From the student paper at Penn State
Edwards key in Penn State victory over Pittsburgh
Wrestling
By Chris Weeden
Collegian Staff Writer
It might have been unconventional, but junior Joel Edwards went undefeated this weekend, helping No. 16 Penn State go 2-1 against three ranked teams that journeyed to Rec Hall.
With the Nittany Lions leading 22-16 against No. 25 Pittsburgh, Edwards was in control of his bout and looked to cement the victory and a winning record for Penn State.
But Lou Thomas of Pitt took advantage of a rare opportunity, and suddenly Edwards found himself on his back, inches away from getting pinned, which would have tied the team score
For about a minute, he tried to free himself. And then he did, recapturing his earlier momentum, winning his match and giving the Lions an insurmountable 26-16 lead, which ultimately led to a 26-19 victory.
But Nate Galloway, Penn State’s starter at 157 pounds, wasn’t worried.
“We expect him to win every time, “Galloway said. “Had he given up, not only does he lose the match — I believe that we would’ve lost the match … If you ask me, it’s the hardest thing in the world to be fighting off your back.”
The win over Pitt came hours after defeating No. 12 West Virginia, 34-12, thanks in part to three WVU forfeits.
In the West Virginia meet, Penn State’s top performer was Galloway, who is No. 11 in the nation at 157 pounds.
He upset No. 7 Matt Lebe by a score of 7-3 in perhaps his biggest win since he came to Penn State.
It also proved to be a big match for true freshman Jack Decker, who stepped into the starting spot after Jason Woodall, who had been ranked No. 12 in his weight class, sustained a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee on Dec. 30 during the final seconds of a tournament match.
After losing in his first match to rival No. 6 Lehigh University Friday night in the 149-pound match, Decker pinned the Mountaineers’ Ted Adams.
“When he got off his back and looked up, he saw the weight of the world lifted off his shoulders a little bit, “Penn State coach Troy Sunderland said.
One upset never came to fruition.
Junior Eric Bradley, No. 6 in the 184-pound class, faced the No. 1-ranked West Virginia senior Greg Jones. In the most anticipated match of the weekend, Bradley fell 6-2.
But wins yesterday helped the Lions rebound from a 20-16 loss to Lehigh.
Penn State was up 6-3 early in that match thanks to junior DeWitt Driscoll’s defeat of Cory Copperman, the No. 3 wrestler in the 141-pound class.
Lehigh managed to pull ahead and take a 17-10 lead into Joel Edwards’ match against the Mountain Hawks’ Jon Trenge, No. 3 at 191 pounds.
Tempers flared early as Trenge worked at Edwards’ headgear. Edwards retaliated by attacking Trenge’s eyewear. After the whistle blew, Trenge threw Edwards off the mat.
The referee disqualified Trenge and took a point away from Lehigh for unsportsmanlike conduct.
With the teams tied at 16, Penn State heavyweight Josh Walker was unable to feed off the momentum and Paul Weibel defeated him soundly, 12-3
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