FEBRUARY 10, 2009
KING'S WRESTLERS DEFEAT ELIZABETHTOWN, 21-15
WILKES-BARRE -- The King's College wrestling won six of the 10 bouts as the Monarchs posted a 21-15 victory over visiting Elizabethtown College in a Metropolitan Wrestling Conference matchup Tuesday in Scandlon Gymnasium.
With the win, King's evened its dual meet record at 13-13 on the year while the Blue Jays slipped to 5-12.
In the first match at 125-pounds Elizabethtown's William Bentley used two first period takedowns and four near fall points to build a 6-1 first period lead. Bentley would escape to start the second period and then followed with two more takedowns for an 13-2 advantage entering the final period. Bentley then added a takedown and two more near fall points to register a 17-2 technical fall.
After a scoreless first period at 133-pounds, King's Anthony Dietrich would turn Martin Harnish to his back, registering an important pin at 3:40 to give the Monarchs a 6-5 lead.
At 141, King's Tony Miele took a 2-1 lead over Jarrod Cawley after one period on the strength of an early takedown. Miele would add three near fall points in the second period to build a 5-1 lead heading into the final two minutes. Cawley cut the lead to 5-3 with a reversal midway through the period but Miele countered with a reversal of his own and added a riding time points to secure a 8-3 decision while upping the Monarch lead to 9-5.
In the 149-pound matchup, Elizabethtown's Ronald Cuff and King's Frankie Davis traded first period takedowns and escapes to stand deadlocked at 3-3 entering the second period. Davis would escape for a 4-3 lead then posted a takedown with 0:03 on the clock for a 6-3 advantage heading into the final period. Cuff would escape to cut the lead to 6-4 and would receive a stalling point late in the match but Davis held on for a 6-5 decision to put the Monarchs on top 12-5.
At 157, Brian Frantz of Elizabethtown scored a first period takedown and a second period penalty point to enter the third period with a 3-0 lead over Chris Poleto. Neither wrestler would score the rest of the way as Frantz secured the decision while cutting the Monarch led to 12-8.
In the 165-pound bout, King's Jerry Robbins built a 8-2 first-period lead over Michael Lussier thanks to a takedown and five near fall points. Both wrestlers would ride each other out during the final two periods as Robbins' decision upped the Monarch lead to 15-8.
At 174, Elizabethtown's Paul Connor scored a first period takedown of King's Mike Reilly, but a reversal by the Monarch standout would tie the score at 2-2 after one period, Reilly used a second period takedown for a 4-2 lead, then tacked on a riding time point for a 5-2 decision, giving King's a 18-8 lead with three bouts left.
In the 184-pound contest, King's Zach Wilkinson broke up a scoreless bout with William Meaney by registering an early escape in the second period. The Monarchs senior then followed with a takedown to carry a 3-0 advantage in the third period. Meaney cut the lead to 3-1 with an escape of his own then followed up with a takedown midway through the period to tie the score at 3-3. Wilkinson, however, answered with a quick reversal and riding time point for a 6-3 decision and a match-clinching 21-8 lead in the team score.
At 197, Elizabethtown's Jordan Becker gave up a first period takedown to Zach Martinez but responded with a reversal and three near fall points to build a 5-2 lead heading into the second period, Becker added a point with a quick escape before posting a takedown with 0:06 on the clock for a 8-2 advantage en route to a 11-3 major decision.
In the final match at 285-pounds, King's Chris Rash registered the first point of the match with a second period escape from Deron Sharp. In the third period Sharp would tie the score at 1-1 with an escape. Neither wrestler would score the remainder of the period, sending the bout into overtime. The wrestlers entered the fourth overtime period where Sharp scored the deciding takedown with 0:06 left on the clock, bringing the final score to 21-15.
The Monarchs will wrap up the dual meet season on Friday when King's hosts cross-town rival Wilkes University at 7:00 p.m. in Scandlon Gym.
King's 21 – Elizabethtown 15
125 – William Bentley (E) tech fall Mike Tabasco (K), 17-2, 5:32
285 – Deron Sharp (E) dec. Chris Rash (K) 5-3 in 4 OT
Referee: Brooke Yeager
