While the final score wasn't close, most of the matches were. Three went into sudden victory, with Edinboro winning each one. The Fighting Scots also picked up a pair of wins by fall.
It was also a momentous evening for head coach Tim Flynn (below left) and wrestlers Gregor Gillespie (below right) and Joey Fendone (left). Flynn became Edinboro's all-time leader in wins as he picked up his 136th win as Edinboro's head coach. Now in his 12th season, Flynn has a 136-39-3 record, breaking the mark of 135 previously held by Fred Caro.
Gillespie, one of eight seniors honored before the wrestling began, posted an 11-0 major decision over Phil Sorrentino at 157 lbs. to give him a 145-10 career record. That ties the career record for wins. Jason Robison also has 145 wins. Fendone, meanwhile, became the 21st Boro wrestler with 100 career wins, as he posted a mild upset over Zach Sheaffer at heavyweight, prevailing 4-2 in sudden victory. Fendone, another senior, is now 100-37 for his career.
The Fendone-Sheaffer bout was the highlight of a tight evening of wrestling. Sheaffer came in ranked 12th, while Fendone was just a step behind at 13th. Following a scoreless first period, fendone rode out Scheaffer, with the Pitt senior picking up a stalling warning late in the period.
Scheaffer chose neutral to start the third period and took a quick shot. He would finally complete the takedown with 1:24 remaining. He would ride Fendone until 11 seconds remained when there was a stoppage due to Fendone bleeding. Fendone would escape with six seconds to go, and quickly pressured Sheaffer. The Panther was called for a second stalling warning with a second to go, sending the match into overtime tied at 2-2.
Fendone would come up with the winning takedown in a scramble with 11 seconds remaining in the overtime period. He is now 25-5, while Sheaffer falls to 17-7. Pittsburgh was penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct after the match.
The evening got underway at 133 lbs., with Edinboro winning the first of several swing bouts. Ricky Deubel, ranked 19th, held on for a 4-3 win over 18th-ranked Jimmy Conroy. Deubel would lead 2-1 after one period thanks to a takedown and Conroy escape midway through the period. Conroy knotted the match with a quick escape to start the second, but Deubel's second takedown made it 4-2 with 1:36 left. Conroy again escaped and it was 4-3 entering the final period. Deubel chose neutral and there was no scoring. Deubel is now 24-10, while Conroy falls to 19-11.
Pittsburgh grabbed a 6-3 lead when impressive redshirt freshman Tyler Nauman, ranked 12th, won by fall over Steve waite at 4;18 in the 141 lb. bout. There was no scoring in the first, but Nauman took a 2-0 lead with a reversal midway through the second period. Waite would have a quick escape, but Nauman's takedown left Waite cradled and the match was quickly over. Nauman improved to 25-7 while Waite is now 8-4.
The Gillespie brothers then gave Edinboro a 13-6 lead with a pair of bonus point matches. Torsten Gillespie improved to 25-14 with a fall over mark Powell at 2:24. It was the sophomores fifth fall of the season, and his second in his last four bouts.
Brother Gregor, ranked number one at 157 lbs., took the McComb Fieldhouse mat for the last time and won an 11-0 major decision over a game Phil Sorrentino. He took control immediately, with a takedown fuve seconds into the match, followed by three near-fall points at the 2:06 mark. He would add two more back points late in the period. Gillespie would tilt Sorrentino in the second period for a 10-0 lead, and he owned 4 minutes 55 seconds in riding time. Gillespie is now 34-0.
In another of the swing bouts, Jarrod King saw Ethan Headlee rally to send their 165 lb. match into overtime, but then recorded the winning takedown with 28 seconds left in overtime for a 7-5 win. The senior led 4-2 after two periods thanks to a pair of takedowns. After a scoreless second period, Headlee would pull within 4-3 with an escape with 1:21 left. In a wild scramble, Headlee registered a takedown with three seconds to go for the 5-4 lead. King had 1:44 in riding time, tying the match at 5-5. In the overtime, King single-leg takedown attempt near the edge of the mat led to him pulling Headlee in and slamming him to the mat for the winning points. King, who is continuing his comeback after missing a month with a staph infection in his knee, is now 24-4. Headlee falls to 22-13.
Karl DeCiantis would cut Edinboro's lead to 16-9 with a 16-9 decision over John Foley at 184 lbs. DeCiantis had six takedowns in the bout, but he was unable to come up with the major decision when Foley escaped at the buzzer. Foley, filling in for Phil Moricone and Paul Paddock, falls to 0-3. DeCiantis is 9-12.
Chris Honeycutt, ranked 17th, picked up a hard-earned 4-1 decision over Zac Thomusseit at 184 lbs. The sophomore had four good shots in the first period alone, yet the period ended scoreless. Thomusseit's esacpe with 30 seconds left in the second period gave the freshman a 1-0 lead. Honeycutt knotted the score with an escape midway through the final period. He finally was able to finish a shot on Thomusseit with 42 seconds left and picked up a point for riding time. Honeycutt is now 26-6.
The 197 lb. bout between Pat Bradshaw and Matt Wilps also went into overtime. Bradshaw recorded an escape in the second period, and Wilps did the same in the third. The Edinboro junior would come up with the winning takedown with 19 seconds remaining for a 3-1 win. Bradshaw is 23-6, with Wilps falling to 16-15.
Top-ranked Paul Donahoe closed out the night with a fall over Chris Albright at 1:44. The senior totally dominated the match, holding a 14-2 lead when the end came. Donahoe is now 28-0 and goes to 114-18 for his career.
Edinboro closes out its dual meet season on Sunday, February 22 at West Virginia. The Mountaineers defeated Cleveland State tonight, 41-0, setting up a showdown for the EWL regular season title. Edinboro is in search of its fourth straight EWL dual meet crown and fourth consecutive 6-0 season. The action gets underway at 1:00 p.m.
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