Jan. 21, 2007

From Penn State Athletics

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn (gopsusports.com) - The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, ranked No. 10 nationally, dropped a tough 31-12 decision at No. 1 Minnesota on Sunday. The Gophers won seven bouts in front over 3,800 fans, including an upset win in the match-ups first bout.

The bout began at 125 where Nittany Lion junior Mark McKnight (McDonald, Pa.), ranked No. 2 nationally, met No. 5 Jayson Ness of Minnesota. McKnight quickly got in on Ness, nearly getting a nice throw near the edge of the mat for two points. But the initial takedown call was quickly waved off, causing a reset. But less than :10 left, McKnight got the takedown to go up 2-0 at the 2:05 mark. Ness reversed McKnight after :40 of riding time passed to tie the bout at 2-2. McKnight escaped to a 3-2 lead with 1:05 remaining in the first. McKnight fought off two solid Ness scoring chances to carry that lead into the second period. McKnight chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 4-2 lead. But Ness' relentless offense led to a Gopher takedown that tied the match at the 1:26 mark. Ness put together a solid ride this time, dominating the Lion junior on top and eventually turning him to his back and getting a stunning pin at the 4:55 mark. The upset win put the Gophers up 6-0 and dealt McKnight only his second loss of the year (16-2). Ness improved to 25-3.

At 133, sophomore Jake Strayer (South Fork, Pa.) looked to shake off the ghosts of an upset loss at Wisconsin two nights prior. Strayer, ranked No. 4, met Minnesota's Mike Thorn. Strayer countered an early Thorn shot to circle around and get two points of his own. Not allowing Thorn any room to maneuver, Strayer worked up 1:37 in riding time before Ness managed to scramble out of a near fall situation and eventually reverse Strayer to tie the bout at 2-2 after on period. Strayer chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 3-2 lead. The Lion sophomore upped his lead to 5-3 with another takedown and, eyeing bonus points, began cutting Thorn loose in hopes of building up a sizeable lead. Two more takedowns later and Strayer had a 9-4 lead with 2:15 in riding time after two periods. Thorn chose down to start the third and was allowed up by Strayer, who quickly got in on Thorn's left leg and finished the move for another takedown. Strayer added one more takedown, but Thorn managed to skirt the edge of the mat long enough to avoid the major. Strayer's 14-7 decision cut Minnesota's lead to 6-3 and improved his overall record to 16-3. Thorn lost for only the second time this year, falling to 13-2.

Junior Bryan Heller (Fair Haven, N.J.), one of two Lions battling illness, met Minnesota's Manuel Rivera at 141. Rivera entered the match ranked No. 2 nationally. Heller got in on Rivera's left leg early, but the Gopher junior countered the move, avoided Heller's grasp and turned it into a two-point takedown of his own. Heller escaped to cut the lead to 2-1, but Rivera upped his lead to 4-1 with another takedown at the :55 mark. Heller could not break free of Rivera's strong work on top as the Gopher managed to ride him out to carry a 4-1 lead with 1:16 in riding time into the second period. Rivera chose down to start the second and quickly escaped to a 5-1 lead. Less than :20 after the escape, Rivera took Heller down to the mat once more, upping his lead to 7-1. In the same flurry, Rivera got two separate three-point near falls to build up a 13-1 lead after two periods. Heller chose the top position to start the third period, hoping to turn Rivera himself. After nearly a minute of effort, however, Rivera escaped to a 14-1 lead and began looking for the takedown that would clinch a technical fall. After a reset, Rivera got the takedown to post a 16-1 technical fall at the 6:33 mark. The win put Minnesota up 11-3 and dropped Heller to 14-5 on the year. Rivera stayed undefeated, improving to 27-0.

The first of three straight freshmen in the Penn State line-up took to the mat at 149 as red-shirt Dan Vallimont (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) met No. 1 Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota. Vallimont, like Heller before him, was fighting off an illness. Schlatter, one of Minnesota's three undefeated wrestlers, got a takedown a minute in to go up 2-0 and then picked up a three-point and a two-point near fall to go up 7-0 with :30 left in the first period. Vallimont escaped to cut the lead to 7-1 but was now facing 1:22 in riding time in addition to a six point deficit after one period. Schlatter, the defending national champion at his weight, chose down to start the second period and escaped to an 8-1 lead while still maintaining a 1:02 edge in riding time. Schlatter upped his lead to 10-1 with another takedown at the :52 mark. He would maintain his advantage for the remainder of the period to carry a 10-1 lead with 1:57 in riding time into the third period. Vallimont chose down to start the third and was allowed up by Schlatter, cutting the UM lead to 10-2. After a minute of work in the middle of the mat, Schlatter started a flurry of takedowns that would have Vallimont fighting off a potential technical fall. Schlatter added two takedowns but could not add any more and posted a 15-4 major decision. The four team points put the Gophers up 15-3. Vallimont fell to 12-7 with the loss while Schlatter stayed undefeated at 22-0.

True freshman Bubba Jenkins (Virginia Beach, Va.) met Minnesota's C.P. Schlatter at 157. Schlatter entered the bout ranked No. 3 nationally. Coming out fast, Jenkins finished a nice double leg takedown on the edge of the mat to go up 2-0 early. Schlatter escaped to cut the lead to 2-1 at the 2:15 mark. Jenkins fought off two solid Schlatter scoring opportunities before the Gopher junior managed to get around behind Jenkins and move up 3-2 with a takedown at the :50 mark. Jenkins could not work free of Schlatter's strong work on top and headed into the second period down 3-2. Jenkins chose down to start the second period but once again found Schlatter tough on top. Jenkins broke free at the 1:12 mark to tie the scored at 3-3, but Schlatter now had a 1:24Jenkins could not work free of Schlatter's strong work on top and headed into the second period down 3-2. Jenkins chose down to start the second period but once again found Schlatter tough on top. Jenkins broke free at the 1:12 mark to tie the scored at 3-3, but Schlatter now had a 1:24 advantage in riding time. After a reset, Schlatter managed to nab Jenkins' right ankle and force him back to the mat for another takedown, upping his lead to 5-3 with :10 left in the period. Schlatter, leading by two with 1:51 in riding time, chose down to begin the final period and quickly escaped to a 6-3 lead. Jenkins continued shooting, getting hold of Schlatter's left ankle. But after a scramble in front of the Minnesota bench, Schlatter turned it into a takedown of his own. After giving up a stall point, Jenkins escaped to cut the lead to 9-4. Schlatter took the Nittany Lion freshman down again to go up 11-4 with :28 left. Two near-fall points and half a minute later, Schlatter posted a 14-4 major decision. The win, which improved Schlatter to 14-1 on the year, put Minnesota up 19-3. Jenkins fell to 15-6 with the loss.

After a 15-minute intermission, true freshman Dave Rella (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) met Minnesota junior Jeremy Larson at 165. Each wrestler had small openings over the course of the first two minutes, but it was Rella who struck first, getting a high single leg and completing the move at the :38 mark to go up 2-0. Larson escaped after a reset to cut the lead to 2-1, sending the bout to the second with the Nittany Lion freshman up by one. Larson chose down to start the second stanza and quickly escaped to tie the score 2-2. Larson got in on Rella's right leg and, after a small scramble, got a go-head takedown with over a minute left in the period. After a reset, Rella quickly escaped to cut the lead to 4-3 with :38 left in the second period. After a scramble on the edge of the mat, Larson completed a crucial takedown with just :01 left to lead 6-3 after two periods. Rella chose neutral to start the third period, knowing that more than one takedowns were needed to grab a win. A very strong move in the middle of the mat by Rella sent Larson to the mat and the Lion freshman cut the lead to 7-5 with the takedown (after letting Larson up for the escape point). After a reset at the :25 mark, Rella needed a tying takedown but Larson managed to back out of every Rella effort. A last second takedown made the final scored 9-5 in Larson's favor and put Minnesota up 22-3. Larson improved to 16-12 with the win while Rella fell to 18-6.

Senior James Yonushonis (Philipsburg, Pa.) took to the mat against Minnesota's Gabriel Dretsch at 174. Yonushonis was ranked No. 7 while Dretsch entered ranked No. 12. The first three minutes went by without either wrestler breaking through offensively in the evenly matched bout. Tied 0-0 after the first period, Dretsch chose down to begin the middle stanza and escaped to a 1-0 lead after :15 seconds. Yonushonis shot low only to have Dretsch counter and nearly score the takedown himself. But, in the same scramble, the Nittany Lion All-American countered right back to get the first takedown and lead 2-1 with less than a minute left. Dretsch escaped with :25 left in the period to tie the scored 2-2, which is how the second period ended. Yonushonis chose down to begin the final period. After a reset, Yonushonis escaped to a 3-2 lead with 1:30 left. After a quick Dretsch shot, Yonushonis got in on the Gopher's shoulders and held him at bay long enough to hold on for a 3-2 win over the ranked Gopher grappler. The decision made the team scored 22-6 Minnesota and improved Yonushonis to 22-3 on the year. Dretsch fell to 19-8.

At 184, Lion sophomore Phil Bomberger (Port Royale, Pa.) took on No. 2 Roger Kish of Minnesota. Kish put together a dominating first period, notching two takedowns in the first minute to build up an early 4-1 lead. After a reset, Bomberger escaped to a 4-2 deficit with :50 left in the first period. Kish, however, added one more takedown as the first period wound down to carry a 6-2 lead into the middle period. Kish chose down to start the second period. After working around on top of Bomberger for a reversal, the Gopher junior finished the move by pinning Bomberger at the 3:20 mark. The fall put Minnesota up 28-6 and improved Kish to 21-1 on the year. Bomberger fell to 8-10.

Junior Phil Davis (Harrisburg, Pa.), ranked No. 3 nationally at 197, met Minnesota's Brent Eidenschink. Davis got the first takedown of the bout after a brief scramble to go up 2-0 with 2:08 to wrestle in the first period. Davis then deftly turned Eidenschink to his back to get a quick pin, grabbing the fall at the 1:36 mark and cutting the Gopher lead to 28-12. Davis improved to 16-1 with the pin while Eidenschink fell to 10-8.

In the dual's final bout, Penn State senior Aaron Anspach (Columbia, Pa.) put his No. 11 national ranking on the line against Minnesota's defending national champion Cole Konrad. Konrad, ranked No. 1, rode a 58-match win streak into the bout. Anspach and the defending titlist battled evenly throughout the first period, with neither big man giving any ground. Giving up nearly 30 pounds to Konrad, Anspach stood toe-to-toe with the 280-pound Gopher and battled to a 0-0 tie after one period. Konrad chose down to begin the second period and escaped to a 1-0 lead. Anspach got hit with an initial stall warning with 1:10 to wrestle in the second period. Konrad would finally break through Anspach's solid defense with a takedown at the :14 mark to carry a 3-0 lead into the third period. Anspach chose neutral to begin the third period. After Konrad got in on Anspach's left leg, the Nittany Lion scrambled and nearly took Konrad down to cut into the Gopher's lead. But Konrad fought off the move and forced a stalemate and reset. Anspach shot low again, but this time Konrad managed to counter the move successfully. After Anspach's escape, Konrad wound out the period on his way to a hard-fought 5-1 decision. The victory gave Minnesota a 31-12 final decision. Anspach fell to 10-2 while Konrad stayed undefeated at 18-0.

Minnesota won seven of the dual's ten bouts and won the bonus point battle 10-3 . The Nittany Lions of head coach Troy Sunderland fall to 9-4, 0-2 in the Big Ten. Minnesota improves to 12-1, 1-0 in the conference.

Penn State returns to action on Friday, Jan. 26, when Ohio State comes to Rec Hall for a 7 p.m. dual. Penn State then turns around and hosts No. 16 Illinois on Sunday, Jan. 28, at 1 p.m. All Penn State duals will be heard live on WBLF AM and WKVA AM as well as streamed for free at GoPSUsports.com.