick up a major decision.  But Bomberger escaped to cut his lead to 5-1 and began looking for a takedown.  The Nittany Lion senior nearly finished a strong double-leg, but Caponi managed to roll out of trouble as he hit the mat, forcing a reset.  Caponi got a takedown with just :40 left, upping his lead to 7-1.  Needing to prevent giving up a major, Bomberger worked to escape.  The Nittany Lion senior could not break free of Caponi, but Bomberger managed to keep it a regular decision, falling 8-1.  The Virginia win cut Penn State's lead to 16-12.

197:  Nittany Lion red-shirt freshman Clay Steadman (McKean, Pa.) made his second career dual meet start against Virginia's Brent Jones.  Jones entered the bout with a 6-1 mark and, while not ranked by the NWCA/Intermat poll, was ranked in another national listing.  Jones got the bout's first takedown, getting control of both Steadman's feet on the edge of the mat with 1:09 left in the opening period.  Steadman escaped to a 2-1 lead and turned into Jones, looking for a takedown of his own.  The feisty Lion rookie got the takedown with :20 left, nearly turning Jones to his back in the process.  Jones managed to fight off his back, but Steadman rode the Cavalier grappler out to lead 3-2 heading into the second stanza.  Steadman chose down to start the middle period and quickly escaped to a 4-2 lead.  Not looking to rest on one takedown, Steadman shot low on Jones only to have the Cavalier grappler counter and gain control of his left ankle.  Steadman managed to force action out of bounds and a reset ensued at the 1:15 mark.  Jones once again countered a Steadman shot and this time, he finished the move and tied the bout at 4-4 with :45 left in the second period.  Steadman escaped to a 5-4 lead after a reset at the :22 mark and action moved to the center circle.  Trailing by one, Jones chose down to begin the final period and escaped to a 5-5 tie with 1:42 left.  Jones gained control of Steadman with 1:20 left and after a short tussle, got a go-ahead takedown at the 1:12 mark to take a 7-5 lead.  Steadman worked furiously to escape, nearly getting loose but being ridden out of bounds three straight times.  Steadman escaped to a 7-6 deficit with :56 left and began looking for an opening.  But once again, the talented Jones countered Steadman's offensive efforts and got a clinching takedown with :16 left.  A riding time point gave Jones a hard-fought 10-6 win over the inspired Nittany Lion freshman.  The win cut Penn State's lead to 16-15 heading into the final bout.

HWT:  With the match on the line, Nittany Lion red-shirt freshman Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) met Virginia's Jack Danilkowitcz at HWT.  Wade looked for a high toss opening, but Danilkowitcz managed to hold off the Penn Stater's efforts.  After three minutes, neither wrestler managed a takedown and action moved to the middle stanza knotted at 0-0.  Wade chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead with 1:47 left.  Danilkowitcz shot low at the :50 mark, Wade countered and briefly gained control of the Cavaliers' shoulders, but action moved out of bounds and Wade kept his slim 1-0 lead heading into the final period.  Danilkowitcz chose down to start the third period.  Wade proceeded to break down Danilkowitcz and put together a strong ride.  But after a reset, Danilkowitcz gained control of Wade's foot and began to work his way underneath the Lion.  But Wade nearly turned the UVA grappler to his back and, while not picking up any near fall points, broke the Cavalier grappler down.  The dominating ride-out gave Wade a bonus point for riding time and a dual clinching 2-0 victory.  The decision gave Penn State a hard-fought 19-15 win.