With the match tied at 15-15, James took the mat against MSU's Mike McClure in a matchup of sophomore heavyweights. Following a scoreless first period James took the 1-0 lead with a quick escape in the second, but McClure matched it to start the third.
James nearly had the winning takedown with 25 seconds to go at the edge of the mat, but the wrestlers were out of bounds. He followed with another double leg shot seconds later and this time finished it for the winning takedown with 15 seconds to go for a 3-1 decision. The win boosted James to 27-8, while McClure is now 12-9.
Michigan State took advantage of wins at two swing weights to push the match to the final bout. The only bonus points of the night were earned by Edinboro's A.J. Schopp (below), who picked up his 16th fall of the season at 1:53 over Terry Turner at 133 lbs. The sixth-ranked Schopp improved to 32-3 with his eighth straight triumph. It proved the difference as both teams won five bouts.
One of those swing match wins came at 125 lbs., as Brenan Lyon (8-9) edged Kory Mines (14-14) 9-7.
The Fighting Scots won the next three matches to take a 12-3 lead. Following Schopp's pin Mitchell Port won a 6-1 decision over Brian Gibbs (16-14) at 141 lbs. Port, ranked 15th by InterMat, led just 2-1 after two periods, but used an escape and takedown to pull away in the third period. He owned 1:45 in riding time. Port is now 24-6 and has won his last nine matches.
Dave Habat, ranked fifth by InterMat at 149 lbs., was forced into overtime before coming away with a 4-2 decision over Dan Osterman in a match that lived up to its advanced billing. Osterman took a 2-0 lead with a reversal to start the second period, and a Habat escape made it 2-1 going into the third. Habat tied it with an escape to start the third period. The redshirt freshman would come up with the winning takedown 17 seconds into sudden victory to improve to 32-5 with his 11straight win and 20 in the last 21 matches. Osterman is now 19-13.
Michigan State would follow with four straight wins to take a 15-12 lead. Anthony Jones (18-6), ranked tenth by InterMat, held off freshman Casey Fuller (19-17), 6-3, at 157 lbs. thanks to takedowns in the second and third period.
David Cheza (14-7) followed with a 7-2 decision at 165 lbs. over another Boro freshman, Jesse Swink (8-10). Cheza had takedowns in the first and third, plus a second period reversal.
At 174 lbs., senior Chris Hrunka (16-14) turned in a strong showing against 16th-ranked Curran Jacobs (21-9) before dropping a 70-3 decision. Following a scoreless first period Jacobs used a reversal and takedown for a 4-2 lead after two periods. Hrunka closed to 4-3 with an escape with 18 seconds to go, but Jacobs registered an insurance takedown with eight seconds remaining. The Spartan had 2:51 in riding time.
Vic Avery saw his four-match winning streak come to an end at 184 lbs. as the freshman fell to 20-11 with a 6-5 loss to Ian Hinton in a match that featured three penalty points for stalling or locked hands. Avery led 5-4 following his lone takedown with 1:15 left in the match, but the freshman was called for locked hands and Hinton escaped almost instantaneously with a minute left for the winning points. Hinton improved to 15-8.
Second-ranked Chris Honeycutt followed with a 6-2 decision against Nick McDiamid at 197 lbs. The two had met earlier in the year with Honeycutt prevailing 15-5, but the MSU redshirt freshman kept his distance throughout this time around.
In improving to 32-0 for the season and 122-20 for his career, Honeycutt had takedowns in the first and second periods, with McDirmiad escaping twice in the second. An ugly third period saw Honeycutt gain points for stalling and locked hands. The senior moved past Alex Clemsen for sole possession of tenth place in career wins.
Edinboro returns to action next Friday, February 17 at Pittsburgh in a match that could decide the EWL regular season title.
Results:
125 lbs. Brenan Lyon (MSU) dec. Kory Mines (EU) 9-7 0-3
133 lbs. #6 A.J. Schopp (EU) fall over Terry Turner (MSU) 1:53 6-3
141 lbs. #15 Mitchell Port (EU) dec. Brian Gibbs (MSU) 6-1 9-3
149 lbs. #5 Dave Habat (EU) dec. Dan Osterman (MSU) 4-2 SV 12-3
157 lbs. #10 Anthony Jones (MSU) dec. Casey Fuller (EU) 6-3 12-6
165 lbs. David Cheza (MSU) dec. Jesse Swink (EU) 7-2 12-9
174 lbs. #16 Curran Jacobs (MSU) dec. Chris Hrunka (EU) 7-3 12-12
184 lbs. Ian Hinton (MSU) dec. Vic Avery (EU) 6-5 12-15
197 lbs. #2 Chris Honeycutt (EU) dec. Nick McDiarmid (MSU) 6-2 15-15
Hwt. Ernest James (EU) dec. Mike McClure(MSU) 3-1 18-15
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