"We wrestled hard, and that's the key to winning these kind of matches," said Head Coach Rande Stottlemyer. "I think the swing matches for us were at 141 and 165. Those certainly ignited us, and then the flood gates opened at 197 and heavyweight. I thought it was going to be a closer match, but it was great to open the season like this with a big crowd at home."
At 125 pounds, Bloomsburg's Mike Sees took an early 7-0 lead over Pitt's Brad Gentzle (Easton, Pa./Eaton) in the first period, scoring on a takedown and two near falls. In the second period, Sees scored three and Gentzle came back with an escape to get on the board. Sees closed out the period with another takedown to take a 12-1 lead. In the final period, Sees earned a 19-3 technical fall at the 6:07 mark to put Bloomsburg ahead, 5-0.
The Panthers fought back at 133 pounds as Pitt's Drew Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg) took on Bloomsburg's Ricky Donald. The two were scoreless in the first two periods. Headlee came through to score two points on a near fall in the final period and held Donald to only an escape to win the bout, 2-1. Bloomsburg now led, 5-3.
Pitt's Joe Ciampoli (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) faced Bloomsburg's Tony Curto at 141 pounds. The two were scoreless in the first period, and Curto had an escape to take a 1-0 lead in the second. Ciampoli tied it up with an escape in the third and sent the match into overtime. He scored on a takedown to win it for the Panthers and give Curto his first loss off the season, 3-1. Pitt moved into the lead, 6-5.
Bloomsburg had success at 149 pounds as Matt Moley pinned Pitt's Dave Kapetanovich (Pittsburgh, Pa./CCAC) at the 2:26 mark. The Huskies moved back into the lead, 11-6.
At 157 pounds, Pitt's Matt Kocher (State College, Pa./State College) faced Bloomsburg's Dennis Bermudez. In the first period, Kocher took a 12-4 lead that included three takedowns, a reversal, a near fall and a penalty point. Bermudez earned a point on an escape in the second period to put him at five points. In the final period, Kocher scored on a reversal and takedown and also scored a point for riding time. He went on to win the major decision, 17-6. Pitt edged in, 11-10.
Pitt's Sean Richmond (Emmaus, Pa./Easton) turned things around for the Panthers at 165 pounds when he pinned Bloomsburg's Ricky Schmelyun at the 0:22 mark. Richmond scored on a takedown almost immediately and had the pin to give the Panthers a 16-11 lead.
Keith Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail) kept the Panthers' momentum going in the 174-pound bout against Bloomsburg's Brian Shaw. In the first period, Gavin commanded a 6-2 lead, scoring on a three takedowns and holding Shaw to two escapes. Shaw had only one escape in the second period while Gavin scored on an escape, takedown and a three-point near fall for an 11-3 lead. In the final period, Gavin won by a 19-4 technical fall at the 6:10 mark. The Panthers moved to 21-11.
The 184-pound was a close one as Pitt's Mike Heist (Orefield, Pa./Parkland) faced Bloomsburg's Nate Shirk. In the first period, Shirk scored two points on a takedown and Heist had an escape. Heist tied it up at two with another escape in the second period. In the final period, Shirk scored on an escape and had a point for riding time to win a 4-2 decision. Pitt still held the lead, 21-14.
The excitement kept going for the Panthers at 197 pounds as Pitt's Eric Cassidy (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) took on Bloomsburg's PJ DiStefano. In the first period, Cassidy took a 2-1 lead after scoring on a takedown. He gained momentum in the second period, scoring two on a reversal and then coming through with a pin at the 4:40 mark. The Panthers moved ahead, 27-14.
The final match of the night was the battle of the two EWL champions as Pitt's Zach Sheaffer (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) wrestled Bloomsburg's Mike Spaid. Both wrestlers went scoreless in the first period. Sheaffer took a 2-0 lead with a reversal in the second. Spaid tied it up with a penalty point and an escape in the third. Sheaffer had two more takedowns and a point for riding time to win the bout, 7-3. Pitt went on to win, 30-14
Next up for the Panthers is the Las Vegas Invitational. They'll head to the two-day tournament on December 1 and 2 where they'll face several of the nation's top-ranked teams. The Panthers return home on December 9 and will take on Lehigh at 1 p.m.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now