Jan. 10, 2009
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa; - After upsetting No. 5 Missouri and nearly upsetting No. 4 Nebraska, Penn State stepped out of the Big 12 for its next action in the 2009 National Duals and took on No. 17 Michigan. The Nittany Lions got outstanding wins from Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.), Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.) and Stefan Tighe (Erie, Pa.) to post a thrilling 21-18 win. The victory clinched a top eight finish for the Nittany Lions.
Pataky started things off with a bang once again, this time posting a resounding 7-5 win over No. 11 Mike Watts of Michigan at 125. All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) followed with a win at 133. After No. 4 Kellen Russell of Michigan needed extra time to nip Penn State's Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.), All-American Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) posted a 19-4 technical fall to push Penn State out to an 11-3 lead. All-American Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) followed with a 14-6 major and the Nittany Lions found themselves up 15-3 at the midway point.
Michigan got a win at 165 to cut the Lion lead to 15-6 and once again, veteran mentor Troy Sunderland shifted his line-up excellently to give his team its best chance to grab the dual win. Sunderland shifted freshman Wright up to 184 once again and Michigan's Steve Luke, ranked No. 1 at 174, got a pin for the Wolverines to cut the Lion lead to 15-12. Wright then stepped up a weight to face one of the nation's top 184-pounders, No. 11 Anthony Biondo. Wright was undaunted and dazzled the crowd with a thrilling 7-6 tie-breaker decision.
The Wolverines, however were not done and tied the bout with a pin at 197. But junior Tighe, stepping in at heavyweight for Penn State, battled his way to a 2-1 decision over Michigan's Edwin Phillips to secure the 21-18 victory.
The Nittany Lions are now 7-4 on the year and will face Minnesota in the next round tonight. Unseeded at the tournament's start, Penn State is now guaranteed a place. A win tonight against the Gopher would push Penn State into the fifth place bout tomorrow at 1 p.m. while a loss would have Penn State wrestling for ninth at 9 a.m.
Penn State's next home dual is set for Friday, Jan. 30, when Minnesota comes to town for a 7 p.m. dual in Rec Hall. 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.
#14 Penn State 21, #17 Michigan 18
Saturday, January 10, 2009 - UNI Dome - Cedar Falls, Iowa
| 125: Brad Pataky PSU dec. #11 Mike Watts MICH, | 7-5 | 3-0 |
| 133: #12 Jake Strayer PSU dec. Zac Stevens MICH, | 13-7 | 6-0 |
| 141: #4 Kellen Russell MICH dec. Frank Molinaro PSU, | 3-1 (sv) | 6-3 |
| 149: #2 Bubba Jenkins PSU tech. fall. Mark Beaudry MICH, | 19-4 (TF; 5:58) | 11-3 |
| 157: #8 Dan Vallimont PSU maj. dec. Aaron Hynes MICH, | 14-6 | 15-3 |
| 165: Justin Zeerip MICH dec. Mark Friend PSU, | 4-2 | 15-6 |
| 174: #1 Steve Luke MICH pinned Micah Bollinger PSU, | WBF (1:36) | 15-12 |
| 184: #14 Quentin Wright PSU dec. #11 Anthony Biondo MICH, | 7-6 (TB) | 18-12 |
| 197: #4 Tyrel Todd MICH pinned J.R. Brown PSU, | WBF (1:52) | 18-18 |
| HWT: Stefan Tighe PSU dec. Edwin Phillips MICH, | 2-1 | 21-18 |
Final Score: #14 Penn State 21, #17 Michigan 18
Attendance: TBA
Records: Penn State 7-4, Michigan 4-4
Up next: Penn State vs. #8 Minnesota, 8 p.m. tonight
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: After needing only 0:12 to record a pin in Penn State's previous dual against Nebraska, sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) took on No. 11 Mike Watts of Michigan at 125. Like his prior matches, Pataky simply bolted out of the gates and took Watts down just seconds into the match for an early 2-0 lead. Pataky then put together a strong ride, controlling the ranked Wolverine for over a minute while looking for a chance to turn him. He did get hit with one stall warning but still built up a solid riding time edge before Watts escaped to a 2-1 deficit with 1:12 left in the opening period. Not content with just the first takedown, Pataky added a second at the :47 mark and then proceeded to ride Watts out (while nearly titling him for a near fall) to lead 4-1 with over 2:00 in riding time after the first period. Pataky chose down to start the second period and summarily reversed Watts just seconds after the whistle blew to take a 6-2 lead (after Watts escaped). Watts shot low on Pataky and the Lion sophomore wrapped his arm around Watts' shoulders, nearly pinning him. But Watts fought off the counter attempt notched his first takedown midway through the period to cut Pataky's lead to 6-4. Watts rode Pataky out but the Nittany Lion maintained a 6-4 lead (with more than a minute's worth of riding time in hand). Watts chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 6-5 deficit. Pataky looked to cement the win with another takedown. Looking to pull Watts down to the mat via the shoulders, Pataky controlled the tempo for the remainder of the period. While not notching a takedown, the 7-5 decision (with riding time) pushed the Nittany Lions out to an early 3-0 lead.
133: Senior All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.), ranked No. 12 at 133, met Zac Stevens of Michigan in the next bout. Strayer had an early takedown waved off on the edge of the mat but was undaunted, getting the early points by gaining control of Stevens' left foot, pulling him in bounds, and finishing off the takedown for a 2-0 lead at the 1:40 mark. Strayer cut Stevens loose after a reset and began working for another takedown. The All-American pushed his lead to 4-1 with a takedown at the 1:08 mark and Strayer once again cut Stevens loose. Strayer countered a Stevens shot, stepped behind him, and notched another takedown to lead 6-3 at the :40 mark. He would carry that lead into the second period. Down by three, Stevens chose down to start the middle stanza but found the footing very tough as Strayer dominated the Wolverine grappler from the top position until cutting him free at the 1:12 mark. Leading 6-4, Strayer looked to tack on more points and work towards a major. He got his fourth takedown with :30 left and then rode Stevens out to carry an 8-4 lead with a sizeable riding time edge into the final period. Strayer chose down to begin the third period and quickly escaped to a 9-4 lead. Strayer added another takedown in the middle of the mat and cut him loose immediately to lead 11-5 with 1:30 left to wrestle. Stevens pushed thoughts of a major aside with a nice takedown on the edge of the mat to cut Strayer's lead to 12-7 after Strayer escaped. The Nittany Lion senior then coasted his way to a solid 13-7 decision, giving Penn State an early 6-0 lead.
141: Red-shirt freshman Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) took on Michigan's Kellen Russell at 141. Russell entered the bout ranked No. 4 nationally. Molinaro gave early notice that he was not fazed by Russell's lofty ranking, battling the Wolverine evenly throughout the entire first period. Russell forced a scramble with under :30 left, but Molinaro easily forced a stalemate to keep the bout scoreless after the opening 3:00. Molinaro chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead with 1:42 to wrestle. The Nittany Lion and Wolverine continued their upper body battle for the next minute-plus and Molinaro carried the slim 1-0 lead into the final period. Russell chose down to start the final stanza and, like Molinaro, quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. Molinaro then shot low at Russell's feet, gaining control of his right ankle. But the talented Wolverine stepped over Molinaro and forced a short scramble and a stalemate with 1:20 to wrestle. Molinaro shot again at Russell's feet and nearly notched a go-ahead takedown with :45 left, but the Wolverine slid out of Molinaro's reach to keep the bout tied at 1-1 and send the bout to a first sudden victory period. Molinaro shot in on a high double, getting his arms around Russell's right thing and forcing the Wolverine over his shoulders. But Russell was able to force a stalemate with :30 left. Russell then snuck in on Molinaro's right thigh and got a takedown on the edge of the mat with just :12 left, getting the hard-fought 3-1 (sv) decision and avoiding the upset loss. The win cut Penn State's lead to 6-3.
149: Undefeated All-American Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.), ranked No. 2 at 149, met Michigan's Mark Beaudry. Jenkins got his first takedown at the 1:52 mark, working underneath Beaudry in a scramble to take an early 2-1 lead after a Beaudry escape. Looking to build on his momentum, Jenkins moved out to a 4-1 lead with another takedown with :52 left. Jenkins cut Beaudry loose and began looking for another takedown as bonus points could loom large in the dual's final tally. But Beaudry managed to keep Jenkins from tacking on any additional points and, down 4-2, the Wolverine chose down to start the second period. It was a decision that would lead to Beaudry's undoing. Jenkins lifted the Wolverine off the mat, wrapped his left leg around Beaudry's and turned the UM grappler to his back for a pinning opportunity. After more than a minute worth of work, Jenkins steadily broke Beaudry down but would never get the fall call from the official. Still, the three back points put Jenkins up 7-2 heading into the final period. Jenkins chose down to start the third period and quickly reversed Beaudry to move out to a 9-2 lead with over 2:00 in riding time. After letting Beaudry up, Jenkins eyed up a major decision. The talented All-American stepped behind Beaudry on the edge of the mat to push his lead to 11-4 after cutting him loose at the :50 mark. Jenkins tacked on one more takedown and then turned Beaudry to his back once more for three more near fall points to go up 16-4. Another three point tilt gave Jenkins a convincing 19-4 technical fall at the 6:58 mark and pushed Penn State out to an 11-3 lead.
157: Junior All-American Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) took to the mat at 157 against Aaron Hynes. Vallimont, ranked No. 8 nationally, got the first takedown with east to move out to a 2-1 lead just :25 seconds into the bout. Another quick Vallimont takedown, this one in front of the Michigan bench, pushed the All-American out to a 4-1 lead. Looking to build on the momentum set by his teammates, Vallimont added a third takedown with 1:25 left, cut Hynes loose and began looking for a fourth first period score. The Nittany Lion senior got the fourth takedown, working through a high single to move out to an 8-4 lead after one period. Vallimont chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 9-4 lead just seconds after the whistle blew. He then turned into Hynes and began working the Wolverine once again. Hynes got hit with a first stall warning and Vallimont continued to pressure his opponent. Another high single led to a fifth takedown and an 11-4 Vallimont lead with 1:00 left. This time Vallimont rode Hynes out and led 11-4 with a large time edge heading into the final period. Hynes chose down to start the final period. Vallimont cut him loose and the notched a sixth takedown with 1:30 left to push his lead to 13-6 (with a riding time point assured). A textbook high single nearly led to another score, but Hynes forced a reset with :07 left. But the damage was done and, with the riding time point, Vallimont posted a 14-6 major decision and gave the Nittany Lions a 15-3 lead.
165: Senior Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) took to the mat at 165 for Penn State, facing Justin Zeerip of Michigan. Friend and Zeerip battled evenly throughout the opening minute, but Zeerip got on the board first with a takedown on the edge of the mat with 1:52 left, tripping Friend down to the mat to take the early lead. Zeerip then rode Friend out to lead 2-0 with nearly 2:00 of riding time heading into the middle stanza. Friend chose neutral to start the middle stanza. Zeerip looked to add to his lead by pulling Friend in by the ankle with :38 left, but the Nittany Lion senior forced a reset and kept the bout close heading into the final period. Friend also chose neutral to start the third period and began working for a tying takedown. Friend and Zeerip scrambled from the center circle off the mat with each wrestler looking for an opening. But with 1:00 left, Zeerip maintained his 2-0 lead. With just :26 left, Friend countered a Zeerip shot and stepped over the Wolverine to tie the bout 2-2 with :20 left. But Zeerip had the riding time point assured so Friend needed to cut him loose and get a late takedown to tie the bout. Zeerip then stalled his way to the 4-2 win and cut Penn State's lead to 15-6.
174: Playing the match-up game once again, head coach Troy Sunderland shifted Penn State true-freshman Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 14 at 174, up to 184 and sent freshman Micah Bollinger (Mifflinburg, Pa.) out to face the nation's top-ranked 174-pounder, Steve Luke of Michigan. Luke got the first takedown early in the bout and then turned Bollinger to his back for a pin at the 1:36 mark to cut Penn State's lead to 15-12.
184: Wright now stepped in at 184 to face one of the nation's top wrestlers at that weight, No. 11 Anthony Biondo of Michigan. Wright took the first solid shot against the bigger Wolverine, but Biondo countered and nearly got the bout's first points with a takedown on the edge of the mat. But the official waived off his initial takedown call as action moved off the mat. Biondo then finished a solid double leg to crack the scoreboard with a takedown at the :48 mark. Wright, however, was undaunted and quickly reversed the ranked Wolverine to tie the match at 2-2. A Biondo escape just before the end of the period gave the Michigan grappler a 3-2 lead heading into the second stanza. Biondo chose down to start the period. But Wright took advantage of the decision, wrapping his left leg around the bigger man's thigh and working his arm to try and turn him. Wright was called for a stall despite his efforts to turn Biondo and Biondo escaped to a 4-2 lead with 1:08 left after the reset. Wright picked up his energy and began forcing the tempo of the match. But Biondo went into a defensive mode and managed to wind out the second period clock. Wright chose neutral to start the third period and quickly began looking for a scoring opportunity. Wright got his first takedown, driving through a low double with just over 1:00 left to tie the bout at 4-4. Wright had more than a minute's worth of riding time. Hoping to avoid a reversal, Wright cut Biondo loose with :40 left and began looking for a clinching takedown. With Biondo backing off the mat, Wright continued to pressure the bigger man but time ran out and, with the riding time point, action moved to an extra period tied 5-5. Wright continued to be the aggressor, with the larger ranked wrestler backing away from the smaller but faster Nittany Lion. Wright nearly got the win in front of the Penn State bench, but Biondo managed to crawl out of bounds to keep the bout alive with :30 left. Biondo shot low on Wright, Wright worked his way around behind Biondo and while a close scramble, neither wrestler scored and action moved to a tie-breaker. Biondo chose down for his half of the tie-breaker and escaped with :16 left to take a 6-5 lead. Wright then chose down for his half of the tie-breaker and needed to escape from the 184-pounder to tie the bout and head to a second sudden victory period. Wright battled to a stalemate on his first attempt to escape. Then, after a reset with :19 left, Wright rolled through and under Biondo to thrill the crowd with a 7-6 upset win. Not only did Wright move up a weight and grab the victory, he did against one of the nation's top 184-pounders. The victory pushed Penn State out to an 18-12 lead.
197: Penn State sent red-shirt freshman J.R. Brown (Bellefonte, Pa.) to the mat to face No. 4 Tyrel Todd of Michigan. Brown was making his Penn State dual meet debut. Todd welcomed the young Nittany Lion to the national duals with an early takedown and then a pin, getting the fall at the 1:52 mark to tie the bout at 18-18.
HWT: Junior heavyweight Stefan Tighe (Erie, Pa.) made his season debut with the dual meet, and Penn State's continuance in the tournament, on the line against Michigan's Edwin Phillips. Tighe and Phillips battled evenly for the bulk of the opening period, but with just :05 left in the period, Phillips first got hit with a stall warning and then gave up a point by slapping Tighe in the back of the head. Trailing 1-0, Phillips chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. Each wrestler battled for an opening over the course of the second stanza, but neither man could break through the other's defense and the bout moved to the third period tied 1-1. Tighe chose down to start the third period and steadily worked his way to an escape and a 2-1 lead with 1:30 left. Tighe continued to grapple with Phillips, working the Wolverine's shoulders. With :34 left, Phillips drove his head into Tighe's forehead and the Nittany Lion junior was forced into a long injury timeout. After the reset, Phillips looked to steal the win, and the dual, but catching Tighe with a late move. But the Nittany Lion junior held the Wolverine off long enough to wind out the clock and post the 2-1 victory. The decision secured a 21-18 win for the Lions and send them into action against Minnesota at 8 p.m.