Columbia
BLUE-WHITE MATCH
Lions Open Season with Annual Blue-White Event
11/11/2006 11:00:00 PM | Wrestling
“I was very pleased,” said Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling Brendan Buckley. “Everyone fought hard to earn a spot.”
Wrestle offs tend to be boring, as Buckley noted, since wrestlers are competing against people they meet every day in practice. But most of the six wrestle-off bouts were anything but.
The heavyweight bout, for instance, was hardly typical of low-scoring college heavyweight matches, which usually lack action and are low scoring. But junior Jed Wade, converting from a 197-pounder, and first=-year Kevin Lester were aggressive on offense throughout their bout, which ended in a 4-2 Wade victory. It was the first collegiate heavyweight bout for the pair.
Senior co-captain Devin Mesanko, returning from a year's leave of absence, had his hands full with sophomore Derek Sickles at 157 pounds. An action-filled opening period saw Mesanko take a 4-3 lead on Sickles, his fellow New Jerseyan. Mesanko picked up two more points on a third-period reversal to defeat Sickles, 6-4.
Bouts at 165 and 149 both came down to the wire. The former, which Buckley described as the most anticipated of the night, pitted senior co-captain Dustin Tillman against senior co-captain Ricky Turk, moving up two weight classes this year from his customary 149.
After a scoreless first period, Tillman took the lead at 1-0 with a second-period escape. Turk escaped early in the third period to tie it at 1-1, then posted a takedown for a 3-1 lead. Tillman was able to draw within one one an escape, but got no closer, as Turk triumphed, 3-2.
Senior Dean Kinports matched his experience with first-year Matt Dunn's youth and talent. Dunn, a Pennsylvania state high school champion last season who once was ranked first in the nation, scored first, with a takedown for a 2-0 lead.
Kinports, a physical matman noted for his “riding” ability, rode Dunn the entire second period, amassing minutes if not points. Each scored a two-point reversal in the third period, leaving Dunn with a 4-2 lead, which he expanded with a near-fall in the closing seconds. Dunn's final result was a 7-2 victory.
The only one-sided wrestle off occurred at 133 pounds, when senior Matt DeLorenzo took a 5-0 first-period lead over junior Jerome Greco on his way to a 9-1 major decision.
In two non-wrestle off exhibition matches, sophomore Derek Francavilla, returning from a year's leave of absence, defeated junior Joe Kushnerick, 5-0 at 141, and senior John Grando (Pueblo, Colo.) beat first-year Mike Bossetta at 197, 8-5.
Several potential wrestle-off matchups were not wrestled because one or both competitors were injured, but Buckley and his staff liked what they saw.
“Their technique was solid and so was their conditioning,” Buckley observed. “All of our wrestlers were in shape. We saw some good wrestling tonight.”
Columbia will take to the mats for real next weekend, with two tournaments. On Saturday, November 18, the Lions compete in the East Stroudsburg Open at East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, while the following day, they travel a few miles south to make their first appearance in the Keystone Classic at the University of Pennsylvania.
