THE RUNDOWN
- Final Score: No. 21 Gannon 40, Shippensburg 6
- Records: Gannon (4-5, 2-1 PSAC) | Shippensburg (7-4, 0-2 PSAC)
- Location: Hammermill Center — Erie, Pa.
GAMEDAY MEDIA CENTER
KEY SEQUENCE
- Two forfeits to open the match got Gannon off to as good of a start as it could hope for, but Nick Young (Batavia, N.Y./Alexander) and Evan Fisler (Sewell, N.J./Washington Township) followed that up by getting bonus points against opponents who entered the night regionally ranked, setting the tone for a lopsided victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
125
Jacob Dunlop (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) made his return from injury, but didn't have to wrestle, receiving a forfeit.
133
Austin Hertel (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton) also had his hand raised without a whistle, giving Gannon a 12-0 lead before the first live action.
141
Nick Young (Batavia, N.Y./Alexander) worked Matt Milbrand for the opening takedown and turned him for four point near the edge of the mat to open on a strong note. Milbrand got a takedown of his own early in the second, but Young got out, and worked to get a danger zone count for a takedown at the end of the second. Another takedown and a riding time point gave Young a 13-3 victory.
149
Dom Means (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) tied it up with a quick escape to start the second period after ceding the opening takedown. He followed that up with a strong double-leg finish to go up 4-2, and controlled Ship's DeAndre Reed for much of the rest of the period. Reed managed to pop out at the end of the second, and tied it up late in the third, but Means rode strong early in the third to accrue over 90 seconds of riding time to hold on for a 5-4 win.
157
Evan Fisler (Sewell, N.J./Washington Township) got tripped up to allow the first takedown of the bout to Ship's Pat Duggan. Fisler escaped though, and despite Duggan evading his next shot, Fisler stuck with the scramble and managed to spin around for the go-ahead takedown. Duggan chose down in the second, and Fisler did not allow him up, building a riding time advantage before going to town with two takedowns and a four-point nearfall in the third to seal a 13-4 major.
165
Coming out of the intermission that featured the Gannon competitive cheer and dance teams,
Giovanni Ciotti (Erie, Pa./General McLane) got his first dual action of the season and responded with some solid wrestling. After a scoreless first period, Ciotti popped out from under 10 seconds into the second, and never gave Drake Brenize a chance to get the tying escape in the third, riding out his opponent for a 2-0 victory.
174
Luigi Yates (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) got the opening takedown in less than 15 seconds and went to work on top, tilting Colton Babcock three times in the first period to build an 8-0 and big riding time advantage. Yates chose top to start the second, and wouldn't let Babcock see neutral position again, getting a four-point tilt, two stall calls for another point, and finally capping the technical fall in 4:49 with another tilt.
184
After a couple test shots,
Joel Leise (Transfer, Pa./Reynolds) got things started with a big double-leg takedown that took Ship's Austin Klucker to the mat just over two minutes in. Leise won a scramble midway through the second period for another takedown and a 5-1 lead, and got control of an elbow to start cranking Klucker over. One readjustment put his weight on top, and Leise finished off the fall in 4:30.
197
A feeling-out period in the first three minutes helped keep things tight throughout for
Freddie Nixon (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) and Shippensburg's Alexi Castro. The pair traded escapes in the second and third to remain tied late, and though Nixon had a chance with a front headlock near the edge of the mat midway through the third, it would head to overtime. It didn't take long there for Nixon to get the win, getting in on a single, picking up the leg and finishing the trip for the winning takedown 15 seconds in.
285
Going up against a nationally ranked foe,
Gehrig Hutchison (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) held his own through the first three minutes, allowing a takedown but quickly getting out for the escape. A takedown early in the second period led to Ship's Derek Berberick getting Hutchison to his back, and Berberick closed the dual with a pin.
MATCH NOTES
- Gannon and Shippensburg faced off in three head-to-head battles between regionally ranked wrestlers, with the Golden Knights taking all three. Young (4th) majored Milbrand (6th) at 141, and Fisler (2nd) did the same to Duggan (5th) at 157. Nixon (1st) took a little extra time at 197, but got the win over Castro (6th).
- Through three PSAC duals this season, Gannon is outscoring opponents 98-30. Dating back to last season, each of the Knights' past seven PSAC duals have either been decided by one point or a 20-plus-point Gannon win.
- Nixon moves to 2-0 on the year in sudden victory and 3-1 in matches that go past regulation. In all, Gannon wrestlers are 8-3 when a bout goes overtime this season.
- Gannon's five seniors — Giovanni Ciotti (Erie, Pa./General McLane), Faris Messai (Jamestown, Pa./Jamestown), Darnell Parker (Geneva, N.Y./Geneva), Patrick Walker (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) and Anthony Williamson (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) — were honored in a pre-match ceremony.
UP NEXT
- The Golden Knights hit the road next weekend for more PSAC action, beginning Saturday at Kutztown. The 6 p.m. dual will feature live video.
