Nov. 16, 2008
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 7 nationally, got strong performances of a pair of freshman, but were stunned down the stretch in an 18-15 upset loss to Hofstra in its 2008-09 season opener. In a bout showcasing Penn State's youth and emerging talent, four Nittany Lions made their dual meet debuts in the match. Hofstra already had a full team tournament and one dual meet under its belt while Penn State was making its' season debut in front of over 3,200 fans. Each team won five bouts, but the Pride won the bonus point battle 3-0 to secure the upset victory.
True freshman Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), making his collegiate debut just three days after learning he would start due to an injury to junior David Erwin, gave notice to the nation with a last-second takedown and a stunning 4-3 win over returning Hofstra All-American Alton Lucas at 174. Lucas was ranked No. 6 and undefeated heading into the dual. Red-shirt freshman Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) notched a critical win at HWT in his Penn State dual meet debut, downing Hofstra's Jordan Enck 4-2. But the victories would not be enough as the Pride stormed back from a 15-11 deficit with two bouts left to steal an 18-15 win.
All-Americans Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) each got wins for Penn State as did national qualifier Phil Bomberger (Port Royale, Pa.). Jenkins, ranked No. 2 at 149, won 10-7 over P.J. Gillespie; Vallimont, ranked No. 3 at 157, downed No. 15 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman 11-8; and Bomberger, ranked No. 15 at 184, won 5-4 over Ben Clymer.
Penn State is now 0-1 on the year while Hofstra is 2-0. The Nittany Lions will trek to No. 4 Cornell on Friday, Nov. 21, for a 7 p.m. dual in Ithaca. Penn State then moves on to Binghamton University for the Sprawl and Brawl duals on Sunday, Nov. 23. The Nittany Lions face No. 21 Virginia at 10 a.m., No. 15 Edinboro at 12 p.m. and Binghamton at 3:30 p.m. Penn State's next home dual is slated for Sunday, Dec. 14, against West Virginia. Action starts at 1 p.m. Fans can purchase season tickets by calling 814-863-1000 or 800-NITTANY. Season tickets are $32 for adults and $24 for youth. Single event tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for youth. Penn State students get in FREE with a Penn State ID. All Penn State dual meets and post-season action can be heard live in the Centre Region on WRSC (1390 AM State College), WHUN (1150 AM Huntingdon) and live at www.GoPSUsports.com as part of the All-Access package.
| #7 Penn State 15, Hofstra 18 | |
| Sunday, November 16, 2008 - State College, Pa. | |
| 141: Justin Accordino HOF maj. dec. Frank Molinaro PSU, 12-4 | 0-4 |
| 149: #2 Bubba Jenkins PSU dec. P.J Gillespie HOF, 10-7 | 3-4 |
| 157: #3 Dan Vallimont PSU dec. #15 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman HOF, 11-8 | 6-4 |
| 165: Ryan Patrovich HOF dec. Mark Friend PSU, 9-4 | 6-7 |
| 174: Quentin Wright PSU dec. #6 Alton Lucas HOF, 4-3 | 9-7 |
| 184: #15 Phil Bomberger PSU dec. Ben Clymer HOF, 5-4 | 12-7 |
| 197: #17 Joe Fagiano HOF maj. dec. Andrew Haile PSU, 15-6 | 12-11 |
| HWT: Cameron Wade PSU dec. Jordan Enck HOF, 4-2 | 15-11 |
| 125: Steve Bonnano HOF dec. Brad Pataky PSU, 8-6 (OT) | 15-14 |
| 133: #7 Lou Ruggirello HOF maj. dec. Tim Haas PSU, 9-0 | 15-18 |
| Final Score: #7 Penn State 15, Hofstra 18 | |
| Attendance: 3,205 | |
| Records: Penn State 0-1; Hofstra 2-0 | |
Up next: at #4 Cornell, Friday, Nov. 21, 7 p.m.; at Sprawl and Brawl Duals in Binghamton, Sunday, Nov. 23, p.m.
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
141: The dual began at 141 where red-shirt freshman Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) made his Penn State dual meet debut at 141 against Hofstra's Justin Accordino, in a battle featuring two talented freshmen. Molinaro drew first blood with a solid double-leg takedown at the 1:40 mark to take an early 2-0 lead. Accordino escaped after a restart to cut the lead to 2-1 but Molinaro had built up nearly a minute's worth of riding time. Molinaro chose down to start the second period and quickly reversed the Pride grappler to go up 4-1 less than ten seconds into the period. Accordino, however, answered with his own reversal shortly thereafter and cut Molinaro's lead to 4-3. Accordino put together a strong ride, cutting into Molinaro's riding time edge and forcing the Lion into one stall warning. Accordino rode Molinaro out and, trailing 4-3, chose down to start the final period. He quickly escaped to tie the bout at 4-4. Accordino then took Molinaro down to take a 6-4 lead and then built up a riding time edge of over a minute. Molinaro took a second injury timeout, allowing Accordino to choose down on the restart. The Pride grappler then reversed Molinaro and added two back points. A stall point against Molinaro and the riding time bonus gave Accordino a convincing 12-4 major. The win put Hofstra up 4-0 after one bout.
149: Defending national runner-up Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.), ranked No. 2 at 149 for Penn State, met Hofstra's P.J. Gillespie in his season debut. Jenkins quickly opened up a 2-0 lead with a takedown on the edge of the mat just :30 into the bout. After a Gillespie escape, Jenkins added a second takedown a minute in to go up 4-1. This time, the Nittany Lion junior put together a strong ride and built up :47 worth of riding time. Trailing 4-2 after one period, Gillespie chose down to start the second period, but could not escape to his 4-3 deficit until Jenkins amassed a 1:00 time edge. Jenkins continued to be the aggressor, but Gillespie manage to keep the Nittany Lion at arm's length for most of the second stanza. But Jenkins methodically broke the Pride grappler down and got his third takedown with just :30 left to take a 6-3 lead. After a ride-out, Jenkins chose down to start the third period and notched a strong reversal at the 1:33 mark to take and 8-3 lead. Looking for a major, Jenkins cut Gillespie loose and began looking for another takedown. A quick under hook by Jenkins gave the Nittany Lion a 10-5 lead (after cutting Gillespie loose) with just over :50 left. After a reset, Jenkins continued to force the tempo, looking for a takedown, but Gillespie countered a Jenkins shot to score a takedown and keep Jenkins from scoring a major decision. Still, the 10-7 decision cut Hofstra's lead to 4-3.
157: Penn State All-American Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.), ranked No. 3 at 157, faced No. 15 Jonny Bonilla-Bowman in one of the dual's marquee match-ups. Vallimont wasted no time in taking the lead, scoring off a double-leg at the opening whistle to take an early 2-0 lead. Vallimont, strong on top, maintained control of Bonilla-Bowman long enough to build up a 1:21 riding time edge. Vallimont got in high on Bonilla-Bowman's right thing and finished the takedown at the 1:00 mark to take a 4-1 lead. The Nittany Lion junior would not let the Pride wrestler free and carried the 4-1 lead, with 2:23 in riding time, into the second period. Vallimont chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. He added another takedown less than :30 into the period to lead 7-2 after a Bonilla-Bowman escape. Vallimont continued to work in on Bonilla-Bowman's upper legs but could not get a takedown. Bonilla-Bowman nearly took the Lion down as the second period ended, but action moved outside the circle before he could score. Bonilla-Bowman chose neutral to start the third period. Vallimont got in deep on Bonilla-Bowman's right thigh, but the Pride wrestler worked around Vallimont to notch his first takedown and cut Vallimont's lead to 8-4 (after cutting the PSU grappler loose). Vallimont once again shot in on the Pride wrestler and Bonilla-Bowman once again countered the move to cut Vallimont's lead to 9-6 (after a Vallimont escape). A late Bonilla-Bowman takedown would not be enough as Vallimont, with a riding time point, posted an 11-8 win. The victory put Penn State up 6-4.
165: Nittany Lion senior Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) met Hofstra's Ryan Patrovich in a key battle at 165 pounds. Friend shot on Patrovich, but the Pride wrestler countered Friend to get the first takedown and lead 2-0. Patrovich then rode Friend for :55 before Friend escaped to a 2-1 deficit. Trailing by one, Friend chose down to start the second period escaped to a 2-2 tie with 1:47 left. Friend then grabbed Patrovich by his shoulders and tossed him to the ground for his first takedown and 4-3 lead (after the Patrovich escape). Patrovich countered another Friend shot to retake the lead, 5-4, with :35 left in the period. Friend nearly reversed Patrovich as the period ended, but the Hofstra wrestler maintained control to carry the 5-4 lead into the final stanza. Patrovich chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 6-4 lead (with 1:34 in riding time). Friend gained control of Patrovich's right ankle and worked for a takedown, but the Hofstra wrestler managed to force a stalemate and a reset. Friend once again shot, but once again, the Hofstra man countered the move to get a takedown of his own and up his lead to 8-4. A ride-out and a bonus point gave Patrovich a hard-fought 9-4 win and put Hofstra up 7-6.
174: Local product Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) made his Penn State and collegiate debut at 174 pounds by taking on Pride All-American Alton Lucas. Lucas entered the bout ranked No. 6 nationally. Lucas quickly opened up a 2-0 lead, taking Wright down off the opening whistle. Wright quickly escaped and cut the All-American's lead to 2-1. The Nittany Lion rookie looked to work Lucas' upper body while Lucas tried to counter Wright's offense. Each wrestler had openings throughout the first period but no one would score for the remainder of the period. Down by one, Wright chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to tie the bout at 2-2. The Nittany Lion freshman was aggressive in the second period, mixing up high and low shots, but Lucas was able to keep the bout tied until the :09 mark. Wright was initially awarded a double-leg takedown on the edge of the mat, but the back-up official waved the points off and the bout went to the third period tied at 2-2.s Lucas chose down to start the final stanza and escaped to a 3-2 lead with 1:40 left to wrestle. After a reset with 1:30 left (due to a long Lucas injury timeout), Wright fed off an energized and packed Rec Hall crowd, looking for an opening and his first takedown. Wright's patience and work forced Lucas into a stall warning. As time wound down, Wright stayed in Lucas' face and, with just :01 left, worked under and around the sixth-ranked Pride wrestler and got his takedown. The stunning move sent the crowd into a frenzy and the 4-3 victory, in his collegiate debut, put Penn State up 9-7.
184: Penn State senior Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.), ranked No. 15 at 184, met Hofstra's Ben Clymer. Bomberger set the offensive tempo early but could not break through Clymer's defense and the bout moved to the second period scoreless. Bomberger chose down to start the middle period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. Each wrestler looked of an opening for the bulk of the second period with no one getting at takedown. Clymer chose down to start the third period and escaped to knot the score at 1-1, but Bomberger used a strong double-leg to take Clymer down and take a 3-2 lead (after the Clymer escape). With just :40 left, Bomberger got a second takedown, getting in on Clymer's ankles and upping his lead to 5-2 with just :27 left. Clymer escaped to a 5-3 deficit and picked up another point on a Bomberger stall, but it was not enough as Bomberger posted a 5-4 win. The decision gave Penn State a 12-7 lead.
197: Returning to action after two years off, Penn State junior Andrew Haile (Crabtree, Pa.) met No. 17 Joe Fagiano of Hofstra at 197. The bout was Haile's Penn State dual meet debut. Haile got up on the ranked Hofstra grappler quickly, using a solid low double to lead 2-1 with 2:20 left. Fagiano used a high throw to take the lead, 3-2, with just under 2:00 left in the period. But a quick Haile escape knotted things at 3-3. Each wrestler had slight openings over the latter half of the period, with Fagiano picking up a penalty point to lead 4-3 after one. Haile chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-4 tie. Fagiano countered every Haile shot to tie the Lion up with his upper body strength. The Pride grappler came through with a takedown at the 1:40 mark to take a 6-4 lead. Another Haile escape cut Fagiano's lead to 6-5 with :50 left. Haile shot low again, and Haile countered for another takedown and an 8-5 lead. Leading 8-5, Fagiano chose down to begin the final stanza and escaped to a 9-5 lead. Fagiano used yet another counter move to get another takedown and up his lead to 11-5. Looking for a major, Fagiano cut Haile loose, making the score 11-6 with :40 left. Haile gave up a stall point and a takedown in the final seconds and Fagiano posted a 15-6 major decision. The win cut Penn State's lead to 12-11.
HWT: Red-shirt freshman Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) made his Nittany Lion dual meet debut by taking on Hofstra freshman Jordan Enck in a key battle at heavyweight. Wade was the aggressor throughout the first period and forced Enck into a stall warning with just over 1:00 left. The Lion freshman's hard work paid off with :25 left as the new Nittany Lion big man got his first collegiate dual takedown to lead 2-0 after one period. Wade chose down to start the second stanza and steadily worked his way free to an escape and a 3-0 lead. Not resting on the early score, Wade continued to force the Hofstra wrestler back towards the outside of the mat. An Enck stall point put Wade up 4-0 with :30 left in the middle period. Trailing by four, Enck chose down to start the final period. As wade looked for back-points, Enck nearly reversed the Lion grappler, sending him to his back. But Wade maintained control and fought his way to a stale-mate at the 1:21 mark. After the reset, Enck did manage to finish a strong reversal, cutting Wade's lead to 4-2 with just over 1:00 left. As Fagiano looked to score back points, Wade methodically worked his way out of any trouble and, while not managing a reversal of his own, wound out the clock. Wade's 4-2 win put Penn State up 15-11 with just two bouts to wrestle.
125: Penn State sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) returned to the Rec Hall mats for the first time since 2005-06, facing Hofstra's Steve Bonnano at 125. Pataky got his first takedown in three-years just ten seconds into the bout. Leading 2-0, the Clearfield native began looking for an opening to notch some back points, but Bonnano escaped to a 2-1 deficit with just over 2:00 left. Pataky quickly got his second takedown, using a low single to take a 4-1 lead midway through the period. After another Bonnano escape, Pataky looked for a third takedown, but Bonnano managed to fight Pataky off to trail by only two, 4-2, after the opening period. Pataky chose down to start the second period and after a brief tussle, escaped to a 5-2 lead with 1:12 left. Bonnano got his first takedown at the :40 mark and led 6-4 after a quick Pataky escape. The Pride grappler nearly tied the bout as the second period ended but time ran out before he could finish his move. Down 6-4, Bonnano chose down and quickly escaped to a 6-5 deficit. As the final period hit its midway point, Pataky countered a Bonnano shot, gained control of the Pride grapplers' shoulders and nearly worked his way around for a takedown. But Bonnano fought off the move and kept things close. With just :04 left, Pataky was hit with a stall point, tying up the bout ant 6-6. Pataky nearly threw Bonnano at the buzzer, but time would down and the bout went to overtime. Bonnano caught Pataky right off the whistle and stunned the Nittany Lion with a winning takedown just three seconds into the extra period. The 8-6 OT win cut the Lion lead to 15-14 heading into the final bout.
133: Senior Nittany Lion co-captain Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) took on No. 7 Lou Ruggirello of Hofstra at 133. Sensing a comeback victory, Ruggirello quickly opened up a 2-0 lead with a takedown just :39 into the period. Ruggirello then rode Haas for the entire period and led 2-0 with 2:19 in riding time heading into the middle stanza. Haas chose neutral to start the second. Neither wrestler could find any offensive openings in the second period and action went to the third with Ruggirello holding the same 2-0 lead. The ranked Hofstra grappler chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead. A takedown shortly thereafter put him up 5-0. Ruggirello added three back points and a riding time point gave the Pride grappler a 9-0 major and completed a stunning comeback, grabbing an 18-15 upset.