#9 Wrestlers Suffer 19-12 Loss at Division I Clarion 12/20/08...NCAA Division I Clarion University used three straight decision wins to break open a 3-3 match and climb out to a 12-3 lead on its way to defeating the Division II #9-ranked Pitt-Johnstown Mountain Cat wrestlers, 19-12 on Saturday. With the loss, the Mountain Cats streak of four straight wins over the Golden Eagles ended. Pitt-Johnstown is now 2-1 on the year. Pitt-Johnstown fell behind 3-0 when Jay Ivanco defeated Scott Morgan (North Huntingdon, Pa.) 7-1 to open the match at 125 lbs. The Mountain Cats quickly evened the score after Matt Scherich (West Finley, Pa.) earned a 4-1 victory over Danny Galvan. in the 133-lb. bout. However, Clarion, which won its first match over Pitt-Johnstown since the 2004 season, responded by winning the next three bouts to build a 12-3 lead. Sal Lascari, a North Star High School graduate, defeated Adam Whetstone (Claysburg, Pa.) 4-3 at 141 lbs, before his brother, Chris Lascari, scored a 9-5 decision over Nathan Link (Cresson, Pa.) at 149 lbs. Hadley Harrison, ranked #17 in Division I at 157 lbs, then dealt Mazen Kholi (Allentown, Pa.) an 8-2 loss. Kyle Keane (Bradford, Pa.), the top-ranked wrestler in Division II at 165 lbs., cut Pitt-Johnstown's deficit to 12-6 with with a 7-1 win over Dominic Ross, but Clarion answered with a major decision at 174 lbs. Scott Joseph got a late take down to secure a 13-5 major decision over Steve Makin (Portage, Pa.) to increase the lead to 16-6. The Golden Eagles then sealed the win in the next bout. Clint Podish won a 6-3 decision over Damian Majocha (184 lbs.) (Upper Burrell, Pa.) to make the score 19-6. The Mountain Cats closed out the match with decision victories at 197 lbs. and heavyweight, but it was too late. At 197 lbs., Patrick Walsh (Leesport, Pa.) defeated Jamie Luckett 6-3, and heavyweight Chris Dempsey (Sewickley, Pa.) handed Roman Husam a 5-4 defeat in the heavyweight bout to set the final score at 19-12. Clarion improved to 3-4 with the win. The Mountain Cats travel to the Wilkes Open on Saturday and to East Region rival Kutztown University on Jan. 5. Pitt-Johnstown’s next home match will take place on Friday, Jan. 30, at 7:00 p.m. when nationally-ranked Ashland (OH) University visits the Sports Center. CLARION UNIVERSITY 19 #9 PITT-JOHNSTOWN 12
125 lbs. - Jay Ivanco (CU) Decision Scott Morgan (Pitt-Johnstown) 7-1 3-0 CU
133 lbs. - Matt Scherich (Pitt-Johnstown) Decision Danny Galvan (CU) 4-1 3-3 TIE
141 lbs. - Sal Lascari (CU) Decision Adam Whetstone (Pitt-Johnstown) 4-3 6-3 CU
149 lbs. - Chris Lascari (CU) Decision Nathan Link (Pitt-Johnstown) 9-5 9-3 CU
157 lbs. #17 Hadley Harrison (CU) Decision Mazen Kholi (Pitt-Johnstown) 8-2 12-3 CU
165 lbs. - #1 Kyle Keane (Pitt-Johnstown) Decision Dominic Ross (CU) 7-1 12-6 CU
174 lbs. - Scott Joseph (CU) Major Decision Steve Makin (Pitt-Johnstown) 13-5 16-6 CU
184 lbs. - Clint Podish (CU) Decision Damian Majocha (Pitt-Johnstown) 6-3 19-6 CU
197 lbs. - Patrick Walsh (Pitt-Johnstown) Decision Jamie Luckett (CU) 6-3 19-9 CU
HWT. - Chris Dempsey (Pitt-Johnstown) Decision Roman Husam (CU) 5-4 19-12 CU