The match started at 157, where Nittany Lion Nathan Galloway (State College, Pa.) took on Penn's Gene Zannetti. An exciting first period ended with Galloway up 2-1. Zannetti chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to tie the match at 2-2, which is how the period ended. Galloway, ranked No. 16 nationally, chose down to start the third but was ridden by Zannetti long enough for Zannetti to earn a riding time edge. Galloway escaped with just :12 left, avoiding a loss and sending the match to sudden victory at 3-3. After a scoreless minute, the match went to a tiebreaker. Galloway scored an escape in the second tiebreaker period to claim a 4-3 win, giving PSU the early lead. Galloway 4-3 on the year, including a 2-2 mark in four overtime matches.
True freshman David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), who won his dual debut last night vs. Navy, faced Penn sophomore Jeff Zannetti at 165. Erwin scored the first take down halfway through the first period and dominated the first period to take a 5-2 lead after one. Zannetti would post the only point of the second with an escape and the match went to the third with Erwin leading 5-3. Erwin countered a Zannetti single leg attempt to score a fall in the third and ended up with a 9-4 win, putting Penn State up 6-0. Erwin improved to 12-2 with the victory.
Eighth-ranked James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.) scored a thrilling 6-5 win over Penn's Lior Zamir at 174. The hard-working junior was taken down by Zamir near the end of the first period and found himself down 2-0 at the end of one, plus facing a :50 riding time deficit. Yonushonis chose down to start the second period but could not escape until :08 remained and was down 2-1 heading into the third. The Nittany Lion cut Zamir loose to start the third in order to quickly score a take down, tying the score at 3-3. With a RT edge that could not be overcome, the Nittany Lion junior cut Zamir loose again. After Yonushonis got a point from a second Zamir stall, he scored a takedown with :30 left to go up 6-4 (or 6-5 with the Penn RT edge). Riding Zamir out for the remainder of the period, Yonushonis claimed a thrilling 6-5 come from behind win. He improved to 7-0 with the win and put Penn State up 9-0 in the dual.
Red-shirt freshman Neil Bretz (Carlisle, Pa.) stepped in at 184 to face Penn's Dustin Wiles, a senior. A defensive first period resulted in two Bretz stall calls and a 1-0 Wiles lead. Bretz scored an escape to start the second period to tie the match and scored a take down shortly thereafter to go up 3-1. A Wiles escape would send the match to the third with Bretz up 3-2. Wiles would tie the bout early with an escape and follow with a take down to take a 5-3 lead. After a Bretz escape, Wiles would hold Bretz's offense in check to escape with a 7-4 win, cutting the Nittany Lion lead to 9-3. Bretz fell to 1-5 with the loss.
Nittany Lion Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 6 in the nation, faced Penn senior Paul Valekei in a marquee match at 197. Davis, who missed last night's Navy match due to a class conflict, scored the first take down of the bout 1:45 into the first period and ride Valekei out. Valekei chose down to start the second, but Davis would ride him for the entire second period. Davis amassed an insurmountable 3:25 RT edge heading into the third period. Up 2-0 plus a RT point to begin the third, Davis chose down and was cut loose by Valekei immediately. The Nittany Lion sophomore would score another take down and coast to a convincing 6-0 win. Davis stayed undefeated at 6-0 with the win and put Penn State up 12-3.
Junior Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.) scored the first take down at HWT in his battle with Penn's Jayson Bowlsby early in the first period. He would dominate the first period with the Quaker freshman to take a commanding 6-2 lead heading into the second period. Anspach would continue his strong performance in the second, trading take downs and escapes to increase his lead to 10-5 with just two minutes to wrestle. Anspach chose bottom to start the third and quickly escaped, followed that with another take down and would go on to post a convincing 18-7 major decision, getting the bonus point and putting Penn State up 16-3. Anspach evened his mark at 7-7 with the win.
Back to the top of the line-up, undefeated Nittany Lion Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) took to the mat at 125 to face Penn's Andrew Gold. Gold scored a take down early in the first to take a 2-0 lead. Haas would reverse Gold and nearly took him to his back before action was stopped with a potentially dangerous hold. The first period would end in a 2-2 tie. Gold, down to start the second, could not escape Haas' strength with the Nittany Lion riding Gold for the entire second period. Haas chose down to begin the third and, after being ridden for more than a minute, would reverse Gold again to take a 4-2 lead with riding time. Haas would go on to post a 5-2 win and improve to 8-0 with the victory.
Another marquee match-up took place at 133 where undefeated Nittany Lion freshman Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), ranked No. 19 nationally, faced Penn's Matt Valenti, ranked No. 6. Strayer scored the first take down of the match early in the first period. Valenti, a senior with a 12-1 mark coming in, escaped to tighten the bout at 2-1, which is how the first ended. Valenti chose down to start the second but could not escape before Strayer amassed a riding time edge of 1:07. The bout entered the third period tied 2-2 but with Strayer holding a 1:07 riding time edge. Strayer had the choice to start the third and chose down and nearly gave up near fall points. Fighting Valenti off but losing his RT edge, Strayer escaped with just :50 left to take a 3-2 lead. Strayer would fight off another Valenti offensive effort as time expired to post a thrilling 3-2 win over No. 6 Valenti. Strayer upped his mark to 6-0 and put Penn State up 22-3.
Senior DeWitt Driscoll (Connellsville, Pa.), ranked No. 15 in the country, beat Penn's Cesar Grajales at 141. The duo battled through a scoreless first period. Grajales chose down to start the second. Driscoll would score two near fall points while riding Grajales for the entire period to take a 3-0 lead after two. Driscoll took down to start the final period and escaped early, only to be taken down seconds later. A Driscoll escape put the Nittany Lion up 4-2 plus a RT advantage. Driscoll would score a late take down and post an impressive 7-2 victory. Driscoll improved to 5-2 with the win.
With the dual match decided, freshman Jason Lapham (West Chazy, N.Y.) stepped in for senior James Woodall at 149 to face Penn's Matt Dragon. Dragon scored the early take down in the first and would add on a three-point near fall. Dragon would take that 5-0 lead plus a 2:01 RT edge into the second period. Lapham chose neutral to start the second but would be taken down to fall behind 7-0. Dragon would continue to dictate action in the bout and went on to post a 9-2 win. Lapham fell to 5-5 with the loss.
"We just wrestled very well," said Sunderland. "We've got kids weighing in, traveling, getting ready for finals and I think the guys adjusted real well to all of this. Our kids responded well. I'm proud of my guys. They out-wrestled and out-hustled Penn tonight. The kids did a tremendous job. I think, going back to how we lost the two Big Ten duals close, we did the things we needed to do at the end of matches to win this weekend."
"Strayer's win was outstanding," Sunderland continued. "But in his mind, it's not an upset. It's just the next step for him as he works towards his goals in March. Now, as a team, we have to focus on finals. The guys have to get all the rest they need, they'll get some individual work and, if we have time, we'll get in a team practice. But this tournament coming up is exciting and competitive and we need to be ready. It will be good to see how we stack up against the competition out there."
The Nittany Lions won 16 of their 20 bouts in the duals vs. Navy on Friday and Penn on Saturday. Penn State will now take part in the Reno Tournament of Champions next Sunday, Dec. 18, in Reno, Nev. The scored team tournament features a number of the nation's best teams, including Penn State and No. 1 Oklahoma State.
The Nittany Lions return to dual match action on Jan. 6 with a contest at No. 10 Lehigh at 7 p.m. before returning to Rec Hall for a home dual with No. 11 Cornell on Sunday, Jan. 8. The home dual begins at 1 p.m. Single match tickets can be purchased by visiting the BJC Ticket Center of by calling 814-865-5555 or 800-863-3336. Prices are $5 for adults and $3 for youth and senior citizens.
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