From the Centre Daily Times of State College, PA
Posted on Sun, Jan. 09, 2005
PSU wrestlers eady for W. Va., Pittsburgh
By Andy Elder
UNIVERSITY PARK – Almost no dual meet can match the intensity and unpredictability of a Penn State-Lehigh showdown. But when the Nittany Lions pounce on the mat against West Virginia and Pittsburgh, the action, while usually more civil, is as fierce.
Penn State entertains its two old Eastern Wrestling League foes at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, today in Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions figure to be the underdogs against the No. 12 Mountaineers, the favorites against the No. 25 Panthers.
The fierceness of the rivalries is fostered by the familiarity of the programs. Most times, against one or both of the teams, former teammates or high school rivals are paired.
The civility is engendered by two of the longest-tenured coaches in the country — West Virginia’s Craig Turnbull, in his 26th year at Morgantown, and Pittsburgh’s Rande Stottlemyer, in his 25th year in the Steel City.
Today’s dual meets will each feature some marquee matchups. Against West Virginia, three matches stand above the others at 141, 157 and 184 pounds.
At 141, Penn State’s No. 18 DeWitt Driscoll, fresh off his 9-5 upset of No. 3 Cory Cooperman of Lehigh, takes on No. 10 Brandon Lauer.
And, at 184, No. 6 Eric Bradley is paired with No. 1 Greg Jones, the defending NCAA champion.
Against Pittsburgh, which features just three ranked wrestlers, the long-anticipated rematch between No. 12 James Woodall and No. 16 Matt Kocher won’t come off. Woodall, it was announced Friday night, has sustained a season-threatening ACL tear in his right knee.
“That hurts, obviously, “said Bradley, one of the team’s four captains. “James is one of the top wrestlers in the country. We’re hoping he’s able to come back. I’m not sure what the verdict is. We’re going to have to have some guys step it up and hopefully take the role. Without James, it’s going to hurt us.”
But a weight below, at 141, Driscoll will face his third Top 10 opponent of the weekend. Pitt’s Ron Tarquinio, ranked No. 5 and already owning a win over Driscoll, is a familiar WPIAL face for Driscoll, who is brimming with confidence after his upset win Friday.
“It helps a lot, “he said. “Throughout the season I’ve been watching these guys. Cooperman is third. The guys ahead of him and the guys right with him, like Tarquinio, who I have Sunday, I know I can beat these guys. Half of them I have beaten before. I know I’m as good as them. Nobody else knows it because I haven’t been able to prove it. I know I have it. I know I can be a national champion this year. This is one step toward getting my mind where I need to be to win it.”
Trenge-Edwards aftermath
The disqualification Friday night of Lehigh’s No. 3-ranked 197-pounder Jon Trenge, a two-time NCAA finalist, was just another controversy that has marked one of college wrestling’s most eventful rivalries. But, as controversial as the outcome was, neither coach was shy about discussing it after the match against the Nittany Lions at Rec Hall.
“Both of them were hand-fighting and grabbing each other’s headgear and tempers escalated, “Sunderland said. “It was something that shouldn’t happen. It was uncalled for, the way the throw was conducted on the edge of the mat or off the mat almost completely. I wasn’t anticipating that the ref was going to disqualify him. I was going to say, ‘Look. You have to take control of the match or it’s going to come to blows and that’s not what we need.’
“Had the matched ended up with us winning … it wouldn’t have been quite as fulfilling or sweet.”
Lehigh’s Greg Strobel was equally as forthright.
“By the time they went out of bounds, Trenge didn’t stop at the whistle, “Strobel said. “That’s why the official called flagrant misconduct, for not stopping on the whistle. By that time, Trenge had prejudiced the official against him, getting the official irritated, complaining about the calls. He complained about the guy pushing on his face. He complained about what the other guy was doing. And the other guy was pushing on his face.
“All of that as it may, he didn’t need to continue after the whistle. That’s what led to the conversation with the official which got the official against him with the unsportsmanlike conduct. Continuing that action brought on the flagrant misconduct. It’s a judgment call by the official. It’s one of those things that may or may not have been made depending on who the official is.”
Red Cross donations
As part of the worldwide effort to provide aid and comfort for the South Asia tsumani victims, the Red Cross will be collecting donations today at Rec Hall from noon until 3 p.m.
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