The dual began at 125 where Nittany Lion junior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), ranked No. 2 nationally, took Edinboro's Eric Morrill. McKnight got the first takedown just :27 in and quickly jumped out to a 2-1 lead after a Morrill escape. Continuing his outstanding tournament, McKnight added a second takedown at the 2:00 mark and began cutting Morrill loose. Working relentlessly on offense, McKnight ended the first period with a solid 6-3 lead and 1:14 in riding time. Morrill chose down to begin the second period and McKnight let him up for a 6-4 lead. McKnight nearly scored near the edge of the mat but Morrill countered the move with a takedown of his own to briefly tie the score 6-6. McKnight escape to a 7-6 lead. The Nittany Lion junior chose down to start the third period and escaped to up his lead to 8-6, but not before Morrill knocked down McKnight's riding time edge. McKnight kept applying the offensive pressure, but Morrill stepped away from every shot the Nittany Lion took. Still up by two with less than :30 left, McKnight held off two late Morrill charges to post a hard-fought 8-6 win and give the Lions an early 3-0 lead.
At 133, No. 6 Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) took on No. 16 Ricky Deubel of Edinboro. Deubel went up 2-1 early with a takedown :30 into the bout. Strayer nearly turned the Fighting Scott seconds later, only to have Deubel counter the move, roll over on top and score two points of his own to go up 4-2 with 1:20 to wrestle in the first. Strayer had got in on a high right single led and finished the move with just :10 left to tie the match at 4-4 heading into the second period. The Nittany Lion chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 5-4 lead. Looking to increase his lead, Strayer used the same high right single move to post another takedown and up his lead to 7-4 with 1:12 left in the second. Strayer put together a solid ride, erasing all of Deubel's riding time and forcing the Fighting Scot into a stall warning. He rode Deubel out to carry a 7-4 lead into the third. The ‘Boro's ranked grappler chose down to start the third but could not break free of Strayer's strong grasp. Strayer continued his solid work up top, building up a 1:18 riding time edge before Deubel could escape to a 7-5 deficit. Not content with a slim lead, Strayer again scored a takedown and this time, he managed to turn the Scot wrestler to his back for three near fall points. With a riding time point in hand, Strayer posted a convincing 13-5 major decision and put Penn State up 7-0.
Junior Bryan Heller (Fair Haven, N.J.) tangled with Edinboro's Daryl Cocozzo at 141. Heller defeated Cocozzo 6-1 in the Pennsylvania Duals back in November. This time, Cocozzo got out to an early lead with a strong takedown at the 1:37 mark. Heller could not work his way out from Cocozzo's strong ride for the rest of the period and Cocozzo took a 2-0 lead and 1:37 in riding time into the second period. Heller chose neutral to begin the third period and began looking for an opening in which to score. Cocozzo, however, got in deep on Heller's right leg. But the Nittany Lion junior fought off the move to force a reset with :12 left to wrestle. The bout went to the final period with Cocozzo holding a 2-0 lead and owning 1:37 in riding time. Needing to hold Cocozzo down long enough to erase the riding time point, Heller did just that as he worked time advantage down. But with a minute left, Heller was still down 2-0 and worked to turn Cocozzo from the top position. Cocozzo managed to hold off every Heller effort to get back points and even reversed Heller as time expired and Heller went for broke with a final move. The 4-0 Cocozzo win tightened the scored at 7-3 in Penn State's favor.
Red-shirt freshman Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) took the mat against Gregor Gillespie, who entered the bout ranked No. 5 at 149. Gillespie got the first points of the bout with a takedown on the edge of the mat with 2:13 to wrestle in the first. The returning Fighting Scot All-American added three quick back points and the lead was 5-0 at the 1:33 mark. Gillespie added a two-point near fall before the period ended and had a 7-0 lead with 2:12 in riding time at the end of one period. Gillespie chose top to start the second period but could not work free of Gillespie's strong ride. Two Vallimont stall calls put Gillespie up 8-0 with 4:13 in riding time at the end of the second period. Vallimont chose neutral to start the third, but Gillespie quickly took the Lion freshman to the mat for another takedown to go up 10-1 with 1:12 to wrestle. Neither wrestler would score again and, with the riding time point, Gillespie posted a strong 11-1 major decision. The win tied the team race at 7-7.
True freshman Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) took on No. 10 Matt Hill of Edinboro. Jenkins was the equal to Hill early on, matching every move the ranked Scotsman made. Hill looked low for single legs and Jenkins countered with a high shoulder move, but neither wrestler dented the scoring column early. A furious scramble at the edge of the mat had Hill nearly complete a cradle on Jenkins, only to have the Penn State true freshman turn the tables and nearly get a takedown of his own. But action moved off the mat and no points were awarded to Jenkins. With :04 left, Hill did get a takedown at the edge of the mat to take a 2-0 lead into the second period. Hill chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 3-0 lead. Midway through the second, Hill moved quickly off a reset, got in on Jenkins' leg and deftly connected on a takedown to a cradle. Finishing off the move, Hill posted the pin at the 3:59 mark and Edinboro had stormed back to win three straight, score 13 straight points and take a 13-7 lead.
At 165, another Penn State true freshman, Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), met No. 8 Deonte Penn. Penn went up early with a two-point takedown at the 2:06 mark. Rella escaped to cut the lead to 2-1 and then went up 3-2 with a nice double-leg takedown with just over a minute left in the first period. Penn escaped to tie the score at 3-3, which is how the first period would end. Rella chose down to start the second period but found the going tough against the returning All-American. Penn rode Rella out for the entire period, keeping the score tied and building up a sizeable 1:47 riding time advantage. Penn chose down to begin the final period and, knowing that he needed takedowns to win, Rella cut the Scot loose. Penn turned his 4-3 lead into a 6-3 lead after taking Rella down again. He once again maintained control for the rest of the period, not allowing the Lion true freshman up and posting a hard-fought 7-3 decision. The win put the Fighting Scots up 16-7 with only four bouts left to wrestle.
Senior All-American James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.), ranked No. 6 in the country, battled Fighting Scot Phil Morricone at 174. The first period was scoreless throughout, with neither wrestler managing a real solid scoring chance. Tied 0-0, Morricone chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 1-0 lead at the 1:27 mark. Again, no scoring took place as each wrestler's defense had the better of any offensive efforts. Down by one after two periods, Yonushonis chose down to start the third and escaped to a 1-1 tie. Morricone nearly notched the bout's first takedown on the edge of the mat, but Yonushonis stepped out of the move with 1:00 to wrestle. After a reset, Yonushonis scored a pivotal takedown with :30 left to go up 3-1. Morricone did escape as time wound down, but the Penn State All-American held on for a 3-2 win. The victory cut EU's lead to 16-10 with three bouts to go.
At 184, Penn State sophomore Phil Bomberger (Port Royale, Pa.) battled Fighting Scot Alex Clemsen, who was ranked No. 11 nationally. Clemson got the first takedown of the bout and led 2-1 early on. Bomberger took a 3-2 lead with a takedown at the 1:44 mark and began trying to tilt Clemsen to his back. The ranked Scot wrestler fought off Bomberger's efforts and escaped to tie the score at 3-3 with 1:14 to wrestle. Clemsen retook the lead with just under :20 left in the first and rode Bomberger out to lead 5-3 after one period. Bomberger chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to cut the EU lead to 5-4. Clemsen blocked off every Bomberger scoring attempt to carry a 5-4 lead into the third period. The Fight Scot wrestler chose down to start the final period. Bomberger nearly turned Clemsen, but the Scot fought the move off to escape and up his lead to 6-4. Sensing a possible upset, Bomberger continued the offensive pressure, but Clemsen managed to step back each time and hold the Nittany Lion sophomore off. After a reset with just 1:11 to wrestle, Bomberger shot low only to watch as Clemsen stepped over him and scored a takedown of his own to move out to an 8-4 lead. Clemsen maintained his top position to close out the bout and, with a riding time point, posted a hard-fought 9-4 decision. The win put Edinboro up by nine, 19-10, with only two bouts left to wrestle.
Defending national runner-up Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 5 at 197, met Edinboro's Pat Bradshaw. Needing not just a win, but bonus points, Davis went on the offensive early. But the Edinboro grappler held Davis off. With two seconds left, Davis nearly completed a cradle as time wound down, but time ran out and the bout moved into the second tied 0-0. Davis chose top to start the second period and began looking for a pinning combination. Bradshaw, passive underneath, got hit for a second and third stall call and Davis was up 2-0. Davis did finally turn Bradshaw over and nearly got the pin, but the second period ended before Bradshaw flattened and Davis led 5-0 after two. Bradshaw chose neutral to start the third and Davis immediately took him down to go up 7-0. But a pin was what Davis needed. Bradshaw fought off every Davis attempt but got hit with another stall warning. Davis went on to post a 10-0 major decision to cut the ‘Boro lead to 19-14.
Senior heavyweight Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.), ranked No. 13, met No. 19 Joe Fendone of Edinboro in the dual's final bout. Needing a pin to secure a team win, Anspach got the first takedown early, going up 2-0 with 2:37 left. Fendone escaped to cut the lead to 2-1. The Nittany Lion senior added another takedown midway through the final period to lead 4-2. Holding a 4-2 lead after one, Anspach chose down to begin the second stanza and reversed Fendone to bolt out to a 6-3 after a Fendone escape. Neither wrestler would score again in the second period and Anspach led 6-3 with two minutes to wrestle. Fendone chose neutral to start the final period. Anspach added another takedown at the 1:30 mark and began trying to turn Fendone to his back. Fendone fought off the efforts and escaped, but Anspach held a 9-4 lead. With the riding time point, Anspach posted a 10-4 win, but the Fighting Scots snuck away with a thrilling 19-17 win and the Virginia Duals crown.
Penn State falls to 9-2 with the loss while Edinboro improves to 12-1. The Nittany Lions managed two bonus points in the bout with majors by Strayer and Davis, but Edinboro got four bonus points with a major and a pin. Despite the upset loss in the finals, Penn State still had an outstanding tournament. The Nittany Lions won 31 of the 40 bouts they wrestled.
Penn State's opens up Big Ten action next weekend as the conference season gets in full swing. The Nittany Lions will visit Wisconsin for an 8 p.m. Eastern match on Friday, Jan. 19, and then head to Minnesota for 3 p.m. Eastern dual on Sunday, Jan. 21. Penn State's next home dual is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 26, when Ohio State comes to Rec Hall. All Penn State duals will be heard live on WBLF AM and WKVA AM as well as streamed for free at GoPSUsports.com. Season and single-match tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the Penn State ticket office at 814-863-1000 or 800-833-5533 for more information. Fans can also get tickets at GoPSUsports.com. This year's season ticket prices are $24 for adults and $18 for students. Single dual prices are $5 per event for adults and $3 per event for youth.
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