North Carolina 24 Edinboro 14
EDINBORO, Pa. (Feb. 12, 2010) – In a season that has been filled with injuries and inconsistent wrestling, Edinboro saw its five-match winning streak come to an end on Friday night as North Carolina handed the Fighting Scots a 24-14 defeat. The loss leaves Edinboro, which came in ranked 21st in InterMat’s Top 25 and 22nd according to the NWCA/USA Today Division I Coaches Poll, with an 8-5 record. UNC improved to 5-7-1.
“We just got out-wrestled plain and simple,” related head coach Tim Flynn afterwards. “We must make improvements at every weight class. I'm very disappointed in tonight's result. You have to give credit to North Carolina.
“At 125 we had a winnable match and wasn't able to finish. He (Eric Morrill) left points out there and that seems to be happening a lot. We needed a win at 133 and he (Kyle Fluke) wasn't able to do it for us. Same thing with 141. Even the guys who won tonight left points out on the mat. We just simply need to wrestle better and not leave points on the mat. “
Edinboro’s modus operandi this year has been to fall behind in the lighter weights but then recover to win the heavier weights. With 165 pounder Jarrod King out with an injury, that has not been as simple a plan. And tonight North Carolina won the last two bouts to pull away after the Fighting Scots had closed to 15-14 following Pat Bradshaw’s win at 184 lbs.
The match got off to a solid start as eighth-ranked Eric Morrill won by major decision over Brian Bokoski, 18-4. The next two matches were swing bouts, and North Carolina picked up nine points with a decision by Jeremy Shaw at 133 lbs. and a fall by Mike Rappo at 141 lbs.
All told the Tar Heels won four of the first six matches before Edinboro began its comeback. Phil Moricone (above) won a 12-4 major decision over Thomas Ferguson at 174 lbs., and Bradshaw followed with a 4-2 decision over Nick Tenpenny at 184 lbs.
That made it 15-14, but Dennis Drury pinned Shawn Fendone at 197 lbs. to clinch the win. Ziad Haddad upset 18th-ranked Chris Birchler at heavyweight, 3-2, to close out the upset.
Edinboro returns to Eastern Wrestling League action next weekend, completing the regular season with a Friday, February 19 match at Pittsburgh, followed by a home match against West Virginia on Saturday, February 20.
“We really will have to work hard and improve before next week,” emphasized Flynn. “We've got a tough stretch ahead of us and we have to get better.”
Here’s a look at tonight’s bouts, weight-class by weight-class:
Records: Edinboro 8-5
North Carolina 5-7-1