Brothers Headlee to the rescue

How does the old saying go? Love thy brother?

Pitt wrestling certainly loves its resident… How does the old saying go? Love thy brother?

Pitt wrestling certainly loves its resident brothers of Drew and Ethan Headlee after the duo scored critical wins to push the Panthers past conference rival Clarion, 23-15, Wednesday night in front of a large crowd at the Fitzgerald Field House.

No. 23 Pitt (13-3, 5-0 EWL) remained undefeated in conference play and moved a half game ahead of Edinboro. Clarion dropped to 10-15-1 and 1-5 in EWL action.

Drew Headlee, a senior, recorded the second consecutive Pitt fall to put the Panthers ahead, 16-6, after trailing early on. Freshman Ethan Headlee came from behind in his bout with a late takedown to secure the Pitt victory.

Pitt coach Rande Stottlemyer was particularly impressed with Ethan Headlee’s effort.

“Ethan did a really good job,” said Stottlemyer. “He really kept his guy [Dominic Ross] at bay.”

“I was really proud of him. It was one of the outstanding performances tonight.”

No. 1 Keith Gavin continued his winning streak in the 174-pound class. Gavin easily defeated Clarion’s Mario Morelli to effectively put the Golden Eagles’ hopes out of reach. His victory gave Pitt a 23-12 advantage with only one wrestler to go.

The individual win was the 25th of the season for Gavin and No. 112 for his career. That feat places Gavin alone in 10th place on Pitt’s all-time list.

Heavyweight Zach Sheaffer dominated his battle against Clarion’s Roman Husam. The No. 14 heavyweight recorded a 17-7 major decision to give Pitt its first win of the evening.

Another of Pitt’s nationally ranked wrestlers didn’t fare as well. Matt Kocher, ranked No. 7 at 157 pounds, was upset by Clarion freshman Travis Uncapher in a 7-6 decision.

Uncapher recorded a late escape to score three points for the Golden Eagles, and an eruption from Clarion’s fans and bench followed. The win cut Clarion’s deficit to 16-12 heading towards the 165-pound bout.

“It’s a little frustrating, Matty [Kocher] losing,” said Stottlemyer.

But Ethan Headlee’s 5-2 decision over Dominic Ross made up for the setback. The three points gained by Headlee pushed the Panthers’ advantage to 19-12 before Gavin slammed the door shut.

After back-to-back one-point victories against West Virginia and North Carolina, Pitt ensured a definitive result after a moderately shaky start.

Clarion’s Jamie Luckett started the evening with a 3-1 decision over David Crowell in the 197-pound bout. The battle fought to overtime, where Luckett registered a takedown to earn the 3-0 lead for the Golden Eagles.

Sheaffer’s major decision followed to give Pitt a 4-3 advantage. The victory gave Sheaffer 30 overall wins on the season.

But Clarion took the lead right back in the 125-pound battle. Jay Ivanco knocked off Pitt’s Ryan Bosso in a 10-3 decision while fighting off several apparent injuries. Clarion went up, 6-4, with the victory.

The Panthers wouldn’t let Clarion sniff the lead again. 133-pounder Jimmy Conroy made sure of that with a fall of the Golden Eagles’ Rob LaBrake. Conroy set the tone from the start with a quick takedown, and the subsequent fall gave Pitt a 10-6 advantage.

Stottlemyer was happy overall with his team’s wrestling, despite the effects of a demanding schedule.

“It’s a long wrestling season, it’s the dog days now,” Stottlemyer said. “We’ve just got to get back and do the things we’ve done in the past.”