Nov. 21, 2010
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - No. 6 Penn State used four pins to hammer West Virginia 40-3 as action at the 2010 Sprawl and Brawl Duals continues. Head coach Cael Sanderson got pins from true freshman Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.) at 141, red-shirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) at 157, classmate Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.) at 174 and junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio) at heavyweight.
True freshman Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) got things started once again for Penn State with a 2-1 win over WVU's Shane Young. The Mountaineers picked up a decision at 133 to briefly tie the dual at 3-3 before Alton opened the flood gates for Penn State. Alton, ranked No. 12 at 141, pinned WVU's Michael Morales in just :21, picking up his fourth pin in four collegiate bouts. Sophomore James English (York, Pa.) continued his stellar work subbing for two-time All-American Frank Molinaro at 149. English downed his second straight ranked grappler, this time picking up a 5-3 win over No. 8 Brandon Rader.
Taylor, ranked No. 6 at 157, then got his pin at the 4:55 mark before No. 12 Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.) got a win at 165. Ruth, ranked No. 14 at 174, then followed with a pin at the 5:48 mark. All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 6 at 184, got a major decision before true freshman Nick Ruggear (Oxford, Pa.) picked up his second straight win as a Lion starter, this one a 4-2 decision at 197. Wade, ranked No. 9 at heavyweight, capped the dual off with a pin over WVU's Philip Mandzik at the 3:12 mark.
Penn State won the takedown battle 17-2, giving the Lions a 41-3 edge in the first two duals of the day. Through two dual meets, Penn State has won 19 of 20 bouts with seven pins.
Penn State, under the guidance of head coach Cael Sanderson, will close out action in Binghamton by facing No. 24 Rutgers immediately. The Nittany Lions' next home dual is on Dec. 12 when Lock Haven comes to town for a 2 p.m. dual. Fans wishing to purchase single dual meet tickets for the 2010-11 Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling season can place their orders by calling 814-865-5555 or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office. The box office is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ticket pricing is $8 for adults and $5 for youth, and there will be a limit of eight tickets per order. Group sales are also available. The 2010-11 Penn State wrestling season is presented by the Family Clothesline. All Penn State events will once again air live on Forever Broadcasting's WRSC (1390 AM) and WSQV (92.1 FM). All radio broadcasts are streamed live at GoPSUsports.com as part of the All-Access package. The 2010-11 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
#6 Penn State 40, West Virginia 3
November 21, 2010 - Binghamton, N.Y.
| 125: Frank Martellotti PSU dec. Shane Young WVU, 2-1 | 3-0 |
| 133: Nathan Pannesi WVU dec. Bryan Pearsall PSU, 10-5 | 3-3 |
| 141: #12 Andrew Alton PSU pinned Michael Morales WVU, WBF (0:21) | 9-3 |
| 149: James English PSU dec. #8 Brandon Rader WVU, 5-3 | 12-3 |
| 157: #6 David Taylor PSU pinned Ryan Goodman WVU, WBF (4:55) | 18-3 |
| 165: #12 Jake Kemerer PSU dec. Nick Vallone WVU, 10-3 | 21-3 |
| 174: #14 Ed Ruth PSU pinned Matt Weston WVU, WBF (5:48) | 27-3 |
| 184: #6 Quentin Wright PSU maj. dec. Matt Ryan WVU, 16-4 | 31-3 |
| 197: Nick Ruggear PSU dec. Cameron Gallaher WVU, 4-2 | 34-3 |
| 285: #9 Cameron Wade PSU pinned Philip Mandzik WVU, WBF (3:12) | 40-3 |
Attendance: 550
Records: Penn State 4-0 (0-0 Big Ten), West Virginia 4-3
Up Next for Penn State: vs. No. 24 Rutgers at Sprawl and Brawl Duals, 3 p.m.
BOUT-BY-BOUT:
125: True freshman Frank Martellotti (Pittsburgh, Pa.) continued action at 125 for Penn State, taking on Mountaineer Shane Young. Young got in on a head-inside single on Martellotti, forcing a scramble with 2:00 on the clock. The Lion freshman forced a reset seconds later to keep the bout scoreless. Martellotti gained control of Young's left leg and worked to pull the Mountaineer in for a takedown, but this time it was Young who forced the reset, this time with 1:14 on the clock. Young tried the same move he did early in the period to take a lead, but Martellotti was able to scramble out of trouble and kill the clock. Tied 0-0, Martellotti chose down to start the middle stanza and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. The duo battled evenly for the entire period, with neither man breaking through the other's defense until Young forced a scramble with a single leg at the :20 mark. But another strong Martellotti scramble allowed the Lion to carry the 1-0 lead into the final period. Young chose down to start the final stanza but could not work free of a strong Martellotti ride. The Lion freshman was able to break down the Mountie sophomore and build up a minute-plus in riding time. Young escaped with :28 on the clock, tying the bout at 1-1, but Martellotti had secured the riding time point. Martellotti then used a low single to tie-up Young for the remainder of the period and, with the riding time point, notch a key 2-1 win.
133: Sophomore Bryan Pearsall (Lititz, Pa.) faced off against WVU's Nathan Pennesi. Pannesi got a quick takedown at the 2:45 mark and Pearsall nearly reversed him. But the Mountaineer wrestler was able to move out of bounds and force a reset. Pearsall escaped to a 2-1 deficit at the 2:02 mark. Pannesi took another shot that Pearsall nearly countered for a score of his own before a stalemate was called. Trailing by one, Pearsall chose down to start the second period and took advantage. A swift move on the bottom led to a Pearsall reversal, giving the Lion a 3-2 lead. Pannesi answered with his own reversal which was followed quickly by another Pearsall reversal. After the trio of moves was done, Pearsall led 5-4 with 1:04 on the clock. Another scramble led to a Pannesi reversal and two quick near fall points for the Mountaineer and he held an 8-5 lead. Pannesi chose neutral to start the third period. Pearsall upped the tempo, forcing Pannesi into a number of scrambles that nearly led to scores for each wrestler. The WVU sophomore held the 8-5 lead as the clock dipped below 1:00 and the Mountaineer added one more takedown near the end of the bout to up his lead to 10-5. The decision tied the dual at 3-3.
141: No. 12 Andrew Alton (Mill Hall, Pa.), a true freshman at 141 for Penn State, met WVU's Michael Morales. Like each of his first three collegiate duals, Alton wasted no time in dispatching his foe. Alton quickly gained control of Morales' shoulders, tripped him to his back and picked up his fourth pin in four outings, this one at the :21 mark. The fall put Penn State up 9-3.
149: Sophomore James English (York, Pa.), fresh off a win over No. 9 Corey Jantzen of Harvard, took on No. 8 Brandon Rader of WVU in another tough match-up. English was the equal to the 8th-ranked returning All-American, battling evenly for the first three minutes and sending the bout to the second tied 0-0. Rader chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. The duo battled for advantage on a high toss and it was English who won, picking up a takedown at the :30 mark. Rader tied the bout with a quick escape. Tied 2-2, English chose down to start the final period and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead (with :19 in riding time to his advantage). English countered a slight Rader shot and forced a stalemate with 1:01 left in the bout. English countered a Rader shot and iced the upset with a step around takedown at the :18 mark, moving out to a 5-2 lead. A final Rader escape was not enough and English posted a thrilling 5-3 win over the eighth-ranked Rader, putting Penn State up 12-3.
157: Red-shirt freshman David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio), ranked No. 6 nationally at 157, met WVU's Ryan Goodman. Taylor scored less than ten seconds into the bout and began looking for a chance to turn the Mountaineer for a pinning combination. Taylor had the Mountie junior flat but was only awarded two back points. After a reset, the Lion freshman picked up a three-point near fall and he led 7-0. Taylor's dominating performance on top continued with another two-point turn during the ride out. Leading 9-0, Taylor chose top to start the second period. Taylor turned Goodman for a two point near fall, added a three point turn and then ended the bout with a pin at the 4:55 mark, just five seconds before the period ended.
165: Red-shirt freshman Jake Kemerer (Greensburg, Pa.), ranked No. 12 nationally at 165, took on Nick Vallone of West Virginia. Kemerer set the tempo in the first period, forcing the Mountaineer backwards for over two minutes while Vallone backed off the mat. Vallone got hit with a first stall warning and then Kemerer turned a low single into a takedown and a 2-0 lead with :25 left in the period. Leading by two, Kemerer chose down to start the second period and muscled his way to a reversal and a 4-0 lead at the 1:40 mark. Vallone escaped to a 4-1 deficit, but not before Kemerer had a 1:44 riding time edge. Trailing by three, Vallone chose down to start the third period and escaped to a 4-2 deficit. Kemerer picked up a stall point and added another takedown to up his lead to 7-3 after a Vallone escape. Kemerer added one more takedown and a bonus point for riding time to post the 10-3 win.
174: Red-shirt freshman Ed Ruth (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 14 nationally at 174, battled Matt Weston. Ruth got a quick takedown and then nearly finished off the bout with a far side cradle. But Weston rolled out of trouble with Ruth still in control and action resumed in the center circle. Ruth's maintained control until he had a 1:00 time edge before he cut Weston loose. Ruth then rolled through the Mountaineer's waist, lifted him off the mat and placed him down for another takedown and a 4-1 lead. Ruth turned Weston to his back and picked up three near fall points as the first period ended. Leading 7-1, Ruth chose down to start the middle stanza. He quickly reversed Weston, added two near fall points, reset and picked up two more back points to lead 13-1 with :14 left in the period. The dominant Ruth performance allowed the Lion to lead 13-1 with 3:09 in riding time after two periods. He chose to top to start the third and quickly picked up two more back points to move out to a 15-1 lead. He cut Weston loose, looking for the technical fall. Instead, he countered a Weston shot, worked his arm across the WVU wrestler's chest and pinned him at the 5:48 mark. Penn State now led 27-3.
184: All-American Quentin Wright (Wingate, Pa.), ranked No. 6 at 184, took on WVU junior Matt Ryan. Wright notched a quick takedown, worked up :30 in time and then cut Ryan loose, before picking up a quick second takedown to lead 4-1 with 1:33 on the clock. Ryan escaped to cut the lead to 4-2 with 1:00 on the clock. Wright used a low single to work his way to a 6-2 lead with :15 left and then rode him out to end the first period. Wright chose down to start the second period and deftly reversed Ryan for an 8-2 lead. With over a minute in riding time, Wright began looking for a turning combination. Gaining control of Ryan's leg with his leg, Wright pulled Ryan over, bending his back and shoulders to the mat for a three point near fall and an 11-2 lead. Wright led 11-2 with 2:22 in riding time and Ryan chose down to start the third period. A quick WVU escaped cut Wright's lead to 11-3. A strong high single and trip gave Wright a fourth takedown and a 13-4 lead after a Ryan escape. Wright picked up a last second takedown and the riding time point to post a 16-4 major and put Penn State up 31-3.
197: Freshman Nick Ruggear (Oxford, Pa.) made his second start at 197 and met Mountaineer Cameron Gallaher. Ruggear gained control of Gallaher's shoulders on the edge of the mat and quickly tossed him to his back for a takedown. Gallaher was able to keep from giving up any back points and action resumed in the center circle with 1:54 on the clock. Ruggear proceeded to dominate Gallaher on top, building up a 1:37 riding time edge before Gallaher escaped. Leading by one, Ruggear chose down to start the second period. He nearly reversed Gallaher, but the Mountaineer was able to maintain control. Ruggear escaped to a 3-1 lead at the :52 mark but his time edge was down to :29. Trailing by two, Gallaher chose down to start the final period. Ruggear was able to flatten him out and build up a minute-plus in riding time. The Lion freshman then maintained control of Gallaher long enough to clinch the bonus point. Gallaher escaped to a 3-2 deficit with just :13. But a bonus point gave Ruggear a 4-2 win at put the Lions up 34-3.
285: Junior Cameron Wade (Twinsburg, Ohio), ranked No. 9 nationally at heavyweight, battled Philip Mandzik in the dual's final bout. Wade was making his first appearance at the Duals as he received a forfeit win in Penn State's opener. Wade's offensive pressure forced Mandzik into an early stall warning and then Wade picked up a takedown with :43 on the clock to move out to a 2-0 lead. Wade turned Mandzik to his back for two near fall points as the period ended and led 4-0 after one period. Mandzik chose down to start the second stanza, but Wade once again turned Mandzik to his back. This time, however, it allowed the Lion to pick up the pin as Wade got the fall just twelve seconds into the period, at the 3:12 mark. The fall gave Penn State a 40-3 dual meet victory.