Klucker recorded a quick pin at 157 and Hazel recorded a major decision at 184 and the duo's bonus-point victories certainly played a major role in the outcome for the Bald Eagles (1-1).
With the win, Lock Haven moved to 1-1 and bounced back from the dual season-opening loss last week vs. Central Michigan.
Returning All-American Kyle Shoop (Boiling Springs, Pa./Boiling Springs) and Brock Port (Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte) also won tonight for LHU as Lock Haven and Navy each split five wins in the dual.
This marked the second Rumble in the Jungle and the Red Lion fans were once again treated to thrilling Division I wrestling action.
Red Lion lies in the heart of the PIAA's District 3, a tradition-rich wrestling area, and LHU wrestling continues to hold close District 3 ties. Lock Haven's current 2019-20 roster features nine student-athletes from District 3, including Shoop and Klucker who both won tonight. Shoop and Klucker were two of three District 3 alums in Lock Haven's starting lineup tonight. The other was Jared Siegrist (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) who was edged out by a nationally-ranked foe at 174 pounds.
Tonight's dual started at 141 and Shoop, ranked No. 16, quickly thrilled the District 3 crowd in his homecoming of sorts with a big time bounce-back win. After a scoreless opening period, Shoop scored a takedown with just under a minute to go in the second frame and he led 2-0 after two. Shoop did his thing in the third and rode out the period on top and racked up a total of 2:44 in riding time vs. Navy's Cody Trybus, who was nationally ranked by some media outlets this week.
At 149, Port stretched the Lock Haven lead to 6-0 with a strong effort. Port and Wyatt Long were tied 4-4 late in the bout, but Port scored after putting Long in danger in the final seconds, scoring two at the buzzer for the 6-4 win.
It was quickly 12-0 Lock Haven as No. 18 Klucker ignited the Red Lion crowd with a pin in just 40 seconds.
Navy posted back-to-back wins at 165 and 174 and Lock Haven held a 12-6 lead at halftime.
At 165, Caleb Clymer (Germansville, Pa./Northwestern Lehigh) grabbed the first takedown, but No. 10 Tanner Skidgel slowly pulled away, before securing the 6-3 decision. The Navy win put the Midshipmen on the board.
Navy made it two in a row as No. 16 Spencer Carey picked up a 9-4 win over Siegrist at 174.
Hazel recorded an important major decision at 184 and his victory extended the Lock Haven lead to 16-6. Hazel dominated Andrew Buckely from the start, leading 4-1 after one period and 6-2 after two. Hazel, ranked 13th, racked up two more takedowns in the third and pushed his riding time advantage to well over two minutes as he secured the crucial bonus-point win.
Hazel's win by major stood large as Navy rattled off three straight wins.
At 197, Navy's Jacob Koser, a District 3 product, topped Blake Reynolds (Greenville, Pa./Greenville) 6-0. At 285, John Birchmeier downed Trey Hartsock (Lewistown, Pa./Mifflin County) 5-1 and Navy trailed 16-12. Navy made it three straight wins with another victory at 125 after Logan Treaster downed Matt Maloney (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Liberty) 10-4, spoiling Maloney's official Lock Haven debut.
The Bald Eagles clung to a one-point 16-15 lead heading into the final bout and Fehlman put it away in style, dominating Navy's Casey Cobb, 9-3. Fehlman and Cobb, who was listed in some national rankings this week, were tied 0-0 after one, but Fehlman led 7-2 after an exciting second period, thanks to a six-point move after a hard-fought takedown and four near-fall points. A late Fehlman third-period takedown sealed the win.
For Lock Haven, Shoop (No. 18, 141), Klucker (No. 18, 157) and Hazel (No. 13, 184) all entered the match nationally-ranked.
Fehlman's win marked the 96th of his career as he inches closer to 100, and Shoop picked up this 113th win, which helps him crack the top-10 and ties him for No. 9 all-time in career wins at LHU.
The win was head coach Scott Moore's 50th career dual victory at The Haven.
The inaugural Rumble in the Jungle, held last season, proved to be a thriller as well. On January 25, 2019, Lock Haven upset Arizona State in front of 2,712 fans, a record crowd for an athletic event at the Fitzkee Center. At the time, LHU was ranked 22nd in the nation, while Arizona State sat at No. 12. The Bald Eagles won six of 10 bouts and on the historic night, Lock Haven got wins from a pair of District 3 alums.
Over 2,000 fans packed the gym tonight.
Lock Haven assistant coach Ronnie Perry, a 2018 NCAA finalist, is also a District 3 product (Christiana, Pa./Solanco) and current Navy assistant coach Dan Neff, a former LHU wrestling standout, is also a proud District 3 native (Quarryville, Pa./Solanco). Neff was a 2015 All-American for the Bald Eagles.
For the Bald Eagles, the southeastern, Pennsylvania tour continues tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 14) as the they head to the Messiah duals where they will take on Millersville University, McDaniel College and host-Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania.
Results:
141 | #16 Kyle Shoop dec Cody Trybus (NAVY), 3-0 // Lock Haven 3-0
149 | Brock Port dec Wyatt Long (NAVY), 6-4 // Lock Haven 6-0
157 | Alex Klucker pinned Scout Skidgel (NAVY), 0:40 // Lock Haven 12-0
165 | #10 Tanner Skidgel (NAVY) dec Caleb Clymer, 6-3 // Lock Haven 12-3
174 | #16 Spencer Carey (NAVY) dec Jared Siegrist, 9-4 // Lock Haven 12-6
184 | Corey Hazel major dec Andrew Buckley (NAVY), 12-3 // Lock Haven 16-6
197 | Jacob Koser (NAVY) dec Blake Reynolds, 6-0 // Lock Haven 16-9
285 | John Birchmeier (NAVY) dec Trey Hartsock, 5-1 // Lock Haven 16-12
125 | Logan Treaster (NAVY) dec Matt Maloney, 10-4 // Lock Haven 16-15
133 | DJ Fehlman dec Casey Cobb (NAVY), 9-3 // Lock Haven 19-15
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