And just like the Bronc victory over 16th ranked Wisconsin, the decision came down to criteria. “So far we like this criteria rule,” said Rider head coach Gary Taylor. “As long as it keeps working for us.”
Rider and Lehigh (6-2) both won five of the 10 bouts, but Rider won on total points, 46 to 41.
The last time Rider won at Lehigh was during the 1993-94 season.
For Rider (6-1) senior Donald McNeil (Plainville, Mass./Wyoming Seminary) defeated Elliot Riddick, who is ranked 11th in the nation at 197, to give Rider a 16-13 lead. “That was a huge win for us,” Taylor said. “That’s how good Donald is when he is patient. He picks his spots rather than being reckless, and he’s doing a much better job of it.”
Sophomore Ryan Wolfe (New Castle, Del./Caravel Academy) won at 174 to give Rider a 13-9 lead..
Rider trailed 9-0 before freshman B.J. Clagon (Toms River, NJ/Toms River South) won a major decision for four crucial team points.
Freshman Chad Walsh (Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic) and junior Conor Brennan (Brick, NJ/Brick Twp.) also won for the Broncs. “We knew we had to get three of the last five matches,” Taylor said, ”and we did. But it wasn’t easy. Everyone of their wrestlers is tough.”
Junior Rob Deutsch (Cherry Hill, NJ/Eastern Regional) lost on riding time to the sixth ranked 133 in the nation, Mason Beckman, and senior Chuck Zeisloft (Woodbury Heights, NJ/Gateway) lost to the 16th ranked Randy Cruz at 141, 4-2. “We had some tough losses early on,” Taylor said. “We wrestled hard in every one of those losses. I’m very proud of them. They represented Rider in a major way today.”
Rider and Lehigh have now met 20 times since the series began in 1992, with Rider winning five. “They’ve had some great teams,” Taylor said of Lehigh. “We beat a great team today.”
The last time Rider and Lehigh met was during the 2009-10 season, when 19th ranked Lehigh defeated Rider 31-3. “The last time we were up here they beat us bad,” Taylor said, “so today feels pretty good.”
The last time Rider beat Lehigh was during the 2006-07 season, when the Broncs won 24-14 at Rider.
“Coming into this season we knew we had a talented team,” Taylor said, “but now they are getting tough. And the good news is that we can get a lot better. We have a lot of room for improvement right now.”
The Broncs are now off until the end of the month when Rider competes in the prestigious Midlands Championships.
Results:
125 – Scott Parker (Lehigh) dec. J.R. Wert (Rider) 3-2 0-3
133 – Mason Beckman (Lehigh) dec. Rob Deutsch (Rider) 2-2, r.t. 0-6
141 – Randy Cruz (Lehigh) dec. Chuck Zeisloft (Rider) 4-2 0-9
149 – B.J. Clagon (Rider) major dec. Drew Longo (Lehigh) 16-5 4-9
157 – Chad Walsh (Rider) dec. Will Switzer (Lehigh) 8-6 7-9
165 – Conor Brennan (Rider) dec. Santiago Martinez (Lehigh) 3-2 10-9
174 – Ryan Wolfe (Rider) dec. Marshall Peppelman (Lehigh) 6-2 13-9
184 – Nathaniel Brown (Lehigh) major dec. Clint Morrison (Rider) 10-2 13-13
197 – Donald McNeil (Rider) dec. Elliot Riddick (Lehigh) 4-3 16-13
285 – Doug Vollaro (Lehigh) dec. Greg Velasco 4-1 16-16
Rider wins on third criteria – 46-41 advantage in total match points
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