Jan. 12, 2008
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 1 in the nation and the top seed at the 2008 National Duals, opened up the 16-team tournament with a 37-2 thrashing of No. 16 Chattanooga this morning in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Head coach Troy Sunderland's squad got nine wins in ten bouts, including pins on each end of the dual
With the morning session featuring 18 mats in the expansive UNI-Dome on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa, the Nittany Loins and Mocs squared off on mat four in the center of the building. Senior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) got the bout started on the right foot with a pin of No. 9 Javier Maldonado at 125. McKnight is ranked No. 7. Senior Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) got an injury default at 133, No. 2 Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) decisioned No. 19 Cody Cleveland at 141 and No. 4 Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) beat No. 20 Joey Knox at 149.
No. 10 Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) got a major decision over No. 20 Seth Garvin at 157 and Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) got a decision over UTC's Nick Davis at 165. The six straight wins to start the bout put Penn State up 25-0 before UTC got on the board. In a hard-fought battle at 174, No. 12 Lloyd Rogers of Chattanooga decisioned No. 17 David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) for UTC's only points of the bout.
Penn State closed out the bout with three straight wins with No. 14 Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) getting a decision at 184 and No. 2 Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.) getting a decision at 197. Chattanooga was penalized one team point after the 197-pound bout as well, giving Penn State a 31-2 lead heading into the final match-up. Junior heavyweight John Laboranti (Pittston, Pa.) put an exclamation point on the bout with a pin of UTC's Matt Lettner in the final bout, giving the Nittany Lions the 37-2 victory.
The Nittany Lions racked up 10 bonus points in the dual and improved to 6-0 on the year. Penn State has won its first six bouts by a combined score of 188-44 and has won 47 of 60 bouts. Penn State will now face a sizeable task in the quarterfinals as No. 10 Nebraska waits in the wings. The Cornhuskers opened up the tournament with a 28-9 hammering of No. 9 (and eighth-seeded) Northwestern. Penn State and Nebraska will meet this afternoon at 1 p.m. Central/2 p.m. Eastern.
#1 Penn State 37, #16 UT-Chattanooga 2
Saturday, January 12, 2008 - National Duals - Cedar Falls, Iowa
| 125: #7 Mark McKnight PSU pinned #9 Javier Maldonado UTC, WBF 4:45 | 6-0 |
| 133: Tim Haas PSU inj. def. Shawn Cordell UTC | 12-0 |
| 141: #2 Jake Strayer PSU dec. #19 Cody Cleveland UTC, 8-4 | 15-0 |
| 149: #4 Bubba Jenkins PSU dec. #20 Joey Knox UTC, 5-3 | 18-0 |
| 157: #10 Dan Vallimont PSU maj. dec. #20 Seth Garvin UTC, 15-7 | 22-0 |
| 165: Dave Rella PSU dec. Nick Davis UTC, 5-1 | 25-0 |
| 174: #12 Lloyd Rogers UTC dec. #17 David Erwin PSU, 12-6 | 25-3 |
| 184: #14 Phil Bomberger PSU dec. Josh Edmondson UTC, 11-5 | 28-3 |
| 197: #2 Phil Davis PSU dec. #13 Matt Koz UTC, 4-2 | 31-2* |
| HWT: John Laboranti PSU pinned Matt Lettner UTC, WBF 4:42 | 37-2* |
| * UTC penalized one team point after 197-pound bout | |
Final Score: #1 Penn State 37, #16 UT-Chattanooga 2
PSU Record: 6-0
Up next: Quarterfinals vs. #10 Nebraska at 2 p.m. (Eastern)
BOUT BY BOUT:
125: Senior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.) got Penn State started at the 2008 National Duals by facing Chattanooga's Javier Maldonado. McKnight entered the bout ranked No. 7 nationally while Maldonado entered ranked No. 9. McKnight had the first solid scoring chance, getting in high on Maldonado's right thigh, but the Moc wrestler fought off the move and forced a reset. Maldonado then had his first scoring chance in the middle of the mat, but like McKnight, had his move end in a stalemate. Maldonado did, however get the first takedown of the bout, going up 2-0 with just under a minute to wrestle in the first period. McKnight would not be able to escape as the period ended and trailed 2-0 after one period. The Nittany Lion senior chose down to begin the second stanza and escaped to a 2-1 deficit. McKnight had an offensive shot countered by Maldonado and nearly gave up a second takedown, but the senior managed to fight the attempt off as a potentially dangerous hold stopped action with 1:00 left in the middle stanza. With :20 left, Maldonado shot low on McKnight's ankle, but the savvy senior countered the move and proceeded to turn the Moc wrestler to his back and quickly walk away with a fall at the 4:45 mark. The come-from-behind pin put Penn State up 6-0 early.
133: Co-captain Tim Haas (Camp Hills, Pa.) too on UTC's Shawn Cordell at 133 pounds. Cordell had the first real scoring attempt at 133, forcing a long scramble that Haas proceeded to scramble out of. In the process of the scramble, Cordell sustained an injury that ended the bout, giving us a win by injury forfeit and putting Penn State up 12-0 after just two bouts. The bout ended less than a minute into the first stanza.
141: All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) put his No. 2 national ranking on the line against No. 19 Cody Cleveland of Chattanooga at 141 pounds. The battle of ranked grapplers began with each wrestler fighting off an initial scoring opportunity. Strayer had a slight chance on the edge of the mat while Cleveland had an opening in the center circle. But each ended with a reset. Strayer broke into the scoring column with a textbook takedown with a minute left in the period. The Lion junior then rode Cleveland out to carry that lead into the second period. Cleveland chose down to begin the middle period and escaped to a 2-1 deficit after a :30 scramble. Strayer, with over a minute worth of riding time, kept the pressure on the Moc grappler and upped his lead to 4-1 with a second takedown on the edge of the mat. He then maintained control with a strong ride, not allowing Cleveland to escape. In the process of riding Cleveland out, however, Strayer gave up a point on an illegal hold and led 4-2 after two. Strayer chose down to begin the third period. While escaping to a 5-2 lead, Strayer had to fight off a solid attempt by Cleveland to get near fall points. The long scramble resulted in no back points, however, and Strayer then added one more takedown after the reset to up his lead to 7-2. Cleveland managed to reverse Strayer as the period ended, but the outcome was settled and Strayer, with a riding time point, got through with a hard fought 8-4 decision over No. 19 Cleveland. The win put Penn State up 15-0.
149: Penn State sophomore Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) met Joey Knox in a battle of ranked wrestlers at 149. Jenkins entered the tournament ranked No. 4 while Knox entered ranked No. 20. Jenkins used a strong lift in the center circle to get the bout's first takedown and edged out to an early 2-1 lead with just under a minute to wrestle in period one. Jenkins was the aggressor throughout the period but Knox managed some solid defense to trail by only one after the first stanza. Jenkins chose down to begin the middle period and escaped to a 3-1 lead. Neither wrestler mounted a challenge during the bulk of the second period, save for a short upper body scramble near center mat with :30 left. Down by two, Knox chose down to begin the final period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 deficit. Jenkins showed his strength one more time, once again lifting Knox off the mat to up his lead to 5-3 (after allowing the Moc to escape) with 1:00 left to wrestle. Jenkins continued to pressure Knox for the remainder of the bout and, while not scoring again, posted a strong 5-3 win. The victory put the Nittany Lions up 18-0 after four bouts.
157: Two more ranked wrestlers took to the mat at 157 pounds. Penn State's Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 10, took on No. 20 Seth Garvin of UTC. In yet another battle of ranked grapplers, Vallimont got out early with a takedown after a long scramble at the 2:25 mark. Wasting no time after Garvin escaped, Vallimont got a quick second takedown to up his lead to 4-2 with 1:30 to wrestle in the first period. Continuing to pour on the offense, Vallimont added a third takedown with a textbook double-leg and led 6-3 at the :55 mark. Even when Garvin did attempt offense, Vallimont countered the move with a nice takedown of his own as the period ended to lead 8-3 heading into the second stanza. Garvin chose down to begin the middle period but did not escape to an 8-4 deficit until Vallimont pushed his riding time edge up over a minute. Garvin got his first takedown at the 1:00 mark, cutting Vallimont's lead to 9-6 (after the Nittany Lion escaped) with :45 left. Vallimont, however, was not to be challenged, getting a fifth takedown on the edge of the mat to lead 11-6 with :20 left in the period. The Nittany Lion sophomore managed to ride Garvin out to carry that lead into the final two minutes of action. Vallimont chose down to begin the third period and quickly escaped to up his lead to 12-6. Seeking a major, Vallimont once again used his strength to force Garvin to the mat to lead 14-6 with :35 left. But Garvin managed an escape to cut the lead to 14-7 with just :11 left to wrestle, but Vallimont's riding time bonus point gave the Nittany Lion a 15-7 major decision. The four-point major gave the Nittany Lions a 22-0 lead.
165: Nittany Lion sophomore Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) battled UTC's Nick Davis at 165 pounds. Neither wrestler had a serious scoring opportunity during the first three minutes of wrestling and action moved to the second period with no score. Davis chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Rella was the aggressor early in the second period and forced a defensive Davis into a stall warning. The Nittany Lion sophomore used a textbook high double-leg takedown to get his first points as the second period ended and led 2-1 after two periods. Rella then chose down to begin the third period and escaped to a 3-1 lead with 1:55 left. Spurred on by his success late in the second stanza, Rella continued to force the tempo of the bout. His patience paid off with a bout clinching takedown as the third period ended and the Lion sophomore walked away with a sound 5-1 victory. The decision put Penn State up 25-0.
174: Sophomore David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio), ranked No. 17 at 174 for Penn State, faced a stiff challenge in No. 12 Lloyd Rogers of Chattanooga. In one of many marquee match-ups in the dual, Erwin took the first shot and nearly scored in the bout's opening seconds. But the talented Moc grappler countered the move and got a takedown of his own to go up 2-0 early in the match. The surging Penn State sophomore escaped to a 2-1 deficit and once again continued to force the tempo. Getting in low on Rogers' ankles, Erwin had another scoring chance once again rebuffed by his UTC foe. Seizing on another opening low on Rogers' legs, Erwin took a 3-2 lead with a nice ankle pick late in the period. Holding on for the first stanza's final seconds, Erwin led 3-2 after one period. Rogers chose down to begin the middle period and escaped to a 3-3 tie with 1:35 to go in the second. Rogers answered Erwin's takedown with a takedown of his own to lead 5-3. Erwin, however, turned a Rogers attempt for back points into a two-point reversal to tie the bout at 5-5. Rogers quickly escaped to go up 6-5 and then added a swift takedown on the edge of the mat to move out to an 8-5 lead, riding Erwin out for the remainder of the period. Erwin chose down to start the third period but could not escape a very strong Rogers ride and eventually giving up three back points to trail 11-5. Erwin escaped to cut the lead to 11-6 with :38 left and began looking for offensive chances. But the ranked Moc grappler managed to fend off each Erwin shot to put UTC on the board with a hard-fought 12-6 decision. The victory helped the Mocs stave off a potential shutout, making the score 25-3.
184: Penn State junior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) put his No. 14 national tag to the test against Chattanooga's Josh Edmondson at 184. Edmondson nearly got the bout's first takedown, forcing Bomberger to the mat, but the strong Lion junior fought off the attempt and then quickly used a strong high shot at Edmondson's waist to go up 2-0 at the 1:40 mark. Bomberger added another takedown with a minute left to up his lead to 4-2, a lead he carried into the second period. Edmondson chose down to start the middle frame, a decision that cost him two back points as Bomberger used his upper body strength to turn the Moc grappler for a quick two-point near fall and a 6-2 lead. Edmondson then escaped to a 6-3 deficit, but Bomberger continued to pile on the offense with a third takedown at the :58 mark. Up 8-3, Bomberger put together another solid ride to build up his riding time edge before the UTC grappler escaped to cut his lead to 8-4 with :15 left in the second period. Up by four, Bomberger chose down to begin the final period. Edmondson managed to maintain control of Bomberger long enough to eat into the Nittany Lion's riding time edge, but Bomberger eventually escaped to a 9-4 lead. Leaving no doubt, the Penn State junior added yet another takedown at the :51 mark and moved out to an 11-5 lead after cutting Edmondson loose. Needing another takedown for a major, Bomberger forced the tempo over the final :30 of the match and but could not get another two point score. Still, the 11-5 decision put Penn State up 28-3 with only two bouts left to wrestle.
197: Three-time All-American Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 2 at 197, met No. 13 Matt Koz. With Koz playing defense through the early part of the bout, Davis showcased veteran patience as he looked for his first opening against the ranked Moc wrestler. With Koz picking up a first stall warning at the 1:20mark, Davis maintained his aggressive style throughout the period but nonetheless the bout headed to the second tied 0-0. Davis chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Koz continued his defensive style and Davis picked up his offensive pace even more. With :50 left in the second, Davis finally broke through Koz's defense to get high on the Moc's right thigh. But the UTC wrestler managed to fight off the move and quickly turned the effort into a stunning takedown of his own as the second period ended. Up 2-1 and looking to avoid Davis' control, Koz chose neutral to start the third period and immediately began blocking off every Davis attempt at offense. With 1:15 left in the bout, Koz finally got hit with another stall warning, tying the bout at 2-2. Davis then got into the scoring column with a textbook takedown at the :45 mark, moving out to a 4-2 lead and proceeding to try and turn Koz for back points as the third period wound down. While not giving up any points, Davis still posted a 4-2 decision to remain unbeaten and put Penn State up 31-2. Chattanooga was penalized one team point at the conclusion of this bout, thus dropping UTC's score down to two.
HWT: Penn State junior John Laboranti (Pittston, Pa.) took on Moc heavyweight Matt Lettner in the dual's final bout. Looking to continue Penn State's successful turn against Chattanooga, Laboranti got in high on Lettner's midsection and turned the ensuing scramble into a solid two-point takedown on the edge of the mat at the :28 mark. Lettner did manage to escape, however, cutting Laboranti's lead to 2-1 after three minutes of action. Lettner chose down to start the middle period but found the going tough as the Penn State junior put together a commanding ride that ended with a completed cradle and three back points 1:00 in. Now leading 5-1, Laboranti continued his impressive work up top, dominating action and eventually turning the Moc wrestler to his back for an impressive pin at the 4:42 mark. The six point fall gave Penn State a convincing 37-2 final victory over the 16th-ranked Mocs.