No. 12 Pittsburgh upsets No. 7 Lehigh 19-18 on criteria

Photo courtesy of Pittsburgh Athletics

Demetrius Thomas knew the match was coming down to him, but the senior from No. 12 Pitt wasn’t fazed.
“I don’t feel pressure when I walk onto the mat, regardless of the team score,” he said, “It’s an individual match. I just step on the line and wrestle. I just have fun.”
Thomas (6-2), ranked No. 8 at 285, had a lot of fun in leading Pitt to a 19-18 upset over No. 7 Lehigh on criteria at Grace Hall in Bethlehem, Pa.
Thomas scored four takedowns on No. 6 Jordan Wood en route to a 10-6 decision that tied the team score at 18-18, but gave Pitt the team win on match points scored 39-34.
“It’s probably one of the best duals I’ve ever been a part of, to seal the win for us,” Thomas said. “I believed I was going to win but didn’t know if I would do enough for the team to win. It shows I believe in myself and believe in my training and I’m ready to move forward to win that national title at the end.”
Thomas used his superior length to open with a takedown on Wood, who escaped in the battle of Top 10 heavyweights. Thomas, No. 9, couldn’t hold on and Wood escaped. Thomas also used his length a second time, but Wood scooted out as the period ended 2-1 in Thomas’ favor.
Wood escaped to tie it up in the second period, but Thomas hit an ankle pick for a second takedown, allowing the escape for a 4-3 lead. The pace picked up in the final period with Thomas escaping, Wood getting a takedown with 51 seconds left to tie it, and then letting him up in lieu of giving up a stalling point. Thomas hit another takedown that was challenged but upheld on video.
“It was a wild match,” Pittsburgh coach Keith Gavin said. “It didn’t go the way we thought at certain weights, but that’s why you wrestle. Taleb Rahmani with the pin over a really good guy was key, as obviously was our heavyweight Demetrius. He’s really good at the end like that. He likes to be in that situation and usually wrestles really well in that situation. He’s very powerful and athletic, and he’s got an incredible gas tank for a heavyweight.”
At 125, unranked redshirt freshman Louis Newell of Pitt countered a deep shot by No. 12 Brandon Paetzell for a first-period takedown Paetzell escaped to start the second and immediately went laterally across Newell’s upper body to earn a takedown he converted into a fall to put the Mountain Hawks on top 6-0.
Lehigh could not capitalize on the energy following the fall.
Mickey Philippi, ranked No. 4 at 133 for Pitt, fought off an initial double leg shot by No 19 Nick Farro. Philippi (7-0) took a 1-0 lead with an escape at the start of the second period, but Farro chose neutral to start the final period, wary of Philippi’s prowess on top. The Pitt wrestler got warned for stalling in the third period, then got in on two shots, converting the second for the cinching takedown for a 3-0 decision as the Panthers got on the scoreboard.
“We’ve just got to find a way to win these tight matches,” said Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro. “It’s all practice for March, but we want to win every one of them.”
Lehigh’s unranked senior Ryan Pomrinca (6-3) scored the upset of the afternoon with a 10-8 decision over No. 15 Cole Matthews at 141.
Matthews, a redshirt freshman, scored an early takedown on Ryan Pomrinca, let him up and got another takedown, earning a stalling warning on the ride, chalking up 2:04 riding time in the opening period to go with the 4-1 lead.
Matthews (4-2) escaped to start the second, but Pomrinca hit a shrug and waist tackle for a takedown that brought the Lehigh crowd to its feet for a moment before Matthews escaped. Pomrinca escaped to start the third period, added a takedown to tie, then cut the Panther loose with 55 seconds left to try and make up on the riding time point he could not erase.
Pomrinca won a scramble for a takedown with 15 seconds left to force overtime, and then won a scramble for another takedown to win in sudden victory
Jimmy Hoffman went in deep for a takedown on Pitt’s Luke Kemerer just as the Pitt wrestler got wanted for stalling. Hoffman, sophomore, escaped to start the second period, then started a flurry with a deep single before getting the takedown, ending with a 6-1 decision at 149 thanks to riding time.
Pitt had an upset of its own when No. 13 Taleb Rahmani, a redshirt senior, pinned No. 10 Josh Humphreys in 5:48. Rahmani reversed the sophomore to his back for a four-point move in the second period, then hit a takedown for the winning move on the sophomore in the third period to put Pitt back into the match, down 12-9 at intermission.
Jake Wentzel, No. 12 at 165, knotted the match with a 7-1 decision over freshman Brian Meyer.
Lehigh’s Jordan Kutler (7-0) picked up a stalling point in the first period against Putt junior Gregg Harvey, then escaped to start the second period and had to work hard to earn a takedown in the second. Kutler (No. 2 in the country) cut Harvey loose to start the third period, but could not get his offense going in a 4-1 decision for a three-point Lehigh lead.
Lehigh’s Chris Weiler had his opening takedown negated after using an illegal head scissors on No. 8 Nino Bonaccorsi in the first period. He got into a similar position on the restart with Bonaccorsi scoring the takedown en route to an 8-3 decision to tie the match at 15.
Jake Jakobsen, No. 17 at 197, escaped at the start of the second period against Pitt redshirt senior Kellan Stout, who got in deep twice on Jakobsen’s legs but could not score. Stout chose neutral to start the third period, but it was Jakobsen who went in deep for the takedown. He earned riding time before allowing the escape, setting the stage for the heavyweights to decide the match.


No. 12 Pittsburgh 19, No. 7 Lehigh 18.
125 – No. 12 Brandon Paetzell (Lehigh) pin Louis Newell (Pitt) 3:36.
133 – No. 4 Micky Philippi (Pitt) dec. No. 19 Nick Farro (Lehigh) 3-0.
141 – Ryan Pomrinca (Lehigh) dec. No. 15 Cole Matthews (Pitt) 10-8 sudden victory.
149 – Jimmy Hoffman (Lehigh) dec. Luke Kemerer (Pitt) 6-1.
157 – No. 13 Taleb Rahmani (Pitt) pin No. 10 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) 5:48.
165 – No. 12 Jake Wentzell (Pitt) dec. Brian Meyer (Lehigh) 7-1.
174 – No. 2 Jordan Kutler (Lehigh) dec. Gregg Harvey (Pitt) 4-1.
184 – No. 8 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) dec. Chris Weiler (Lehigh) 8-3.
197 – No. 17 Jake Jakobsen (Lehigh) dec. Kellan Stout (Pitt) 4-1.
285 – No. 9 Demetrius Thomas (Pitt) dec. No. 6 Jordan Wood 10-6.
Pitt wins on criteria, match points (39-34).
Attendance – 1,489. Referees – Scott Bricker, Chris Cobb