Final: Penn State 24, Pitt 12

PHOTO COURTESY OF PITT ATHLETICS
A Pitt-record 7,103 fans watched the match at the Petersen Events Center.

PSU 24, Pitt 12
125-Jordan Conaway, PSU, dec. Dom Forys, 8-4
133-Jimmy Gulibon, PSU, maj. dec. Nick Zanetta, 11-2
141-Edgar Bright, P, dec. Kade Moss, 3-2.
149- Zack Beitz, PSU, dec. Mikey Racciato,11-5.
157-Ronnie Garbinsky, P, dec. Cody Law, 6-4.
165-Cody Wiercioch,P, dec. Garrett Hammond 11-8.

174-Matt Brown, PSU, maj. dec. vs. Troy Reaghard,17-6.

184-Max Thomusseit, P, dec. Matt McCutcheon, 5-3.

197-Morgan McIntosh, PSU, pinned Nick Bonaccorsi, 4:05.

285-Jon Gingrich, PSU, maj. dec. John Rizzo, 24-12

285-Jon Gingrich, PSU, vs. John Rizzo, P
First Period

Mostly handfighting for first two minutes. Gingrich with a territorial edge, as Rizzo has his heels on edge.
Second Period
Gingrich chooses bottom and escapes in 6 seconds. 1-0. Gingrich with a blast double on edge, gets takedown and leads 3-0. Gingrich rides him out for 3-0 lead and 49 seconds of riding time advantage.
Third Period
Rizzo chooses bottom and gets out at 1:30 mark, but Gingrich in on single and a nice finish for a heavyweight. Now 5-1 with riding time in play.
Gingrich very strong on a lift and return.
Gingrich really opening it up now with a tilt and riding time point for 9-1 major decision.

197-Morgan McIntosh, PSU, vs. Nick Bonaccorsi, P

First Period
Not much action in first half of period. Mostly handfighting in center of mat.
McIntosh with a nice sweep attempt that he couldn't finish, followed by a low single that he did. 2-0 near 1-minute mark.
McIntosh turns him with bow and arrow for three backpoints at end of period. 5-0 McIntosh.
Second Period
Bonaccorsi chooses bottom. Bad decision (hindsight). Bonaccorsi turns him again and gets the fall in 4:05.

184-Matt McCutcheon, PSU, vs. Max Thomusseit, P
First Period
Thomusseit with a takedown at 2:30 mark. McCutcheon escapes. McCutcheon in on single in final 30 seconds of period, but Thomusseit ties him up for a stalemate.
Second Period
McCutcheon chooses bottom. Thomusseit gets high, but McCutcheon can't shake him. Finally does after ref allows it to go there for almost a minute. Reversal gives McCutcheon 3-2 lead, but Thomusseit has 2 minutes of riding time. Escape ties it 3.
Third Period
Thomusseit chooses bottom and escapes. 4-3 lead plus insurmountable ride time. McCutheon in on low single, but can't finish. Tomusseit wins 5-3.

174-Matt Brown, PSU, vs. Troy Reaghard, P
First Period
No big surprise here, as Pitt's Tyler Wilps is unable to wrestle. Still out with an injury. Instead,  Reaghard, a redshirt freshman, gets the unenbiable task of facing Brown.
Brown with a nice double-leg at 1:21. Leads 2-0. Stall call on Reaghard at 7-second mark.
Second Period
Reaghard chooses bottom and escapes at 1:36 mark. Brown, doing his best Jordan Borroughs impression, with a blast double. Reaghard escapes. Brown with another takedown. 6-2 Brown, with 2:52 riding time. Score is close, but match hasn't been.
Third Period
Brown chooses bottom and reverses Reaghard. Escape, then takedown. Now 10-3 Brown, who is over 3-minute mark in riding time. Another escape, another takedown, repeat. Reaghard actually got in on a high C, but seemed surprised to be there and didn't finish. Resulted in another Brown takedown. Final result: 17-6 Brown, with nearly 4 minutes of riding time.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PITT ATHLETICS
Pitt's Cody Wiercioch takes down Garrett Hammond.

165-Garrett Hammond, PSU, vs. Cody Wiercioch, P
Wiercioch with a takedown just six seconds into match. Wrestlers go out of bounds and Hammond escapes on restart. Wiercioch in on straight on shot, moves up to upper body, Hammond tries to counter by pinching arms and throwing, but ends up on his back. Takedown and two backpoints for Wiercioch. Hammond escape makes it 6-2 Wiercioch with 1 minute to go in first.
Hammond tries to go big with headlock and for a split-second it works, but Wierioch rolls through and gets another takedown. Looking like possible bonus points here for the Panthers.
8-3 Wierioch after 1
Second Period
Hammond chooses bottom and escapes. 8-4.
Hammond in on a single, but can't finish, even after lifting Wiercioch and holding him on shoulder for five seconds. Then, Hammond tries another headlock, but wrestlers go out of bounds. 8-4 with 1:08 to go.
Wiercioch in on single, but never came close to finishing.
Third Period
Still 8-4 going to third. Wiercioch chooses bottom, has 1:04 of riding time. Wiercioch does nothing for first 30 seconds, then reverses Hammond. Hammond gets a reversal of his own.
Wiercioch escapes. Hammond gets takedown at buzzer and makes it 11-8.
Huge missed opportunity for Pitt there. Wiercioch was up 8-2 in first and hung on instead of going for bonus points. That's the difference between a good team and a great team.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PITT ATHLETICS
Tyrone grad Ronnie Garbinsky controls Forest Hills' alum
Cody Law during their 157-pound bout.

157-Cody Law, PSU, vs. Ronnie Garbinsky, PITT.
Garbinsky takes the advantage quickly in this all District 6 match, with a takedown and two backpoints on the edge for a 4-0 lead over the Forest Hills grad. Law escapes, but period ends with a 4-1 lead for Garbinsky and 47 seconds of riding time.
Second Period
Law chooses bottom and escapes after Garbinsky has 1:10 of riding time. Law with a takedown and had Garbinsky in precarious position, but the Tyrone grad bails to stomach. Match tied at 4.
Garbinsky escapes with 34 seconds left in period. 5-4 Garbinsky after 2.
Third Period
Garbinsky chooses bottom and escapes. Garbinsky in on outside single. Can't finish. Gets close but potentially dangerous call ends threat. 6-4 Garbinsky with 1 minute to go.
40 seconds to go. "Let's go Pitt" chant gets loud.

149-Zack Beitz (PSU) vs. Mikey Racciato (PITT)
Racciato's bouts are always wild, and this one starts that way, as he nearly gets put on his back, then almost puts Beitz on his. In the end, it's a Beitz takedown, Racciato reversal, Beitz escape. 3-2 Beitz with four seconds of riding time.
Beitz with another takedown. Racciato escape. 5-3 at end of first. Beitz with 33 seconds of riding time
Second Period
Beitz chooses bottom and escapes. 6-3. Beitz with a double on edge of mat for 8-3 lead, but Racciato escapes to make it 8-4 entering third. 33 seconds of riding time.
Third Period
Racciato chooses bottom, escapes. Racciato in on single, but Beitz funks into a tilt. Doesn't get back, but gets the takedown and rides him out for 11-5 victory with riding time.
"We are" chant gets loud, drawing boos from Pitt fans.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PITT ATHLETICS
Pitt's Edgar Bright locks up with Kade Moss at 141.

141 Kade Moss (PSU) vs. Edgar Bright (PITT)
First Period
Bright in action for first time this season after missing time with injury.
Nice double-leg takedown by Bright at 2:12. Moss escapes at 1:15
Lots of hand fighting, but no points in second half of period.
Second Period
Bright chooses bottom and escapes quickly. 3-1
Bright in on another double, works up to bear hug, drawing stall warning, but is hesitant to go upper body with Moss. 3-1 Bright with 53 seconds of riding time.
Third Period
Moss chooses bottom. Moss escapes with 58 seconds of riding time for Bright.
Bright gets a stalling warning, but no points in third as Bright wins 3-2

133- Jimmy Gulibon (PSU) vs. Nick Zanetta (PITT)
First Period
Not much to write about in first minute. Gulibon in on single in second minute, but not too close to finishing as Zanetta goes out of bounds.
Zanetta banged for stalling, just as Gulibon snaps and spins for 2.
2-0 Gulibon after 1 with 51.9 seconds of riding time
Second Period
Gulibon chooses bottom and escapes in 8 seconds. 3-0
Gulibon with a takedown. Missed how, though. Zanetta escapes. 5-1 Gulibon
Gulibon with an ankle pick and a 7-1 lead plus 1:19 of riding time entering third.
Third Period
Zanetta chooses bottom. Called for stalling at 1:37. Now 8-1 Gulibon
Gulibon lets him up near 1-minute mark, then spins around to secure major.
Gulibon 11-2

125 - Jordan Conaway (PSU) vs. Dom Forys (PITT)
First Period
Conaway in on shot, nice counter by Forys took Conaway to mat but couldn't finish. Scoreless after a match.
Good action near the 1-minute mark of first, as Conaway nearly scored a takedown, but strong whizzer by Forys fought it off.
Takedown by Forys at 33 second mark.Conaway escapes. 2-1 after 1. 17 seconds riding time for Forys.
Second period
Forys chooses down, gets to feet, but Conaway brings him back to mat. Standing granby by Forys for an escape. 3-1 with .1 second riding time for Conaway.
Forys in on a single, but can't finish. Conaway warned for stalling.
Conaway in on a sweep single and finishes with 8 seconds left in period. Forys stands, but can't escape.
3-3
Third period
Conaway on bottom. Escapes, then scores a quick takedown, but Forys escapse again. 6-4 Conaway with 1:15 left. Forys in on low single but - stop me if you've heard this before - can't finish. Crowd wants stall call on Conaway.
Conaway gets in on a single, holds on for 20 seconds, then scores at buzzer for 8-4 victory.


6:30 p.m. and crowd is beginning to file into the Petersen Events Center. Haven't seen any lineups yet.

Live coverage of Pitt-Penn State

I'll be covering the match tonight in Pittsburgh and, if all goes according to plan, I'll post live updates on the blog. It looks like there will be a live Web stream on ESPN3.

I've never covered a Pitt match before, especially at the Petersen Events Center, so I'm not sure what the set-up will be like for press, but I'm assuming I'll have the ability to easily post.

Wrestling calendar

I've added a new element to Knop's Knotes this season. There should be a calendar after the first couple of posts that lists the matches/tournaments for each team in districts 5 and 6. (If it don't see it, please let me know what kind of browser you're using, as I'd like to see if there any issues).
I have gotten most of the schedules off of the District 6 site and the handful I have from District 5 coaches. If yours isn't on there or on the D6 site, please send it to me at eric.knopsnyder@gmail.com.
Also, A WARNING: I will do my best to make sure that information on the calendar is accurate at all times, but pulling the schedules for four dozen schools together is not an easy task, and it will only get harder when bad weather or other issues force postponements. Therefore, the calendar SHOULD ONLY BE USED AS A GUIDE. I'd hate to have someone drive an hour and half to see a match listed on my calendar only to find out that I got the location or time wrong. Odds are, with this many matches, I'll screw up somewhere along the line. Plus, some schedules contradict one another.
Therefore, if you see a match on there that you want to see but aren't affiliated with the schools, try to confirm it via their websites or other means. Also, if you see something that is incorrect in the schedule, please let me know.
I've tried to highlight key matches/tournaments in red. They might be great competition, a place to see a lot of good local wrestlers or a combination of the two. Intermat has some of the top national events here.
Hopefully the calendar is a nice addition to the blog, but it's uncharted territory for me, so we'll see.
No matter what, the good news is, it is getting closer the first competition date!

District 6 with strong showing in Pitt's win over Edinboro

District 6 was well-represented in Thursday night's showdown between Pitt and Edinboro, where the No. 14 Panthers beat the 10th-ranked Fighting Scots 25-13. (Here's Edinboro's version of it, if you'd rather read it).

A.J. Schopp

Richland grad John Rizzo is now 2-0 with two falls since transferring to Pitt from Temple and changing sports from football to wrestling. Rizzo appeared to be in trouble, as Edinboro's Walrren Bosch, who bumped up from 197 pounds, had the Panther on his back in the second period, but Rizzo reversed him an got a quick pin to end the dual.
Tyrone grad A.J. Schopp, who is ranked No. 1 at 133 pounds and was rocking this fantastic beard before shaving it prior to the season, beat Pitt's Nick Zanetta 10-0 in his season debut.
Schopp's former Tyrone teammate, Ronnie Garbinsky, didn't fare so well, as the Pitt wrestler lost to Edinboro's Austin Mathews - a Clarion transfer - 10-7 at 157 pounds.
Schopp's current teammate and former Bellefonte standout, Mitchell Port, had a very good night. The NCAA runner-up last year and currently ranked No. 2 at 141, Port pinned Travis Shaffer, a former PIAA state champion from Derry Area.
So the scorecard showed a 3-1 night for District 6 grads. Schopp and Port are already highly ranked, and it wouldn't surprise me to see Rizzo in the rankings shortly. It will be interesting to see how he can do this season. He was one of the nation's top-ranked heavyweights his senior year of high school but had his heart set on football. Now that he's back on the mats, he could quickly make a name for himself in the NCAA.

Triston Law to join his brother at Penn State

One of the things I like best about staying apart of the wrestling community is seeing a student-athlete reaping the rewards of his hard work.
While I didn't actually see it on Tuesday night, I could hear the joy in Triston Law's voice as he told me that he had given a verbal commitment to wrestle alongside his older brother, Cody, at Penn State.
The Law family has amazed me over the past few years. Cody made as much improvement as any wrestler I've ever seen at the high school level, and he's continuing to improve at the college level - so much so that he'll be starting as a redshirt freshman on Sunday when the Nittany Lions host Lehigh. (You can read more about that in Thursday's Tribune-Democrat).
Triston also has improved over the past few years. While he won't have the pedigree as some of his peers at Penn State three PIAA medals - which he could end up with after this season - is nothing to sneeze at. Besides, he has the perfect role model to look up to in his older brother who is proof positive that a recruited walk-on can make an impact with hard work and dedication.

Local wrestlers in NCAA Division I

I did this once before and it proved pretty popular, so I thought I'd take a crack at it again this year. I went through every Division I roster and found every wrestler from districts 5 or 6 that I saw. It is intended to be a comprehensive list, so if you know of someone that should be on here and isn't, please let me know. The notes come almost exclusively from each individual college's website, so if it is wrong, it's likely because they have not updated their website yet for this season.

A few observations:

• Central Mountain had the most wreslters in D-I schools (7) followed by Tyrone and Westmont Hilltop (3 apiece).
• As the districts currently stand, District 6 AA has the most (16) followed by District 6 AAA (13) and District 5 (2).
• Penn State has the most (5), followed by Edinboro and Pitt (4 each).

Wrestler	High School	College	Wt	Year	Notes
Tony Risaliti	Central Cambria	Army	174	So	Went 7-5 in 2013-14
Chad Reese	Central Mountain	Bucknell	165	Fr
Tanner Cahill	Conemaugh Township	Bloomsburg	141	R-Fr	Starting for first time
Blake Morder	Mount Union	Clarion	149	R-Fr
Nick Shawley	Bellefonte	Clarion	184	Fr
Jake Taylor	Bald Eagle Area	Cornell	197	Fr
Nathaniel Powers	Central Mountain	Davidson	174	Jr.	Went 9-15 in 2013-14
Tanner Hough	Westmont Hilltop	Duke	141	R-Jr	NCAA qualifier in 2013, missed last season with injury
T.J. Brandt	Altoona	Edinboro	141	Fr.
Mitchell Port	Bellefonte	Edinboro	141	R-Sr	2x All-American, ranked No. 2
A.J. Schopp	Tyrone	Edinboro	133	R-Sr	2x All-American, ranked No. 1
Jason Schopp	Tyrone	Edinboro	133	Fr
Tyler Buckwalter	Central Mountain	Kent State	165	Jr	Fifth in MAC in 2014
Blaze Buckwalter	Central Mountain	Lock Haven	184	So
Dillon Gavlock	Central Mountain	Lock Haven	165	R-So
Josh Polacek	Westmont Hilltop	Maryland	125	R-Jr	Starting for first time
Donnie Shovestull	Westmont Hilltop	Navy	285	Fr	Injured
Evan Henderson	United/Kiski School	North Carolina	141	Sr	2x All-American, expected to redshirt
Robert Henderson	United/Kiski School	North Carolina	149	R-Jr	Went 11-9 in 2013-14
Andrew Alton	Central Mountain	Penn State	149	R-Sr	2x NCAA qualifier
Dylan Alton	Central Mountain	Penn State	157	R-Sr	2012 All-American
Zack Beitz	Juniata	Penn State	141	R-So	Went 11-9 in 2013-14
Jon Gingrich	Bald Eagle Area	Penn State	285	R-Sr	NCAA qualifier in 2014
Cody Law	Forest Hills	Penn State	157	R-Fr	Went 14-4 during redshirt
Ronnie Garbinsky	Tyrone	Pitt	157	R-Jr	NCAA qualifier in 2014
John Rizzo	Richland	Pitt	285	So	Temple transfer; starting for first time
Nick Roberts	North Star	Pitt	125	R-So	Ohio State transfer; eligible second semester; NCAA qualifier in 2014
Nathan Russell	Huntingdon	Pitt		Fr
Josh Patrick	Ligonier Valley	Rutgers	125	R-Fr	Went 25-13 during redshirt
Patrick Myers	Penn Cambria	SIU-Edwardsville	133	R-Sr	Career record of 43-30
Tyler Millward	State College	West Virginia	149	R-Fr

Who will be top varsity newcomer in region?

I've been planning on taking a look at the top rookies in our area, and since Pa. Power Wrestling just released its Top 50 freshmen, I figured now was as good a time as any.

Districts 5 and 6 are well-represented in the rankings, which include both AA and AAA classes.

A look at some names to know:

Robby Patrick, Ligonier Valley – The younger brother of Josh and Justin, he is the top local wrestler in the rankings, as he checks in at No. 6 statewide. He's bigger than his older brothers, as he projects as a 145-pounder, and he's more accomplished at this point in his career with a FloNationals Middle School championship and two Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling titles to his name. He'll definitely be one to keep an eye on this season, as Pa. Power Wrestling projects him as a state qualifier. Breaking in at 145 as a freshman is much harder than in the lightweights – as he found out going 1-2 at the Super 32 this weekend – but it wouldn't surprise me to see him on the podium in Hershey in March.

The Fab Five, Westmont Hilltop – After a fantastic run in the late 2000s, the Hilltoppers have been relatively quiet in the postseason the past few years. That could change very quickly. The co-op with Bishop McCort should pay huge dividends this year, as Carnell Andrews, No. 7 in Pa. Power Wrestling rankings, is a now a Crimson Crusher instead of a Johnstown Trojan. The same goes for No. 17 Anthony Walters. Westmont's own Josiah Jones is No. 43, giving Matt Beaujon's team a staggering three of the state's top-50 ranked freshmen.

Like Patrick, Andrews has two PJW and one FloNationals Middle School championships to his name. He's projected as a 126-pounder and a state qualifier.

Walters finished third at PJWs last year and won a FloNationals Middle School championship. He's projected as a 170-pounder and state qualifier.

Jones took fourth at PJWs last season and, like Andrews and Walters, was a FloNationals Middle School champ. He suffered a serious knee injury in the summer and won't be in the lineup for the first part of the season. If he can return from the injury and get in shape for the postseason, expect him to be a regional qualifier at 220 pounds.

Westmont's freshmen class has more than just the big three, as Clayton Dorian finished sixth at PJWs at 112 last season. He should give Andrews a great practice partner in the 126 range and give Beaujon plenty of flexibility in creating dual-meet matchups, not to mention another young stud.

Throw in Derrick Christie, a PJW qualifier for Ferndale who will suit up for the Hilltoppers, and Westmont's freshman class has to rank as one of the best in the state. Christie should make an immediate impact at 106. I've been told that he's made big strides over the past few months and could be a darkhorse in the region.

Trent Hidlay, Mifflin County – The younger brother of Hayden Hidlay is a six-time PJW medalist, including a runner-up finish in 2014, when he lost to Ligonier Valley's Robert Patrick. Pa. Power Wrestling projects him as a state qualifier at 138 or 145. He went 2-2 at 145 in the Super 32 this weekend.

Justin McCoy, Chestnut Ridge – Not that the loaded Lions need much help in the lightweights, but this talented freshman should provide it. He's finished third (2014, '12), second ('13) and first ('11) at PJWs and is projected as a 113- or 120-pound state qualifier by Pa. Power Wrestling. My local sources saw him more as a 126-pounder, but that could be just to start the season. Either way, he'll make an immediate impact for coach Greg Lazor and should make a strong postseason run.

Terrell Williams and Austin Barber, Greater Johnstown – Even without Andrews and Walters, new Trojans coach Will Harris will be able to inject some young talent into the lineup. Williams is a sophomore who finished second at 147 at PJWs last year while Barber is a freshman who placed eighth at 157. It will likely be harder for them to reach regionals this season after Johnstown dropped from AAA to AA, but both have the talent to do so.

Campbell twins, Cambria Heights – Mike Eckenrode, who is now sharing the head coaching role with Steve Makin, will get a nice bump in the form of sophomore twins Huntur and Bryce Campbell. Huntur, who likely will be a 106-pounder this season, finished fourth at 92 pounds at PJWs while Bryce, a projected 113-pounder, was a qualifier at 97 pounds.

I'm sure there are some other up-and-coming youngsters that I don't know about, especially in the eastern half of District 6. Who should have been included on my list? Let me know (hopefully in a polite way) in the comments section along with some reasons why.