No. 19 PANTHERS RALLY TO DOWN HUSKIES
11/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Nov. 15, 2007
PITTSBURGH - In a match that needed overtime in the final bout before it could be decided, the No. 19 ranked Pitt Panther wrestling team scored its first EWL Conference victory tonight as they edged out Bloomsburg by a count of 18-16. The Panthers (2-0, 1-0 EWL) rallied to take three of the final four bouts and tie up the all-time series between the two schools at 16.
"This is a huge win for us," said Pitt's head coach Rande Stottlemyer. "Our guys really battled until the final bout tonight. It's just a great way to start our conference schedule."
Brad Gentzle (Easton, Pa./Easton) fell behind Bloomsburg's Mike Sees with just 1:23 gone in the bout and suffered four more takedowns before giving up a 14-4 major decision to the Huskies 125 pound contestant.
Sophomore Jimmy Conroy (South Plainfield, N.J./South Plainfield) appeared to have the Panthers back on track after registering a takedown on Jason Guffey early in the first period of the 133 bout, but Guffey countered with two escapes and a takedown late in the second to grab the lead. He would on to take the duel by a count of 5-2 and stretch the Huskies' lead to seven.
No. 11 ranked Drew Headlee (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg) put some wind back in Pitt's sails with his 5-2 decision over Bloomsburg's George Hickman in the match at 141 pounds. Headlee jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a takedown in the first. After a Hickman escape, Headlee added three more points to his total with an escape and takedown in the second and sliced the Huskies' team lead to four.
Junior Joey Ecklof (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) brought the Panthers one step closer to evening the score after earning a 3-2 decision over Darren Kern in the 149 pound contest. Kern struck first and held a 1-0 lead heading into the third period before Ecklof unleashed an escape and takedown to claim the lead. Kern answered with an escape, but was unable to gain any more ground as Ecklof held on to earn three crucial points for the Panthers.
The 157 bout saw two nationally ranked grapplers square off against each other, as the Panthers' No. 4 ranked Matt Kocher (State College, Pa./State College) looked to take down No. 15 Matt Moley of Bloomsburg. Kocher appeared to have control of the match and was protecting a 1-0 lead late in the third when Moley used a two-point reversal to take the momentum and the match by a score of 2-1.
Rob Hoffmann built on the Bloomsburg lead with a 7-2 win over Pitt's Sean Richmond (Emmaus, Pa./Easton) at 165. Hoffman scored one of his three takedowns early in the first and would not relinquish his lead, pushing the Panthers' deficit back to seven.
Keith Gavin (Factoryville, Pa./Lackawanna Trail), the nation's No. 1 ranked wrestler in the 174 pound class, sparked the Panthers' comeback with a pin of Bloomsburg's Nate Graham late in the third period. Graham held his ground in the first, but Pitt's All-American took over in the second, registering two takedowns before putting his opponent on his back in the third. The pin drew the Panthers within one point of Bloomsburg and set the stage for the evening's final three matches. The fall was also the 13th of Gavin's career, tying him with teammate Drew Headlee for 12th on the all-time list.
No. 19 ranked David Sullivan (Dingmans Ferry, Pa./Delaware Valley/East Stroudsburg) capitalized off of the momentun from the 174 bout and rushed out to an early 2-0 lead on Jesse Hasseman. The Bloomsburg grappler chipped away at Sullivan's lead with an escape in the second, but Pitt's transfer from East Stroudsburg answered with an escape of his own in the third and went on to take the bout, giving the Panthers their first lead of the night, 14-11.
P.J. DiStefano put the Huskies back in he lead at 16-15 with a 7-3 win over A.J. Hunte (Brookline, Mass./Brookline) in a scuffle between two 197-pounders. DiStefano held a 3-1 lead in the second before Hunte tallied a takedown, knotting the score at three apiece. That's as close as Hunte would get; however, as DiStefano registered an escape in the second and a takedown in the third to put the match out of reach.
Zach Sheaffer (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) completed the comeback in exciting fashion, as he claimed victory over No. 6 ranked Mike Spaid in the heavyweight bout. Both wrestlers battled to a 1-1 tie at the end of three periods, forcing the match into overtime. In the extra period, Sheaffer scored an escape point that proved to be the difference in the bout and in the match, setting the final tally at 18-16.
Members of the Pitt wrestling team will now travel to Ithaca, N.Y., to take part in the Cornell Body Bar Tournament. Gavin will head to Eugene, Ore., to participate in the 42nd Annual NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps on Monday, Nov. 19. The team's next match will be a three team contest in Athens, Ohio, against Ohio University and Findlay University on Saturday, Dec. 15.
| Weight | Winner | Result | Loser | Score/Time | Match Score |
| 125 | Mike Sees (Bloom) | Major Dec. | (Pitt) | 14-4 | 4-0, Bloom |
| 133 | Jason Guffey (Bloom) | Dec. | (Pitt) | 5-2 | 7-0, Bloom |
| 141 | Drew Headlee (Pitt) | Dec. | George Hickman (Bloom) | 5-2 | 7-3, Bloom |
| 149 | (Pitt) | Dec. | Darren Kern (Bloom) | 3-2 | 7-6, Bloom |
| 157 | Matt Moley (Bloom) | Dec. | (Pitt) | 2-1 | 10-6, Bloom |
| 165 | Rob Hoffman (Bloom) | Dec. | Sean Richmond (Pitt) | 8-2 | 13-6, Bloom |
| 174 | Keith Gavin (Pitt) | Fall | Nate Graham (Bloom) | 6:40 | 13-12, Bloom |
| 184 | Dave Sullivan (Pitt) | Dec. | Jesse Hasseman (Bloom) | 4-1 | 15-13, Pitt |
| 197 | P.J. DiStefano (Bloom) | Dec. | (Pitt) | 7-3 | 16-15, Bloom |
| 285 | (Pitt) | Dec. | Mike Spaid (Bloom) | 2-1 (OT) | 18-16, Pitt |
Players Mentioned
