Wrestling drops opener, prepares for home slate

Despite the efforts of sophomores Drew Headlee and Matt Kocher, the Panther wrestling team… Despite the efforts of sophomores Drew Headlee and Matt Kocher, the Panther wrestling team fell to the Iowa Cyclones, 31-7, in their season opener.

Iowa State, a perennial power in wrestling, won the first three matches to gain complete control, allowing only Headlee and Kocher to record victories for Pitt.

“It was a good experience to go out there and wrestle a team like that, because it allows us to see where we want to be,” head coach Rande Stottlemyer said. “It’s not how you start, its how you finish.”

After Iowa State’s Trevor Smith began things with a 7-1 decision over Michael Heist, Pitt’s two freshmen saw their first action of the season.

Zach Sheaffer suffered a tough 4-2 loss at heavyweight to Scott Coleman, while Dave Morgan took a major decision loss at the hands of Grant Nakamura.

Morgan wrestled well and had shots to capitalize on his opponent, but came up just short. Down by only two with a minute to go, Morgan attempted a shot to take Nakamura down, but Nakamura fought hard and scored to turn the match around.

“It’s a seven-minute match. You can’t let your highs get you too high and your lows get you too low,” Stottlemyer said. “They are going to score on you, but you’ll just have to battle back. He’ll learn that.”

Headlee was ahead 5-0 late in his match, but got caught on his back with a minute to go. He avoided being pinned, however, and ended up securing a 9-8 win in double overtime.

“To be honest, I don’t know how he didn’t get pinned. That was a real gutsy performance,” Stottlemyer said. “Headlee shows up every day and wrestles hard.”

Iowa State’s All-American Nate Gallick defeated two-time NCAA qualifier Ron Tarquinio 4-2 before Pitt placed its second win on the board with a major decision by Kocher.

Kocher’s win, an 11-1 victory over Jason Knipp, cut the Cyclone lead to 13-7, but the Panthers were unable to win another match the rest of the way.

Keith Gavin and Zach Doll were pinned by their opponents, while Justin Nestor and Eric Cassidy lost by decision to give Iowa State its final 18 points.

“I felt like we could have wrestled better,” Stottlemyer said. “But we knew were going to be challenged. Iowa State has a program where we would like to be and we’re on that track.”

Pitt will open up its home and Eastern Wrestling League schedule tonight when it hosts Bloomsburg at 7 p.m. at the Fitzgerald Field House.

“Bloomsburg is like us. They got young guys with a few upperclassmen for some talent,” Stottlemyer said. “We need to go out and be aggressive on our home gym and if we do that, I’ll feel pretty good about our chances.”