Hawks given second shot at Cowboys
Sunday, February 13, 2005
By BRIAN FORTNER
The Express-Times
BETHLEHEM — One great aspect of wrestling is revenge.
Lehigh University’s Mountain Hawks will be looking for just that tonight when they host Oklahoma State, the top-ranked college wrestling team in the country, in a much-anticipated dual meet at Stabler Arena.
Starting time is 6 p.m. The match has been sold out for weeks — and for good reason.
The Cowboys (18-0), the consensus No. 1 team, defeated Lehigh 20-16 in the semifinals of the NCWA/Cliff Keen National Duals at Cleveland State University on Jan. 23.
The Mountain Hawks, ranked fourth by Amateur Wrestling News, led OSU 16-14 heading into the last bout of the night where Steve Mocco, the Cowboys’ two-time All-American out of Blair Academy, pinned Tom Curl to give OSU the victory.
Lehigh coach Greg Strobel insisted he’s not using that for motivation.
“We really haven’t had much time to think about (the rematch), “Strobel said. “I was real happy with the way we competed against them the first time. I try not to dwell too much on wins and losses. I know I can’t say that for the guys on our team, but we have to worry about competing and staying focused on the task.”
Strobel and the Hawks may not be getting caught up in the hype, but the rest of the Lehigh Valley sure is.
Stabler Arena seats 5,600 fans to capacity for wrestling, but with temporary seating added for the event, today’s crowd will number a dual-meet record 5,828.
The previous record of 5,150 was set in 1981, when Lehigh hosted Syracuse.
“It’s going to be an event to see, “Strobel said. “The guys are excited and a little nervous. Hopefully, that translates into peak performances. My job is to see that no one gets too hyped.”
“We wrestled a perfect match against them last time, “Hawks 133-pounder Matt Ciasulli said. “If we can match that performance and not give up any bonus points, we’re confident we can win.”
Ciasulli, a sophomore from Easton Area High School, scored an impressive 3-2 decision over OSU’s Nathan Morgan the first time around, using a 1:02 riding time advantage to pull out the win.
Morgan (26-3) is one of eight starters ranked nationally for the defending NCAA champion Cowboys.
Led by Mocco (275) and Zack Esposito (149), another former Blair athlete, Oklahoma State is the odds-on-favorite to repeat at nationals next month in St. Louis.
Esposito and Mocco were recruited heavily by Stroble and the Mountain Hawks. Both are ranked No. 1 in the country at their weights by Amateur Wrestling News.
Mocco (26-0) won the 275-pound national championship as a sophomore for Iowa before deferring eligibility last season while training for the U.S. Olympic Team. He chose the Cowboys over Lehigh before the fall semester this season.
“We recruited Steve as an undergrad and when he was released for transfer from Iowa, “Strobel said. “After he made his decision, he came to me and voiced his concern about the academic aspect of coming to Lehigh.
“It was a tough decision for Zack (Esposito), as well. His brother had a great career here, but he chose to go elsewhere. Sometime Lehigh’s just not big-time enough for some guys. But we’re competing with all the big-time programs.”
Mocco leads the nation with 17 falls — 14 in the first period and seven in less than a minute — heading into today’s match. He’ll probably face Paul Weibel. The Lehigh junior returned from an ankle injury Friday night, posting a fall in the Mountain Hawks’ 32-7 win over Army at Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall.
Esposito’s brother, Dave, was a 2001 Lehigh graduate and two-time All-American.
Esposito (26-1) defeated Lehigh freshman David Nakasone 14-10 in January, but not before Nakasone scored two takedowns on last year’s NCAA runner-up.
Look for that matchup again.
Another bout well worth the price of admission is at 197 pounds where senior Jon Trenge of Parkland is expected to face top-ranked Jake Rosholt.
Trenge, a two-time national runner-up, won a 10-8 decision in the first match to reclaim the No. 1 national ranking.
It turned out to be temporary.
Trenge (20-3) was disqualified in the Hawks’ 24-13 loss to Minnesota in the consolation match later that day. It was his second disqualification this season for flagrant misconduct.
As a result, Trenge missed the next four duals and has since slipped to No. 3.
He returned to the lineup Friday night.
“Whether Jon is ready to go is yet to be seen, “Strobel said. “When he thinks he’s ready, and I think he’s ready, he’ll be out there. Jon has made steady, consistent progress in learning how to handle his emotions. He’s had the best practices of his career this week.”
The Mountain Hawks haven’t beaten the Cowboys in five tries. And Strobel knows his team will need every available body to reverse their fortunes.
“We have to put together our best performance of the season, “Strobel said. “It’s that simple.”
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