Pitt and West Virginia took the Backyard Brawl indoors in an Eastern Wrestling League… Pitt and West Virginia took the Backyard Brawl indoors in an Eastern Wrestling League struggle Friday, and it took all 10 matches to decide the dual meet in dramatic fashion.

The Panthers (6-5, 1-2 in the EWL) jumped out to a 16-7 lead, needing one victory in the final three bouts to seal the contest. But West Virginia (2-3, 1-1) fought back, conjuring up three consecutive match wins – including one technical fall – to beat Pitt in its final home meet of the season, 18-16.

Pitt’s three ranked wrestlers held court, with No. 3 Keith Gavin, No. 8 Matt Kocher and No. 13 Drew Headlee all winning their matches.

Gavin’s 9-4 victory over West Virginia’s Kurt Brenner in the 174-pound class gave Pitt its 16-7 lead.

Brenner took down the redshirt junior, but Gavin had two escapes and a takedown before Brenner escaped one more Gavin grasp to hold the score at 3-3 after one frame. Each wrestler exchanged escapes – which require the wrestler to break out of the grasp of his opponent – but Gavin controlled the final period with a takedown.

Kocher battled Zac Fryling in the 157-pound class in a rematch of the West Virginia Open earlier this season, when Kocher defeated Fryling, 3-1. The redshirt junior escaped Fryling’s clutch in an overtime session to win, 3-2.

Kocher’s victory pushed Pitt ahead 10-7, breaking West Virginia’s seven-point, unanswered momentum swing following matches in the 141-pound and 149-pound classes.

Headlee topped West Virginia freshman Mark Anderson, 4-2, in his match. Headlee’s takedown – when the dominant wrestler takes down his opponent from the neutral position and establishes control – put him ahead of Anderson, and an escape in the third period gave him all the points he needed to succeed.

Headlee’s victory followed 125-pound Brad Gentzle’s toppling of West Virginia’s Scott Stuart. Gentzle collected six takedowns, three back points and one escape to win a major decision, 16-5, which gave Pitt four points to start the meet.

With a nine-point lead, Pitt sent its final three wrestlers to the mat. In the 184-pound, 197-pound and heavyweight classes, the Panthers scored four total points.

West Virginia’s Chance Litton and Pitt’s Kyle Deliere were scoreless after two rounds in their matchup, but Litton’s reversal – when a wrestler being controlled turns the tides and gains an advantage on his opponent – gave him all the points he needed to win. Litton added one more point on riding time, holding his dominant position, and took the match, 3-0.

Pitt’s Mike Heist entered the 197-pound showdown with one last chance to win on his home mat. It was the senior’s final home contest.

But West Virginia matched Heist with No. 18 Jared Villers, and Villers shut out the senior from Orefield, Pa. Villers totaled three takedowns, three near falls and two back points to win a technical fall over Heist. His technical fall, which was worth five team points, propelled the Mountaineers back within one point of Pitt, pushing the score to 16-15 heading into the final match of the night.

Yet the Mountaineers were not done.

Heavyweight Dustin Rogers scored two points on a takedown in sudden-death overtime to clinch the meet victory for West Virginia.

Rogers met Pitt redshirt sophomore Zach Sheaffer in the final donnybrook, and the duo delivered drama at its finest. Sheaffer dropped Rogers in the first period with a two-point takedown, but Rogers responded with an escape to finish the initial round trailing 2-1.

Sheaffer escaped from Rogers’ hold in the second round to gain a 3-1 advantage, but Rogers again answered, escaping once in the third to cut Sheaffer’s lead. The Mountaineers’ final hope scored a two-point takedown on Sheaffer, gaining his first lead of the match, before Sheaffer escaped one final time to force the overtime.

It was Pitt’s second loss in three dual meets.

The Panthers finish their 2006-2007 campaign with three consecutive road meets, traveling first to Clarion Feb. 6 for a 7:30 p.m. competition. After Clarion, Pitt will challenge Lock Haven and Edinboro to finish the regular season.