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2000-2001 Press Release Index
EDINBORO, PA - After watching the Lock Haven wrestling team snatch the PSAC championship out of their grasp earlier this season, the Edinboro Fighting Scot grapplers will get the chance to avenge that defeat when the two squads meet head-to-head this Friday, February 9 at McComb Fieldhouse at 7:00 p.m.
Edinboro, ranked 10th by InterMat and 16th by the NWCA, enters Friday's matchup with an 8-3-1 record, 3-0-1 in the Eastern Wrestling League. The Fighting Scots are unbeaten in their last 19 EWL dual matches (18-0-1), capturing the last two dual meet championships.
Standing in the way of a possible three-peat for the EWL dual meet crown are the Bald Eagles of Lock Haven. Lock Haven, ranked 11th by InterMat and 14th by the NWCA, is a perfect 4-0 in the conference and an impressive 18-1 overall. Since an opening 20-16 loss to Lehigh, Lock Haven has posted 18 straight dual match victories, the longest streak in Division I.
The Bald Eagles have already ended Edinboro's reign atop the PSAC conference this season, claiming the team title with five individual champions and a perfect 10-0 record in their matches in the final session.
The Fighting Scots will not be at full strength when they take the mat against Lock Haven. Head coach Tim Flynn was forced to tweak his lineup the last two duals, inserting 165-lbs. Ben Boozer (Cochranton, PA/Cochranton) into the 174-pound spot and moving up top-ranked Josh Koscheck (Waynesburg, PA/ Waynesburg) to 184 pounds. The moves compensate for the loss of 184-pound starter Justin Millard (Laceyville, PA/ Wyalusing), who sprained both knees at the PSAC's.
The moves were very successful for Flynn as Boozer and Koscheck led the Fighting Scots to lopsided victories over Gannon (32-6) and Clarion (26-9). Each grappler record both a fall and a match termination against their heavier opponents, including a first period fall for Koscheck over Clarion's PSAC champion Bob Topper in 2:37.
Boozer has yet to be scored upon since his insertion into the starting lineup. He pinned Gannon's Derek Maynard in 1:21, then scored a 16-0 technical fall at 5:00 on Clarion's Aaron Mitchell while racking up three backpoints on four separate occasions during the match. Boozer joins a Fighting Scot lineup that features six nationally ranked wrestlers led by consensus number one Koscheck at 174 pounds.
Head coach Carl Poff brings a lineup boasting five wrestlers in the rankings. Penn State transfer Jamarr Billman, an All-American in 1999, leads the Eagles in the ninth spot at 149 pounds. Billman heads a strong group of lightweights in the Lock Haven lineup that captured the first four titles at the PSAC Championships.
Trap McCormack, ranked 11th, captured the title at 125 pounds, followed by 16th-ranked Scott Bair (133 lbs.), 15th-ranked Mike Maney (141 lbs.), and Billman.
Billman and Maney each defeated Fighting Scots in their final matches, as did 197-pound Avery Zerkle, ranked 18th, upsetting top-seeded Dave Shunamon (Tewksbury, MA/Tewksbury) by a 5-4 score in the tiebreaker.
All told, seven Fighting Scots competed in championship matches, but only All-American Koscheck came away victorious. Edinboro featured six second-place finishers, one third-place winner, and a fourth-place finisher.
The series between the two schools is tied 7-7 since the Fighting Scots joined the Division I ranks in 1987. Edinboro has won the last four meetings, downing the Bald Eagles by a 22-9 score a year ago.
The Fighting Scots return to action next Wednesday, February 14 hosting EWL rival Pittsburgh at 7:30 p.m.
Here's a weight-by-weight breakdown of the Lock Haven dual:
125 Pounds - Jacob Gray (12-15) vs. #11 Trap McCormack (23-2)
Freshman Jacob Gray (Essex, VT/Essex) has won his last two dual matches, including a 3-0 victory over Clarion's Peter Derstine in his last match. He avenged a 4-3 loss in the PSAC Tournament to Derstine with the win. He'll get the chance to avenge his other loss of the PSAC's against McCormack. Gray met McCormack in the opening round, suffering an 11-6 loss. Gray is 12-15 in his freshman season. McCormack, ranked 11th by InterMat, captured the PSAC Championship and owns a 23-2 season record.
133 Pounds - Charlie Soto (8-14) vs. #16 Scott Bair (21-3)
With the return of injured sophomore Justin Wilcox still questionable, redshirt junior Charlie Soto (El Paso, TX/J.M. Hanks) is now the sole owner of the starting spot at 133 pounds. Soto lost his last match, 4-2, to Clarion's 10th-ranked Rad Martinez in their dual match. Martinez had beaten Soto by a 4-3 score in the semifinals of the PSAC Championships. Soto finished in third place at the PSAC's, while Lock Haven's Scott Bair defeated Martinez for the title in a 10-3 decision. Bair owns the 16th spot in the rankings with a 21-3 record in his senior season.
141 Pounds - Cory Ace (16-6) vs. #15 Mike Maney (22-2)
Maney claimed the PSAC championship with a narrow 4-3 victory over Edinboro's Cory Ace (Franklin, PA/Franklin). Ace has not wrestled since the tournament, giving way to redshirt junior Chad Caros (Franklinville, NY/Suffern) in Edinboro's last two dual matches. However, Ace will get his rematch with Maney, returning to the starting lineup for this dual. Ace has a 16-6 record, moving in and out of the national rankings over the last few weeks. Maney, a redshirt freshman, is 22-2 in his first season as a starter, climbing to 15th place in the rankings.
149 Pounds - #12 Ryan Shapert (19-7) vs. #9 Jamarr Billman (14-1)
Senior Ryan Shapert (Glenshaw, PA/Shaler) receives a chance to avenge his PSAC finals loss to ninth-ranked Jamarr Billman in their dual match. The two wrestlers traded takedowns and reversals during the seven minutes in an exciting 9-8 victory for Billman. Shapert, ranked 12th, is 19-7 after a pair of dual match victories last week. He pinned Gannon's Brad Manfredonia in 1:23 then downed Dominic Surra of Clarion, 3-1, with a takedown in overtime. The senior is 83-43 as a Fighting Scot, tied for 14th place on Edinboro's career wins list. Billman, an All-American at Penn State, transferred to Lock Haven and has amassed a 14-1 season record. His lone loss came in the NWCA All-Star Classic, a 6-4 loss to fourth-ranked Dave Esposito of Lehigh. He has seven victories by fall, two match terminations, and two major decisions among his 14 wins.
157 Pounds - #12 Shaun Shapert (19-7) vs. Jason Gilligan (12-3)
All-American Shaun Shapert (Glenshaw, PA/Shaler) returns to the starting lineup after missing the last two dual matches due to a skin infection. Shapert has a 19-7 record and was the PSAC runner-up. Ranked 12th in the weight class, he advanced to the final match with a 4-3 victory over Gilligan in the semifinals. Gilligan finished in third place with a 5-3 victory over East Stroudsburg's Matt Dudek. The redshirt freshman has a 12-3 season mark with three falls.
165 Pounds - #18 Yanni Diamond (17-9) vs. Brian Olenek (20-8)
Senior Yanni Diamond (Wellesley, MA/Wellesley) has a 17-9 record, posting victories in his last two matches. He finished as the runner-up at the PSAC Tournament, suffering a 3-2 loss to Slippery Rock's Doug Cieleski in the finals. He advanced to the finals with a 1-0 victory over Hunter Guenot of Bloomsburg in the semifinals. Olenek finished third at the PSAC's, defeating Guenot in the consolation finals by a 5-1 score after losing to Cieleski in the semis by a 2-1 score. Olenek has a 20-8 record in his senior season, posting two falls and two major decisions.
174 Pounds - Ben Boozer (11-0) vs. Ed Pawlak (18-8)
Senior Ben Boozer (Cochranton, PA/Cochranton) has been on a tear since entering the starting lineup, scoring a fall and a match termination in his two dual matches. In fact, he has yet to allow an opponent to score on him, defeating Gannon's Derek Maynard by fall at 1:21 and scoring a 16-0 technical fall over Aaron Mitchell of Clarion. A two-time NCAA qualifier, Boozer made his impact for the Fighting Scots by competing up a weight class at 174 pounds. Freshman Ed Pawlak has an 18-8 record, finishing in third place at the PSAC's. He lost his last dual match in a 7-5 decision against Penn State's Cliff Wonsettler.
184 Pounds - #1 Josh Koscheck (31-0) vs. Josh Millard (16-9)
With Justin Millard (Laceyville, PA/Wyalusing) injured, a brother versus brother matchup with Josh Millard of Lock Haven is impossible. That may be most unfortunate for Millard, who now has the unenviable task of taking the mat with consensus number one Josh Koscheck (Waynesburg, PA/Waynesburg). Koscheck is a perfect 31-0 and has won 40 of his last 41 matches dating back to last season. He dominated second-ranked Otto Olson of Michigan by a 6-1 score in the NWCA All-Star Classic, adding a 22-7 technical fall against Gannon's Dave Spinelli and a fall over PSAC champion Bob Topper of Clarion, all while competing up a weight at 184 pounds. Koscheck is an amazing 112-18 as a Fighting Scot, and will tie Dean Hall for tenth place on the career wins list with a victory. Josh Millard finished in fourth place at the PSAC Tournament, mutually agreeing to forfeit the third place match with his brother Justin of Edinboro rather than wrestle. Josh Millard is 16-9 with wins in his last two matches, including a 6-2 upset over 15th-ranked Jeff Knupp of Penn State.
197 Pounds - #16 David Shunamon (25-3) vs. #19 Avery Zerkle (21-5)
Sophomore Dave Shunamon (Tewksbury, MA/Tewksbury) lost a heartbreaker in the PSAC finals, losing in the double-overtime tiebreaker by a 5-4 score to Lock Haven's Avery Zerkle. It took Zerkle ten seconds to break Shunamon's grasp and earn the victory. Shunamon, ranked 11th nationally, has a 23-3 season mark. Zerkle captured his first PSAC title with the victory, climbing to 19th in the latest rankings. Zerkle is 21-5 with wins in his last two dual matches.
Heavyweight - #15 Josh Pearce (18-7) vs. Craig Tefft (9-7)
Josh Pearce (Greenville, PA/Commodore Perry) will take the mat against Tefft looking to end a personal three-match losing streak. Pearce lost in the PSAC finals to John Testa of Clarion by a 3-1 score. It was the second-straight year he finished as the runner-up behind Testa. Pearce then lost a narrow 5-3 decision to top-ranked Tommy Rowlands of Ohio State at the NWCA All-Star Classic. In the Clarion dual, he again faced Testa, suffering a 5-3 loss. The Fighting Scot has an 18-7 season mark. Pearce last victory came against Tefft, capturing a 1-0 decision in the PSAC semifinals. Tefft, the third-place PSAC finisher has a 9-7 record as a starter filling in for All-American J.R. Plienis, a Nebraska transfer who was ruled ineligible for this season. Tefft lost to Penn State's Bob Jones, 4-3, in his last match, then missed the West Virginia dual.
~ Fighting Scots ~
Created on ... February 7, 2000