Edinboro 19 Buffalo 17
EDINBORO, Pa. (Jan. 16, 2010) – On the verge of suffering its third
straight loss and first ever to the University at Buffalo, the Edinboro
wrestling team roared back to win the final five bouts and claim a 19-17 win
over the Bulls on Saturday night at McComb Fieldhouse. The win left the Fighting
Scots, ranked 21st by in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll and 23rd by InterMat,
with a 4-4 record heading into tomorrow’s Eastern Wrestling League opener at
Clarion. That match gets underway at 2 p.m. Buffalo fell to 7-4-1.
The Bulls looked primed to post their second straight upset of a
nationally-ranked team after beating then 12th-ranked Nebraska a week ago. They
jumped out to a 17-3 lead against edinboro’s injury-ravaged lighter weights,
winning four of the first five matches, including Desi Green’s pin at 149
lbs., plus a pair of major decisions.
The Fighting Scots began their comeback when fifth-ranked Jarrod King, the
defending national champion at 165 lbs., recorded a 9-1 major decision over
John-Martin Cannon. Phil Moricone, another of the Boro’s walking wounded,
followed with a 7-2 decision over Brian Sheehan at 174 lbs., and Edinboro had
closed to within 17-10.
Pat Bradshaw made it 17-13 as he came back from a 3-0 deficit to win a tight 4-3
decision over Josh Peters at 184 lbs.
In the key match of the evening, Shawn Fendone (above) dominated his match at
197 lbs. with Jimmy Hamel, a 2009 national qualifier. Hamel came in with an 18-5
record, but it was Fendone prevailing by a 9-2 decision.
Fendone’s win pulled Edinboro to within 17-16, and Chris Birchler capped the
comeback as the 17th-ranked heavyweight won a 9-3 decision over Jason Weber.
Here’s a look at the match weight class by weight class:
125 lbs. – Eric Morrill won a hard-earned 4-2 decision over UB’s Dan Bishop
despite being hampered by a leg injury. The eighth-ranked junior improved to
24-4 while Bishop fell to 10-4. Morrill recorded both of the matches takedowns,
one in the first period and another in the third, to give him a 4-1 lead.
Bishop’s escape with 32 seconds left made it 4-2 but he could not register the
tying takedown.
133 lbs. – Ashton Osterberg lost by major decision to 17th-ranked Kevin Smith,
13-5, as Smith had five takedowns in the match. The loss leaves the senior at
14-16, while Smith improved to 18-7. osterberg has been filling in for injured
starter Kyle Fluke.
141 lbs. – Andrew Schutt surprised Joel Webster as the UB freshman jumped out
to a 10-1 lead after one period, nearly ending the match by fall on a couple of
occasions. Schutt ended up sending Webster to 12-9 with a 13-2 major decision.
Schott improved to 10-12.
149 lbs. – Kory Bissett had the misfortune of facing 17th-ranked Desi Green
while replacing injured starter Torsten Gillespie. Green jumped out to 10-4 lead
thanks to five takedowns, then ended the match by fall at the 2:33 mark. Bissett,
a sophomore, fell to 5-5, while Green is now 22-4.
157 lbs. – Freshman John Greisheimer fell just short against Andrew Stella,
dropping a 7-5 decision. The two exchanged takedowns in the first period, but
Stella’s reversal with seven seconds left in the period would provide two key
points, not to mention a 4-3 lead. Following a scoreless second period, Stella
opened the third with an escape, but a Greisheimer takedown at the edge of the
mat would knot the match at 5-5 with 48 seconds left. The freshman would cut
Stella immediately as the UB wrestler had riding time, and he would be unable to
record another takedown while falling to 19-15.
165 lbs. – Jarrod King, ranked fifth by InterMat and third by Amateur
Wrestling News, used a big third period to pull away from John-Martin Cannon and
record a 9-1 major decision. The senior, who is now 27-1, used a first period
takedown and a stalling point in the second period for a 3-0 lead. He opened the
third period with an escape, then added a takedown and two back points. He would
cut Cannon for an 8-1 lead, but owned 2:41 in rising time to secure the major
decision.
174 lbs. – Phil Moricone made his first appearance at McComb Fieldhouse since
the 2008 Fighting Scot duals a victorious one with a 7-2 decision over Brian
Sheehan. The sixth-year graduate student continues to battle injuries, but was
able to improve to 11-3. He used a takedown in the first 30 seconds for a 2-0
lead after one period, and he led 4-1 after two periods thanks to a reversal.
Sheehan’s reversal seven seconds into the third period made it 4-2, but would
add one of his own for a 6-2 lead.
184 lbs. – Pat Bradshaw improved to 21-11, picking up his 88th career win, but
not without a battle. After a scoreless first period, Bradshaw fell behind 3-0
when Peters chose down and then reversed Bradshaw. He was awarded a point for
locked hands by Bradshaw during the reversal. Bradshaw began his comeback with a
quick escape to start the third period. He knotted the score at 3-3 with a
takedown at 1:25, and owned a 2:24 advantage in riding time for the winning
point.
197 lbs. – In one of the biggest wins of his career, Shawn Fendone turned in a
strong performance in a 9-2 decision over former national qualifier Jimmy Hamel.
Fendone took a 2-0 lead with takedown a minute into the match. He went up 3-0
with an escape in the second period, but Hamel’s takedown with eight seconds
left made it 3-2. Fendone made it 5-2 with a takedown midway through the final
period, and then scored three back points with 30 seconds to go. Fendone is now
9-7, while Hamel is 18-6.
Hwt. – Chris Birchler provided Edinboro with the winning points as the senior
won a 9-3 decision over Jason Weber. Birchler, ranked 15th by Amateur Wrestling
News and 17th by InterMat, wore down the UB senior while improving to 24-8. A
takedown with 17 seconds left in the first period made it 2-0, and he led 4-2
following a takedown and two Weber escapes in the second period. Birchler would
an escape and takedown in the third period for a 7-2 lead, and was awarded a
penalty point at the end, along with a 2;20 advantage in riding time for the
final score.
#21 EDINBORO 19, BUFFALO 17
Saturday, January 16, 2010
McComb Fieldhouse
Edinboro, PA
EU-UB
125 Eric Morrill (EU) dec. Dan Bishop (UB), 4-2 3-0
133 #20 Kevin Smith (UB) maj. dec. Ashton Osterberg (EU), 13-5 3-4
141 Andrew Schutt (UB) maj. dec. Joel Webster (EU), 13-2 3-8
149 #15 Desi Green (UB) fall over Kory Bissett (EU), 2:33 3-14
157 Andrew Stella (UB) dec. John Greisheimer (EU), 7-5 3-17
165 #5 Jarrod King (EU) maj. dec. John-Martin Cannon (UB), 9-1 7-17
174 Phil Moricone (EU) dec. Brian Sheehan (UB), 7-2 10-17
184 Pat Bradshaw (EU) dec. Josh Peters (UB), 4-3 13-17
197 Shawn Fendone (EU) dec. Jimmy Hamel (UB), 9-2 16-17
Hwt. #17 Chris Birchler (EU) dec. Jason Weber (UB), 9-3 19-17