FIGHTING SCOTS WIN 16th STRAIGHT EWL MATCH WITH 30-11 WIN AT LOCK HAVEN
LOCK HAVEN, PA - Though missing three starters, a depleted Edinboro wrestling
team won its 16th straight Eastern Wrestling League match with a 30-11 win at
Lock Haven on Saturday night. The Fighting Scots, ranked 14th in the
latest USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Top 25, improved to 7-2 and 3-0 in the EWL, while
Lock Haven fell to 6-5 and 0-2, respectively.
After losing two of the first three bouts, Edinboro roared back to win the next
four matches, three for bonus points. In all, the Fighting Scots won six
of the last seven bouts, losing only at 184 lbs., where 17th-ranked Chris
Honeycutt was missing due to illness.
In addition to Honeycutt, Eric Morrill, the starter at 125 lbs., did not make
the trip due to illness, and Torsten Gillespie remained out at 141 lbs. with a
broken finger suffered at the Southern Scuffle. Their absences were
evident early on, as Lock Haven's John Trumbetti opened the match with an 11-0
major decision over Morrill's replacement, Greg Sill, in the 125 lb.
match. Sill is now 2-5.
Ricky Deubel improved to 19-10 at 133 lbs. with a narrow 6-5 win over Billy
Ashnault. Deubel trailed 4-2 after one period, but took the lead with an
escape and takedown in the second period. Ashnault's escape was the lone
scoring in the third period, with Deubel prevailing thanks to a 1:54 riding time
advantage.
Lock Haven went up 7-3 thanks to a 5-1 decision for Clint Shirk over Ryan Morgan
at 141 lbs. The loss dropped Morgan to 7-9.
Daryl Cocozzo got the string of four straight wins going with a solid 3-2
decision over Matt Fittery in a rematch of the 149 lb. PSAC championship
bout. Cocozzo won that battle 5-0. The sophomore opened the scoring
with an early takedown, but Fittery would even the match at 2-2 after one period
with a reversal. An escape gave Cocozzo the 3-2 lead after two periods,
and he survived a wild scramble in the final seconds to boost his record to
25-9. Fittery fell to 15-8.
Gregor Gillespie gave Edinboro the lead for good at 11-7 with his 11th technical
fall of the season. Ranked third at 157 lbs., the junior had little
trouble improving to 24-2 for the season and 98-8 for his career for an 18-0
technical fall over John Mangini at 4:38. An early takedown led to an 11-0
lead after one period as he tilted Mangini three different times for three
near-fall points. Mangini started the second period in the down position,
and Gillespie quickly turned him twice to end the match.
Jarrod King made it 17-7 with his fourth fall of the season, this one at 4:05
over Landis Wright. King, ranked 16th at 165 lbs., is now 23-6. He
held a 6-2 lead after two periods thanks to three takedowns, then built the lead
to 12-2 before pinning Wright. The two previously met in the PSAC finals,
with King prevailing 16-6.
At 174 lbs., 13th-ranked Phil Moricone won by major decision over Mike Metzger,
14-6, on the strength of six takedowns. Moricone opened with a pair of
first period takedowns for a 4-1 lead, then added an escape and takedown for a
7-2 advantage after two periods. He would add three more takedowns
in the third, letting Metzger up each time. Moricone is now 18-8.
Lock Haven would close the match to 21-11 as Jeremie Cook won a xx major
decision over Donald Walker. Walker, the fill-in for Honeycutt, was
wrestling his first match of the season. He actually grabbed a 2-0 lead
with an early takedown, but after that it was all Cook.
In another rematch of a PSAC championshiop bout, Pat Bradshaw prevailed once
again over Ben Hepburn at 197 lbs., boosting Edinboro's lead to 24-11.
Bradshaw, now 22-9, scored a first period takedown for a 2-0 lead after one
period. He added a second period escape and was awarded a penalty point
for a 4-0 lead. Hepburn would register an escape in the third period, but
Bradshaw owned riding time for the 5-1 win. It marked the same score
as Bardshaw's decision over Hepburn in the PSAC finals.
Joey Fendone, 13-5 and ranked 14th, ended the match with an exclamation point in
the heavyweight match, as he won by fall over Dan Craig for the second time this
season. The first came at 4:12 in the third place match at the PSAC
Championships. This time around he needed 3:43 to flatten Craig.
Fendone led 7-0 after a period thanks to a takedown, one three-point near-fall,
and a two-point near-fall to conclude the period. Starting the second
period on top, Fendone quickly ended the match with three back points, and then
the pin.
Edinboro will be back in action next Saturday, February 2, hosting the Edinboro
Open.
EDINBORO 30, LOCK HAVEN 11
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Thomas Field House
Lock Haven, PA
EU-LHU
125 lbs. -- John Trumbetti (LHU) maj. dec. Greg Sill (EU), 11-0 0-4
133 lbs. -- Ricky Deubel (EU) dec. Billy Ashnault (LHU), 6-5 3-4
141 lbs. -- Clint Shirk (LHU) dec. Ryan Morgan, 5-1 3-7
149 lbs. -- Daryl Cocozzo (EU) dec. Matt Fittery (LHU), 3-2 6-7
157 lbs. -- #3 Gregor Gillespie (EU) tech. fall John Mangini (LHU), TF18-0
(4:38) 11-7
165 lbs. -- #16 Jarrod King (EU) fall over Landis Wright (LHU), 4:05 17-7
174 lbs. -- #15 Phil Moricone (EU) maj. dec. Mike Metzger (LHU), 14-6 21-7
184 lbs. -- Jeremie Cook (LHU) maj. dec. Donald Walker (EU), 15-5 21-11
197 lbs. -- Pat Bradshaw (EU) dec. Ben Hepburn (LHU), 5-1
24-11
Hwt. -- #14 Joey Fendone (EU) fall over Dan Craig
(LHU), 3:43 30-11
Records: Edinboro 7-2, 3-0 EWL
Lock Haven 6-5, 0-2 EWL