Nov. 2, 2008
Wrestle-Offs Bracket | Photo Gallery
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Over 1,800 fans gathered in Rec Hall as No. 20 Penn State opened its 2008-09 season with its annual Wrestle-Offs. Over 30 Nittany Lion grapplers took to the mats to stake their claims on the Penn State depth chart this season.
Red-shirt freshman Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) beat Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) 5-2 in their first meeting at 141. Strayer entered the bout ranked No. 7 nationally at 133 but wrestled-off at 141. The duo met once again in the finals, with Molinaro riding Strayer all the way through the third period to grab a thrilling 4-3 win and claim the weight class title. Senior Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ohio) used a thrilling five point move in the final period to down red-shirt freshman Tim Darling (Nazareth, Pa.) in their first meeting at 165. Darling bounced down to wrestle-backs and posted a resounding win to get a second shot at Friend. In their next match-up, Friend put together a strong performance and posted a convincing 9-3 win to claim the title.
No. 20 David Erwin (Urbana, Ohio) posted a 3-1 win over true freshman Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) in their first meeting at 157. In the next meeting, Wright got a first period takedown only to have Erwin score a last second reversal to tie the bout at 2-2 after the first period. Wright chose neutral in the second period but neither wrestler scored. Erwin escaped quickly in the third period to take a 3-2 lead and added a takedown to post a 5-2 win in the finals. Red-shirt freshman Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) downed Stefan Tighe (Erie, Pa.) in a spirited match-up at heavyweight with Wade nearly pinning Tighe in the second period for a near-fall that iced the bout. In the next match-up, Wade battled through two scoreless periods and then pinned Tighe at the 6:17 mark to claim the HWT crown.
Also winning their respective weight classes was No. 20 Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) at 125; senior Tim Haas (Camp Hill, Pa.) went 3-0 at 133 to win his weight class; No. 2 Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) went 2-0 at 149 to claim his title; No. 3 Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) went 2-0 at 157; No. 20 Phil Bomberger (Port Royal, Pa.) was uncontested at 184; and Andrew Haile (Crabtree, Pa.), who went 3-0 to win the title at 197.
Weight-by-weight recap:
125: No. 20 Pataky went 2-0 on the day, including two technical falls by a combine3d score of 36-6 to take the title at 125. Jack Chidester (Conestoga, Pa.) went 1-2 on the day as well.
133: Haas went 3-0 on the day, including two wins over Adam Lynch Mifflinburg, Pa.). Haas downed Lynch 9-5 in the finals. Lynch went 2-2 on the day.
141: Molinaro posted two tight wins over No. 20 (at 133) Strayer. The 4-3 win in the finals was highlighted by Strayer's second period takedown (which tied the bout at 3-3 heading into the third period) and Molinaro's two-minute ride of Strayer in the final period to grab a riding time point and a 4-3 win.
149: No. 2 Jenkins posted two 6-3 decisions over sophomore Christian Harr (Hollidaysburg, Pa.) to win the title at 149.
157: No. 3 Vallimont went 2-0 by a combined score of 33-11 to win the title at 157. Nick Fischer (Unionville, Pa.) and Shane Everett (Saylorsburg, Pa.) each posted wins in the tournament as well.
165: Friend went 3-0 on the day to claim the title, including two tough wins over Darling. Micah Bollinger (Mifflinburg, Pa.) went 3-2 at 165 as well.
174: No. 20 Erwin was outstanding, posting two hard-fought wins over Wright. Erwin went 2-0 on the day while Wright went 2-2, including two technical falls for his victories.
184: No. 15 Bomberger was uncontested at 184.
197: Haile was impressive at 197, posting a 3-0 record. He downed senior Jack Decker Roseland, N.J.) 8-4 in the finals. Decker had a solid tournament as well, going 2-2, with the only losses coming to Haile (a 3-2 decision and the 8-4 decision in the finals).
HWT: Wade was 2-0 against Tighe, including a convincing 6-2 win and the resounding pin in the finals.
No. 7 Penn State will continue action next weekend with around 20 grapplers heading to East Lansing, Mich., for the MSU Open on Sunday, Nov. 9. Penn State's dual meet season begins on Sunday, Nov. 16, with a 1 p.m. dual against Hofstra in Rec Hall. 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.
BOUT-BY-BOUT
125:
Jack Chidester maj. dec. Eric Caschera, 10-2
Brad Pataky tech. fall Jack Chidester, 17-2 (2:54)
Jack Chidester dec. Eric Caschera, 6-5
FINAL: No. 20 Brad Pataky tech. fall Jack Chidester, 19-4 (4:20)
133:
Adam Lynch dec. Tyler Saltsman, 4-2
Tim Haas dec. Bryan Pearsall, 6-1
Tim Haas dec. Adam Lynch, 4-2
Tyler Saltsman maj. dec. Bryan Pearsall, 10-1
Adam Lynch dec. Tyler Saltsman, 6-2
FINAL: Tim Haas dec. Adam Lynch, 9-5
141:
Frank Molinaro dec. Jake Strayer, 5-2
FINAL: Frank Molinaro dec. Jake Strayer, 4-3
149:
Bubba Jenkins dec. Christian Harr, 6-3
FINAL: No. 2 Bubba Jenkins dec. Christian Harr, 6-3
157:
Shane Everett dec. Nick Fischer, 4-0
Dan Vallimont maj. dec. Shane Everett, 17-6
Nick Fischer inj. def. Shane Everett
FINAL: No. 20 Dan Vallimont maj. dec. Nick Fischer, 16-5
165:
Micah Bollinger TF Shane Donnelly, 18-2 (TF; 4:20)
Nick Venditti dec. Justin Ortega, 2-0
Mark Friend pinned Nick Venditti, WBF (2:32)
Tim Darling dec. Micah Bollinger, 9-7
Nick Venditti pinned Shane Donnelly, WBF (4:08)
Micah Bollinger dec. Justin Ortega, 5-3
Mark Friend dec. Tim Darling, 10-5
Micah Bollinger dec. Nick Venditti, 4-3
Tim Darling maj. dec. Micah Bollinger, 14-1
FINAL: Mark Friend dec. Tim Darling, 9-3
174:
Quentin Wright pinned Matt Dodds, WBF (2:17)
David Erwin dec. Quentin Wright, 3-1
Quentin Wright pinned Matt Dodds, WBF (1:55)
FINAL: No. 20 David Erwin dec. Quentin Wright, 5-2
184:
No. 20 Phil Bomberger uncontested at 184
197:
J.R. Brown dec. Nathan Andrews, 5-3
Andrew Haile dec. J.R. Brown, 10-5
Jack Decker dec. Clay Steadman, 4-0
Nathan Andrews dec. J.R. Brown, 5-4
Andrew Haile dec. Jack Decker, 3-2
Clay Steadman dec. Nathan Andrews, 7-0
Jack Decker dec. Clay Steadman, 4-1
FINAL: Andrew Haile dec. Jack Decker, 8-4
HWT:
Cameron Wade dec. Stefan Tighe, 6-2
FINAL: Cameron Wade pinned Stefan Tighe, WBF (6:17)