It was Senior Night at McComb Fieldhouse, and five of the six seniors in the lineup came away with wins. The night didn’t get off to a good start, however, as the Fighting Scots dropped the first two matches, both by ranked wrestlers.
The match got underway at heavyweight. Senior Chris Birchler, ranked 20th by InterMat, saw his record fall to 28-11 with a 3-0 decision to WVU’s Brandon Williamson, who is now 16-6. It marked Birchler’s third straight loss. After two scoreless periods Williamson recorded a takedown with 1:20 remaining and added a point for riding time.
While the Birchler-Williamson match was a swing match to begin with, the 125 lb. bout was not. Eric Morrill came in with a 29-5 record and ranked seventh by Amateur Wrestling News and eighth by InterMat, against freshman Shane Young.
Young came out the aggressor, however, and Morrill found himself behind 6-2 after one period. Trailing 7-3 heading into the third period and with Young woning riding town, Morrill came alive with a pair of takedowns, pulling to within 8-7 with just under 50 seconds left, but he would end up dropping a 10-7 decision. It marked Morrill’s second straight loss as he fell to 29-6.
Edinboro would run off wins in the next eight matches, however, beginning with a big upset by Kyle Fluke (above) at 133 lbs. One of the six seniors in the lineup, Fluke upset 18th-ranked Colin Johnston, 2-0, to improve to 13-10. After a scoreless first period Fluke rode Johnston throughout the second period. Fluke then chose the top to start the third, and would ride out Johnston for two more minutes. He also picked up a stalling point with 30 seconds remaining. The loss dropped Johnston to 21-4.
“Fluke wrestled well,” related head coach Tim Flynn. “He beat the best kid in the EWL at that weight class.”
Joel Webster, another senior, followed with a dominating performance at 141 lbs., winning by a 13-0 major decision over Ryan Romano. Webster improved to 16-12 thanks to a pair of takedowns along with eight near-fall points. That gave Edinboro the lead for good at 7-6.
Tortsen Gillespie made it back-to-back major decisions with a 14-3 win over Jonathan Waldron at 149 lbs. The junior led 7-0 after two periods thanks to a pair of takedowns and three back points, then added a reversal and two more takedowns in the third. He improved to 25-13.
Freshman Johnny Greisheimer picked up a hard-earned 7-4 decision over Kyle Eason at 157 lbs. He led at one point 4-1 early in the second period, but it was all tied up at 4-4 after two periods. In a wild scramble that lasted for close to a minute, Greisheimer registered the winning takedown with 11 seconds left, and also earned riding time thanks to the two-point move. He is now 22-19.
In the most anticipated bout of the night, Jarrod King held off Donnie Jones in a renewal of their long-standing rivalry, 5-3, at 165 lbs. The senior was in control of the match when, in a scary moment, he hit his head when Jones tried to roll out for an escape and was left laying out of bounds stunned with 23 seconds remaining. King led 4-2 at the time. After using most of his injury time, he was able to return, although clearly not himself. Jones would escape immediately, but King picked up a penalty point for a third caution on the restart with 11 seconds to go. With riding time, he won 6-3. King, ranked second by Amateur Wrestling News and third by InterMat, is now 31-1, while Jones is 17-10.
Phil Moricone and Matt Weston staged an entertaining match at 174 lbs. The two combined for 15 points in the first period as Moricone led 8-7. He started to take control in the second period with an escape and takedown, leading 11-8. It was all Moricone in the third, as he tilted Weston for three near-fall points, then added a takedown. When the smoke finally cleared, Moricone won a 17-9 major decision. The graduate student is now 16-3, while Weston fell to 7-11.
Pat Bradshaw gave Edinboro its fourth bonus point win of the night at 184 lbs., dominating Rob DeSano in an 18-1 technical fall, with the end coming at 5:42. Bradshaw bolted out to a 10-0 lead with a takedown followed by eight near-fall points. All told, he recorded three takedowns and had four moves for back points. The senior boosted his record to 27-11 in his final home appearance, and now has 94 career wins.
In the final bout of the night, Shawn Fendone turned in an impressive showing while winning a 5-0 decision over Kyle Rooney. Rooney came in as the reigning EWL Wrestler of the Week after a pair of wins over ranked wrestlers last weekend. Fendone scored all of the points in the first period, with a takedown with 1:52 in the period, and three near-fall points as the period concluded. The junior is now 14-9, with Rooney falling to 9-11.
“It’s nice to gon into the postseason on a winning note,” Flynn pointed out. “Now we’ll look to sharpen up and heal up. Our goal is to win the EWL Championship.”
The EWL Championship is set for Sunday, March 7 at West Virginia, with Edinboro looking to claim its seventh straight EWL crown.
Results:
Hwt. Brandon Williamson (WVU) dec. #20 Chris Birchler (EU), 3-0 0-3
125 lbs. Shane Young (WVU) dec. #8 Eric Morrill (EU), 10-7 0-6
133 lbs. Kyle Fluke (EU) dec. #18 Colin Johnston (WVU), 2-0 3-6
141 lbs. Joel Webster (EU) maj. dec. Ryan Romano (WVU), 13-0 7-6
149 lbs. Torsten Gillespie (EU) maj. dec. Jonathan Waldron (WVU), 14-3 11-6
157 lbs. Johnny Gresheimer (EU) dec. Kyle Eason (WVU), 7-4 14-6
165 lbs. #3 Jarrod King (EU) dec. Donnie Jones (WVU), 6-3 17-6
174 lbs. Phil Moricone (EU) maj. dec. Matt Weston (WVU), 17-9 21-6
184 lbs. Pat Bradshaw (EU) tech. fall Rob DeSano (WVU), 18-1 (5:42) 26-6
197 lbs. Shawn Fendone (EU) dec. Kyle Rooney (WVU), 5-0 29-6
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