“That week off was definitely needed,” Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said. “It was good to come back with a nice match today and now the focus moves to Cornell tomorrow.”
Freshman Scott Parker set the tone for Lehigh at 125 with the first of two wins by technical fall on the afternoon. Parker built an 8-1 lead after one period behind two takedowns and two two-point near falls, and added five more takedowns to win 19-4 in 5:50.
At 133, junior Mason Beckman scored a takedown in the final five seconds to secure a major decision, defeating Scott Stevens 14-6. Beckman controlled the match throughout, with five takedowns in the first six-and-a-half minutes, but was unable to turn Stevens from the top position despite building up well over two minutes of riding time. A penalty point for locked hands and an escape brought Stevens within 11-6 late, but Beckman scored in the final five seconds and added the riding time point to get the major decision.
“Early on we were trying to get our feel for competition back,” Santoro said. “Once we did our guys started opening up a little bit and it was good to see so many guys score late in periods.”
Franklin & Marshall’s lone win came at 141 as Robert Ruiz won by fall over sophomore Dean Somers who got the call as Randy Cruz was given a rest. Ruiz led 2-1 in the first period when he locked up a cradle and after a good fight from Somers finally secured the fall at the 2:32 mark bringing the Diplomats within 9-6. F&M falls to 2-5 in duals with the loss.
Freshman Drew Longo posted his first career bonus point victory, racking up three third period takedowns to earn a 14-4 major decision over Tommy Quinlan at 149.
Minotti’s first appearance in front of the home fans in 2014-15 was a quick one as he pinned Rob King in just 1:33 at 157. Minotti scored an early takedown then used an arm bar and a half nelson to secure the fall, which gave Lehigh a 19-6 lead at intermission.
“Mitch really wanted to wrestle in Grace Hall,” Santoro said. “He went out and did what Mitch can do. He has a big one tomorrow but it was exciting to see him out here getting a pin.”
The Mountain Hawks would eventually capture the final seven bouts of the dual including all five after the break. Following an 11-3 major decision by senior Marshall Peppelman over Andrew Francos at 165, Martinez posted his third pin in as many dual meet appearances, using an arm throw out of a Russian tie to put Gordon Bolig on his back for the fall in 1:28. Martinez has now won seven of his last eight official bouts overall with four pins in that time frame.
“He’s feeling more explosive up at 174,” Santoro said of Martinez. “He’s feeling better each week and come March he’s going to be a different wrestler.”
Junior Nathaniel Brown followed Martinez’s fall with Lehigh’s second technical fall of the dual, an impressive 20-5 victory over Anthony Mancini at 184. Brown nearly pinned Mancini early but had to settle for a 7-1 lead after one period before racking up six more takedowns before the match was stopped at 5:48.
After eight consecutive bonus point wins to open the dual, the final two bouts ended in regular decisions. At 197, junior John Bolich overcame an early 4-1 deficit, defeating Charles Kerkesner 6-5 with the decisive point coming via 1:30 of riding time. Sophomore heavyweight Doug Vollaro broke open a 4-1 match with three late takedowns, but just missed out on the riding time point and had to settle for a 10-3 decision over Isaiah Cromwell in the final bout.
The Mountain Hawks return to Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall on Sunday to face longtime EIWA rival and sixth-ranked Cornell at 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at LehighTickets.com or Sunday afternoon at the Grace Hall ticket office.
Results:
125 – Scott Parker (Lehigh) tech fall Edgar Garcia (F&M) 19-4, 5:50
133 – Mason Beckman (Lehigh) major dec. Scott Stevens (F&M) 14-6
141 – Robert Ruiz (F&M) Fall Dean Somers (Lehigh) 2:32
149 – Drew Longo (Lehigh) major dec. Tommy Quinlan (F&M) 14-4
157 – Mitch Minotti (Lehigh) fall Rob King (F&M) 1:33
165 – Marshall Peppelman (Lehigh) major dec. Andrew Francos (F&M) 10-12
174 – Santiago Martinez (Lehigh) Fall Gordon Bolig (F&M) 1:28
184 – Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) tech fall Anthony Mancini (F&M) 20-5, 5:48
197 – John Bolich (Lehigh) dec. Charles Kerkesner (F&M) 6-5
285 – Doug Vollaro (Lehigh) dec. Isaiah Cromwell (F&M) 10-3
Attendance – 1,369
Referee – Mark Cesari
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