EDINBORO WINS 16th STRAIGHT DUAL, 31-6, OVER EASTERN MICHIGAN

ERIE, PA – The 14th-ranked Edinboro wrestling team turned in an impressive performance while competing front of an announced crowd of 1,871 at the Erie Civic Center on Friday night. Competing in the War at the Shore 3, the Fighting Scots won eight of ten matches, six by bonus points, to come away with a 31-6 win over Eastern Michigan.
The match marked the return to Erie of former Cathedral Prep standout Derek DelPorto, who now serves as the head coach at Eastern Michigan. The Fighting Scots did not make it a successful return. Instead, Edinboro improved to 4-1 while winning its 16th straight dual match and 34th in the last 35 matches. The Eagles fall to 4-1.
The match began at 174 lbs., where Phil Moricone continued to impress. The junior, ranked 11th by Amateur Wrestling News and 12th by InterMat, posted an 11-2 major decision with three takedowns. While improving to 11-3, Moricone led 2-0 after one period and 4-0 on a reversal after two periods, then used a big third period to cement the win.
Eastern Michigan closed to 4-3 when Charlie Pienaar won a 4-0 decision over Dan Thompson at 184 lbs. The match pitted a pair of former Slippery Rock wrestlers and PSAC champions against each other. Thompson won the PSAC title last week, but couldn’t come up with a takedown against his former teammate. Pienaar used a second period reversal and a third period takedown to drop Thompson to 9-5.
Edinboro ran off wins in the next three bouts, beginning with an 11-0 major decision for Pat Bradshaw over John McClure at 197 lbs. Bradshaw, a sophomore, came in ranked 15th by InterMat and 16th by Amateur Wrestling News and improved to 14-5. He was up 5-0 after one period thanks to a takedown and three back points, and it was 8-0 after two periods, as he registered an escape and takedown.
Joey Fendone improved to 6-1 with a 5-1 decision over David Wade at heavyweight. The junior, ranked seventh by Amateur Wrestling News and 17th by InterMat, started the match with a takedown. He came up with another takedown in the second period, and had a riding time advantage.
Eric Morrill made it three straight wins with a 9-4 decision over Andrew Novak, who was named the MAC Wrestler of the Week earlier in the week. The 125 lb. match saw Morrill take a 2-0 lead with a first period takedown, then go up 4-1 after two periods courtesy of a second takedown. A third takedown made it 7-1, and after an escape and takedown by Novak, the sophomore added an escape and riding time point for the final score. Morrill is now 11-5.
In likely the most anticipated match of the night, Eastern Michigan’s Sean Clair edged Ricky Deubel, 4-3, at 133 lbs. Neither wrestler came in ranked, but both have been at some point this year. Deubel, now 12-6, opened with a takedown, with a Clair escape making it 2-1 after one period. A Clair escape made it 2-2 in the second, and he would then take the lead with a takedown. The lone score in the third period was a stalling point for Deubel with 34 seconds left. Clair is now 13-3.
Edinboro won the final four bouts, all by bonus points. Torsten Gillespie improved to 11-8 at 141 lbs. with a 14-4 major decision over David Pienaar. He controlled the first period with a takedown and three back points for a 5-0 lead. Pienaar picked up two back points in the second period, but Gillespie answered with a reversal for a 7-2 advantage. In the third, the freshman added another takedown and three back points.
Daryl Cocozzo moved to 20-4 as the sophomore won a 10-1 major decision over Zach Donofrio at 149 lbs. Cocozzo used takedowns in the first and second periods for a 4-0 lead. He began the third with an escape, then added two more takedowns.
Gregor Gillespie showed why he is ranked second at 157 lbs. The junior boosted his season record to 16-1 and picked up his 90th career win with a 16-0 technical fall over Cory Mancuso. The end came at 6:04. Gillespie led 8-0 after one period on a takedown and a pair of three-point near-fall moves. He added a takedown in the second, then closed out the match with two more three-point back point moves.
Jarrod King ended the night with a 9-0 major decision over Justin Brandel. The junior brought his record to 12-5 with a pair of takedowns and a two two-point near-falls. King is ranked 14th by Amateur Wrestling News and 18th by InterMat.
Edinboro will break for Christmas, then return to action in the Southern Scuffle on December 29-30.

EDINBORO 31, EASTERN MICHIGAN 6
Erie Civic Center
Friday, December 14, 2007
EU-EMU
174 lbs. Phil Moricone (EU) maj. dec. Derek Foore (EMU), 11-2 4-0
184 lbs. Charlie Pienaar (EMU) dec. Dan Thompson (EU), 4-0 4-3
197 lbs. Pat Bradshaw (EU) maj. dec. John McClure (EMU), 11-0 8-3
Hwt. Joey Fendone (EU) dec. David Wade (EMU), 5-1 11-3
125 lbs. Eric Morrill (EU) dec. Andrew Novak (EMU), 9-4 14-3
133 lbs. Sean Clair (EMU) dec. Ricky Deubel (EU), 4-3 14-6
141 lbs. Torsten Gillespie (EU) maj. dec. David Pienaar (EMU), 14-4 18-6
149 lbs. Daryl Cocozzo (EU) maj. dec. Zach Donofrio (EMU), 10-1 22-6
157 lbs. Gregor Gillespie (EU) tech. fall Cory Mancuso (EMU), 16-0 (6:04) 27-6
165 lbs. Jarrod King (EU) maj. dec. Justin Brandel (EMU), 9-0 31-6

RECORDS: Edinboro 4-0, ranked 14th by USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Top 25
Eastern Michigan 4-1

Last edited by Allen Brown on 15 Dec 2007 04:53 am; edited 1 time in total