Jan. 10, 2009
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa; - Fresh off an upset of No. 5 Missouri in the first round of the 2009 National Duals, the Nittany Lions took to the mats against yet another Big 12 power, this time nearly upsetting No. 4 Nebraska. Penn State won the first four bouts and bolted out toe a 16-0 lead, but Nebraska won the last six bouts and, with a last second win at heavyweight, staved off the Nittany Lion upset bid to post a 20-16 win and remain undefeated on the year.
Mirroring its fast start against Missouri in the opening round, Penn State won the first four bouts to bolt out to a 16-0 lead. Sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) set a blistering pace for Penn State, getting a pin in just :12 at 125 to put the Lions up 6-0 early. All-American Jake Strayer (South fork, Pa.) followed with a win at 133 and freshman Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) got a key victory at 141. All-American Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) then got a major at 149 and the Lions were up 16-0.
Nebraska, however, stormed back, to win the next five and set up a showdown at heavyweight.No.2 Jordan Burroughs downed No. 8 Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) 10-4 at 157 to start a run that saw the Huskers also win at 165, 174, 184 and 197. The bout at 174 was a thrilling one as Nebraska senior Brandon Browne, ranked No. 2, was nearly upset by Nittany Lion freshman Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.). Browne escaped with a 3-1 win. With the dual on the line, red-shirt freshman Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) took on No. 17 Tucker Lane at heavyweight and battled the ranked Husker evenly until the final seconds of the bout. Lane scored the bout's only takedown with :40 left to steal the win and help Nebraska fight off the upset bid.
Penn State will now face the winner of the No. 17 Michigan/No. 21 Northern Iowa consolation match tonight at 6 p.m. The National Duals is a two-day event that concludes tomorrow in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
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 16, #4 Nebraska 20
Saturday, January 10, 2009 - UNI Dome - Cedar Falls, Iowa
| 125: Brad Pataky PSU pinned Andy Pokorny NEB, | WBF (0:12) | 6-0 |
| 133: #12 Jake Strayer PSU dec. Patrick Aleksanyan, | 11-6 | 9-0 |
| 141: Frank Molinaro PSU dec. Jon Burns NEB, | 7-4 | 12-0 |
| 149: #2 Bubba Jenkins PSU maj. dec. Curtis Salazar NEB, | 14-5 | 16-0 |
| 157: #2 Jordan Burroughs NEB dec. #8 Dan Vallimont PSU, | 10-4 | 16-3 |
| 165: #7 Stephen Dwyer NEB dec. Mark Friend PSU, | 7-3 | 16-6 |
| 174: #2 Brandon Browne NEB dec. #14 Quentin Wright PSU, | 3-1 | 16-9 |
| 184: #14 Vince Jones NEB dec. Jack Decker PSU, | 11-4 | 16-12 |
| 197: #1 Craig Brester NEB tech. fall Clay Steadman PSU, | 20-5 (7:00) | 16-17 |
| HWT: #17 Tucker Lane NEB dec. Cameron Wade PSU, | 4-2 | 16-20 |
Final Score: #14 Penn State 16, #4 Nebraska 20
Attendance: TBA
Records: Penn State 6-4, Nebraska 8-0
Up next: Penn State vs. No. 17 Michigan or No. 21 Northern Iowa
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: Penn State sophomore Brad Pataky (Clearfield, Pa.) started the dual off for Penn State once again, facing Nebraska's Andy Pokorny at 125. This one lasted a heartbeat as Pataky quickly caught Pokorny in a mixer and summarily tossed him to his back, planting him for a fall in only 0:12 seconds. The fast start gave the Nittany Lions a 6-0 lead.
133: Nittany Lion All-American Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) met Nebraska's Patrick Aleksanyan at 133. Strayer, ranked No. 12, nearly gave up an early takedown to Aleksanyan, but the veteran Nittany Lion fought off the move to keep things even early on. Aleksanyan did get the first takedown shortly thereafter, however, taking a 2-1 lead after a Strayer escape midway through the period. Down by one, Strayer chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to a 2-2 tie. The then gained control of the Husker's left ankle and took the lead with a takedown at the 1:40 mark. The senior then controlled the action from the top, keeping Aleksanyan down and under control for most of the period before Aleksanyan escaped to a 4-3 deficit. Strayer then gained control of the Husker senior and worked his way around him to notch a last second takedown and lead 6-3 heading into the final period. Aleksanyan chose down to begin the final period, needing a quick escape to keep Strayer from building on a 1:06 riding time edge. But Strayer once again controlled the action from the top, maintaining his advantage until the 1:15 mark. Aleksanyan escaped to a 6-4 deficit, but Strayer continued to pressure the Husker and worked his magic on the edge of the mat for a third takedown and an 8-4 lead with 0:43 left. Aleksanyan added another escape, but Strayer quickly pounced for another takedown and, after cutting the Husker loose at the :15 mark to lead 10-6, Strayer ran out of time in his quest for a major. Still, the solid 11-6 decision put the Nittany Lions up 9-0.
141: Red-shirt freshman Frank Molinaro (Barnegat, N.J.) took on Nebraska's Jon Burns in a key battle at 141. Burns nearly got the first takedown of the bout, but Molinaro, like Strayer before him, worked his way out of trouble to keep things scoreless early on. The talented Husker freshmen countered each early Molinaro shot to generate his own offense, but neither wrestler broke into the scoring column until Molinaro completed a high single, lifted Burns off the mat, and got the go-ahead takedown at the 1:15 mark. Molinaro then dominated Burns for the final minute-plus, riding the Husker out to carry a 2-0 lead with 1:15 in riding time into the second period. The Nittany Lion freshman chose down to start the middle stanza and quickly escaped to a 3-0 lead while maintaining his riding time edge. Another high single led to another Molinaro takedown with 1:15 left as the New Jersey native once again lifted Burns off the mat and put him to the mat for a 5-0 lead. Burns escaped to a 5-1 deficit with :33 left and action moved to the center circle after a reset. Trailing 5-1 heading into the final period, Burns chose down to start the last session, escaping quickly to a 5-2 deficit. Burns got his first takedown on the edge of the mat with 1:35 left, cutting the Nittany Lion's lead to 5-4. Burns let Molinaro up and the Nittany Lion led 6-4 with 1:30 left (and had a 1:47 riding time edge). Burns upped the tempo, looking for an opening, but Molinaro countered his shots and used his upper body strength to keep the Husker from adding another takedown. Molinaro, with the riding time point, posted a convincing 7-4 decision and put the Nittany Lions up 12-0 after three bouts.
149: Penn State All-American Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) took on Nebraska's Curtis Salazar 149. Jenkins got a takedown at the 2:30 mark to open up an early 2-1 lead and continued to pressure the Husker sophomore, getting a second takedown less than :30 later to move out to a 4-1 lead. This time, Jenkins did not cut the Husker loose but added a two point near-fall to lead 6-1 midway through the period. Jenkins cut Salazar loose after a reset and added a third takedown at the 1:04 mark to lead 8-3 after a Salazar escape. The senior co-captain added a fourth takedown as the first period wound down to lead 10-3 after just three minutes of action. Jenkins chose down to start the second stanza and, after a solid Salazar ride, Jenkins escaped to an 11-3 lead. Seeking to cement some bonus points, Jenkins countered a late Salazar shot to get a takedown as the second period ended to carry a 13-3 lead into the third stanza. Salazar chose down to start the final period, but Jenkins proceeded to grind him down over the course of the period. Jenkins tried a late cement mixer that Salazar turned into a reversal, but the damage was done and Jenkins posted a convincing 14-5 major decision. The victory put Penn State up 16-0.
157: In the tournament's marquee match-up, Penn State All-American Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) took on Nebraska All-American Jordan Burroughs at 157. Burroughs was undefeated at a 14-0 and ranked No. 2 while Vallimont was ranked No. 8. Burroughs wasted no time in opening up a lead, tripping Vallimont at the opening whistle to lead 2-1 less than :30 into the bout. Burroughs added a second takedown at the 1:00 mark to move out to a 4-2 lead after a quick Vallimont escape. Up by two, Burroughs chose down to begin the second period and quickly escaped to a 5-2 lead. Vallimont looked to get his offense going, but Burroughs countered his shot with :40 left to take command of the bout with another takedown. Vallimont could not escape Burroughs and found himself trailing 7-2 heading into the final period. Vallimont chose down to start the third stanza and was allowed out to a 7-3 deficit. But Burroughs would not be denied, taking Vallimont down once more on the edge of the mat to lead 9-4 (after letting the Nittany Lion up). Burroughs needed one more takedown and a ride out to secure a major decision (he had 1:21 in riding time as well). Vallimont managed to battle him evenly over the bout's final seconds and Burroughs posted a convincing 10-4 decision. The win cut Penn State's lead to 16-3.
165: Penn State senior Mark Friend (Libertyville, Ill.) took to the mat at 165 against No. 7 Stephen Dwyer of Nebraska. Dwyer got the first takedown at the 2:30 mark, taking an early 2-1 lead after letting Friend loose. The ranked Husker then added a second takedown to lead 4-1 with 1:54 left in the opening period. A Friend escape cut the lead to 4-2 and action moved to the middle of the mat. Friend stepped up his pressure late in the first period, gaining control of Dwyer's shoulders and forcing the Husker towards the edge of the mat on a number of occasions. Trailing 4-2, Friend chose down to begin the second period, but could not work his way out of Dwyer's control. Dwyer rode Friend for the entire period and led 4-2 with 2:15 in riding time. Dwyer chose down to begin the third period and quickly reversed the Nittany Lion to up his lead to 6-2 with 1:40 left. Friend escaped to a 6-3 deficit with 1:15 left and Dwyer began looking for bonus points. But the savvy Friend was able to hold the Husker off, only giving up the regular decision. The 7-3 Nebraska win cut Penn State's lead to 16-6.
174: Nittany Lion Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 14 nationally at 174, faced his toughest competition to date as a true freshman, taking on No. 2 Brandon Browne, a returning All-American. Not backing off, Wright worked the center of the mat against the Nebraska senior, looking for a chance to score early. While Wright could not break through Browne's defenses, neither did the All-American Husker. The action continued evenly for the duration of the first session, although Wright was hit with a first stall warning. With the scored tied 0-0, Browne chose down to start the middle stanza and escaped to a 1-0 lead at the 1:35 mark. Brown gained control of Wright's left thigh with a high single and notched the bout's first takedown at the :40 mark to take a 3-0 lead. Wright could not break free of Browne's ride and trailed 3-0 after two periods. The true freshman chose down to start the final period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 deficit. The Bald Eagle Area grad then turned into the Nebraska senior and looked to tie the bout with a takedown. But the veteran Browned was able to keep Wright from tying the match with solid defense until under 1:00 remained. Wright continued to pressure Browne, forcing the Husker senior towards the edge of the mat. But with little time left and no stall warnings called on Browne, time ran out on Wright's upset bid and Browne got away with a hard-fought 3-1 decision. The victory pulled Nebraska to within seven, 16-9, with three bouts remaining.
184: Senior Jack Decker (Roseland, N.J.) met No. 14 Vince Jones of Nebraska at 184. Decker and Jones battled evenly throughout the bulk of the first period, not giving Jones a single opening for the opening three minutes. Jones chose down to start the second period and quickly reversed Decker to take a 2-1 lead (after a quick Decker escape) at the 1:35 mark. Decker continued to battle the ranked Husker, however, keeping action in the middle of the mat while working Jones' upper body. But Jones finally broke through with a takedown on the edge of the mat to lead 4-1 with under a minute to wrestle in the second period. Decker escaped with :35 left to cut the Jones lead to 4-2 and immediately began working the Husker's shoulders again. But Jones was able to gain control of both Decker's ankles on the edge of the mat as the period ended to lead 6-2 heading into the final stanza. Decker chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 6-3 deficit. Jones shot low on Decker and, after a scramble in front of the Nebraska bench, got another takedown to lead 8-4 after a Decker escape. Browne added on more takedown and then rode Decker out to post an 11-4 decision, cutting Penn State's lead to 16-12.
197: Red-shirt freshman Clay Steadman (McKean, Pa.) faced No. 1 Craig Brester of Nebraska at 197. Brester wasted no time in opening up an early lead, taking Steadman down seconds into the bout, cutting him loose and then taking him down a second time to lead 4-2 just :30 into the bout. Brester added one more takedown and a ride-out in the first period to lead 7-2 after one period. Brester chose neutral to start the second period and then took Steadman down to lead 9-3 after a Steadman escape. He added another takedown to up his lead to 11-3 with 1:00 left in the middle stanza. Steadman gave up a stall point and trailed 12-3 heading into the final period. Steadman chose down to start the third period, escaped, but was taken down by the top-ranked Husker to fall behind 14-4. Brester added three back points and then cut Steadman loose to work towards a technical fall (leading 17-5 with a riding time point in hand). Brester added one more takedown, rode Steadman out and, with the riding time point, posted the 20-5 technical fall at the 7:00 mark. Nebraska took the lead 17-16 with the five point win.
HWT: With the match on the line, Penn State freshman Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) met No. 17 Tucker Lane of Nebraska at heavyweight. After a strong performance in his opening round match-up with Missouri's Mark Ellis, who was ranked No. 2, Wade looked to set the pace early and help Penn State score a second straight upset of a top-five Big 12 team. Wade used his size to press Lane backwards, forcing the Husker towards the edge of the mat over the first half of the opening period. Wade and Lane battled evenly, with neither man finding an opening to score as the period ended. Tied 0-0, Lane chose down to start the second period, but Wade was able to take command from the top position, working to turn the Husker for back points. But Lane quickly reversed Wade after a reset to take a 2-1 lead after a quick Wade escape. Now trailing by one, Wade looked for a go-ahead takedown with :20 left in the second period. Lane held Wade off to keep his lead at 2-1 after two periods. Wade chose down to start the final period and steadily worked himself free to a 2-2 tie with an escape at the 1:35 mark. With riding time not an issue, the next takedown would decide the victor in both the bout and the dual. Lane shot low on Wade with :45 left, Wade countered and nearly worked his way behind the ranked Husker, but Lane was able to regain control and secure the takedown to take a 4-2 lead. Lane then rode Wade out to secure a 4-2 win and help the No. 4 ranked Huskers stave off the Penn State upset, taking a 20-16 win.