Thanks to wins in the final three weight classes Edinboro hosts Pittsburgh on Saturday looking to reclaim the EWL title. The Fighting Scots won four years in a row before the Panthers claimed the crown a year ago. Pittsburgh comes into the 7 p.m. match at McComb Fieldhouse winners of its last 11 EWL matches.
Edinboro trailed 15-10 after Chris Hrunka suffered an 11-6 loss to Alex Meade at 174 lbs. Meade, a transfer from Oklahoma State who was a national qualifier a year ago, dropped Hrunka to 14-16 thanks to five takedowns.
Chris Honeycutt, wrestling for the first time as the top-ranked wrestler at 184 lbs., grounded out a tough 5-2 decision over Matt Ryan, who came in ranked 20th by Amateur Wrestling News. Honeycutt improved to 23-0, but it wasn’t easy. He countered a pair of Ryan takedown attempts in the first period to record two takedowns and lead 4-1. A Ryan escape to start the second period and Honeycutt’s escape in the third were the only other points. Ryan fell to 16-6.
Shawn Fendone gave the Fighting Scots a 16-15 advantage with a 3-2 decision over Kyle Rooney at 197 lbs. Following a scoreless first period Fendone rode out Rooney in the second. Rooney chose neutral to start the third and made it count with a takedown off a quick single leg shot, almost pinning Fendone in the process. Fendone rallied with a reversal in the final minute to tie the score and owned a 2:21 advantage in riding time for the winning point. Fendone improved to 22-9 with his 12th win in his last 13 matches.
Ernest James put an exclamation point on the win with a fall over Phil Mandzik at 3:23 at heayvweight. The match was scoreless after one period. Mandzik started down to begin the second, and it didn’t take long for James to cradle Mandzik and pin the Mountaineer. It gives James a 15-13 record with seven pins, including falls in his last three bouts.
WVU’s Shane Young pinned Bijan Banks at 2:35 in the 125 lbs. match, dropping Banks to 0-21.
Edinboro won three of the next four matches in what had to be considered swing bouts. Eric Morrill, ranked 18th by Amateur Wrestling News, won a minor upset over Nathan Pennesi, who was ranked 15th by InterMat and 17th by Amateur Wrestling News, at 133 lbs. Morrill prevailed 6-3 to win his tenth straight match and improve to 19-8, his 85th career win. Pennesi fell to 22-5. Morrill had all three takedowns in the match.
In a matchup of freshmen, WVU’s Michael Morales edged Kasey Davis, 3-1, at 141 lbs. Davis led 1-0 after two periods, but Morales opened the third period with an escape and registered the winning takedown in the final minute. Davis fell to 18-13 and lost for the first time in his last four matches.
In a second matchup of nationally-ranked opponents, Torsten Gillespie used a strong third period to hand Brandon Rader an 11-6 defeat at 149 lbs. Gillespie, ranked 17th by Amateur Wrestling News and 18th by InterMat, picked up his 96th career win and moved to 18-8. He did not compete in the last dual vs. North Carolina due to an injury.
Rader was ranked 20th by Amateur Wrestling News and is a former two-time All-American who has battled a series of injuries the past few years. A wild first period saw the two emerge tied at 4-4. Rader opened with a takedown, but Gillespie then grabbed a 3-2 lead with an escape and takedown. Rader would reverse Gillespie, but the Boro senior would escape in the final ten seconds.
Rader started the second with a reversal, but Gillespie would escape to make it 6-5 after two periods. Gillespie started the third period in the down position. A quick escape made it 6-6, and he then registered his lone takedown for an 8-6 lead. He added three near-fall points while dominating the last minute of the match.
Johnny Greisheimer gave Edinboro its first lead of the night as the sophomore improved to 20-11 with a 12-2 major decision over Ryan Goodman at 157 lbs. Greisheimer led just 3-2 after one period, but he would take control in the second with a takedown and three near-fall points. He added his third takedown in the third period.
Donnie Jones, ranked 20th by Amateur Wrestling News, gave the lead back to West Virginia with a 13-7 decision over Ethan Saylor at 165 lbs., although the Boro freshman battled to not allow bonus points. Jones had six takedowns while improving to 16-3.
Results:
125 Shane Young (WVU) fall over Bijan Banks (EU), 2:35 0-6
133 Eric Morrill (EU) dec. #15 Nathan Pennesi (WVU), 6-3 3-6
141 Michael Morales (WVU) dec. Kasey Davis (EU), 3-1 3-9
149 #18 Torsten Gillespie (EU) dec. Brandon Rader (WVU), 11-6 6-9
157 Johnny Greisheimer (EU) maj. dec. Ryan Goodman (WVU) , 12-2 10-9
165 Donnie Jones (WVU) dec. Ethan Saylor (EU), 13-7 10-12
174 Alex Meade (WVU) dec. Chris Hrunka (EU), 11-6 10-15
184 #1 Chris Honeycutt (EU) dec. Matt Ryan (WVU), 5-2 13-15
197 Shawn Fendone (EU) dec. Kyle Rooney (WVU), 3-2 16-15
Hwt Ernest James (EU) fall over Phil Mandzik (WVU), 3:23 22-15
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