Penn State, with respect, visits Army West Point on Veterans Day and wins dual opener, 45-0
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by Andy Elder, Special to TheMat.com
Photo of Army West Point vs. Penn State dual courtesy of Army West Point website.
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Some fans might look at the final score of Friday night’s match between No. 2 Penn State and Army — a 45-0 Nittany Lion shutout — and ask, “Why?”
Why would Penn State pick the Black Knights out of all the teams around the country to reward with a coveted home dual meet.
Well, it starts with respect for the institution, for a program on the rise, for the good of the sport.
“We absolutely respect Army and its program,” said head assistant coach Casey Cunningham. “They’ve got good kids and a good program.”
Add in the fact that one of Army’s assistant coaches is former Penn State starter Bryan Pearsall who, Nittany Lion head coach Cael Sanderson said, “called us 100 times to ask us to schedule them.”
Then factor in the fact that three athletes from Army’s World Class Athlete Program train with Penn State’s Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. One of them is former Nittany Lion national champion Matt Brown. And, once he completes basic training, former Nittany Lion Morgan McIntosh will join that group.
That Penn State opened its season at West Point on Veteran’s Day was a happy coincidence. That honor wasn’t lost on Penn State.
“I think, more than anything, it’s humbling. I couldn’t even really express the gratitude that I have and we have,” he said.
“We wouldn’t have NCAA wrestling if it wasn’t for our military and the freedom we enjoy in our country and the sacrifices that have been made throughout history and are being made today. Really, these are our brothers. It’s an honor to be here. We’d fight side by side with them if need be.”
Penn State, instead, fought head to head with the Black Knights and routed their brothers in arms. The Nittany Lions swept all 10 bouts, scoring bonus points in eight of them, and amassed a 38-3 edge in takedowns.
The result wasn’t what Army wanted, but to have the defending NCAA champions respect their program enough to make the four-hour trip north meant a lot.
“It means a lot to our program and our guys for them to wrestle in front of a crowd like this,” Pearsall said. “Our program is definitely on the rise. We’ve come a long way. Tonight isn’t what we wanted but we’re still headed in the right direction.”
Much like the rest of the wrestling world, Sanderson said he wanted to see this year’s team on the mat against someone other than teammates.
“Just like everybody else, I was excited to see the team compete. We saw some new faces, some young guys compete and the guys wrestled well, scored a lot of points. We’re always going to have areas to improve on, but we’re focusing on the positives,” he said.
Three Nittany Lions made their debuts — true freshman 125-pounder Nick Suriano, sophomore transfer 133-pounder Jered Cortez and redshirt freshman 165-pounder Vincenzo Joseph — and all impressed.
“I thought they all wrestled great,” Sanderson said.
Suriano kicked off the 2016-17 season with a dominating 15-4 major decision, scoring six takedowns along the way.
“I thought Suriano wrestled great, scored a bunch of takedowns. (He’s) just solid, strong, fast. He does some things that normal people can’t do. He’s pretty special,” Sanderson said.
Cortez, who had to sit out last year after transferring from Illinois, roared out to an 8-0 lead after a period and then cruised to a 14-1 major decision win.
“I think Jered wrestled well. I think he was happy. It was just a matter of making progress. He hadn’t wrestled in a year and a half. He needed to get out there and get that feel back,” Sanderson said.
Joseph scored a takedown within seconds of the opening whistle, built a 12-3 firs-period lead and then added two takedowns each in the second and third periods in rolling up a 21-6 technical fall in 5:48.
“Vincenzo wrestles hard. He wrestles with some fire and enthusiasm. He’s trying to score points all the time. He can go big. He can do some big things. He can also hit singles and score on both sides,” Sanderson said.
Joseph said he tried his best not to think about his debut.
“I was pretty excited to get back on the mat,” he said. “I tried not to think about it a lot. Even days in advance, if I think about it a lot, I’ll get pretty nervous. Once I get on the mat it’s just routine.”
The same could be said for the rest of the Lions’ lineup. Bo Nickal, up a weight at 184, needed just 25 seconds to score a fall. He was joined in the pin parade by Jason Nolf, who needed just 2:19.
Nick Nevills (17-2 in 4:31) and Zain Retherford (21-3 in 6:31) amassed technical falls. Jimmy Gulibon added a 16-6 major decision. Geno Morelli, who won a first wrestle-off with Shakur Rasheed this week, earned the start at 174 and gutted out a 6-4 decision.
Matt McCutcheon, who was beaten by Bo Nickal at 184, moved up to 197 and eked out a 4-2 win.
Penn State turns its thoughts to its home opener 2 p.m. Sunday against a Stanford squad that will present some interesting challenges for the Nittany Lions.
Joseph, though, shared one final thought of a Veteran’s Day spent on among military officers in training situated in the breathtaking vistas of West Point.
“This was an incredible experience,” he said. “I’m very grateful that Army had us come in and wrestle today at this place. It’s an amazing place. Hopefully we can come here and wrestle again.”
The symbolism of wrestling at West Point wasn’t lost on another member of Penn State’s traveling party — walk-on heavyweight Ethan Wissler.
The 26-year-old former Marine, who served two tours in Afghanistan, just joined the team a few weeks ago. The agriculture systems management major is still feeling his way in an ultra-competitive Penn State wrestling room.
“I love the sport. I love everything about it. I love the hard work. I get my butt kicked all the time. It’s part of the game. I haven’t wrestled competitively since 2008,” Wissler said.
“The room is full of professionals. That’s what I love about it. When it’s time to go to work, we work. When it’s time to laugh and joke, we laugh and joke. That’s what makes it great. I’ve improved, but I have a long way to go. I’m not even remotely close to beating these kids. I’ve definitely made some headway.”
Wissler said he jumped at the chance to make the trip when it was offered to him by the coaching staff, even though it was to the home of a military rival.
“This is great. I’m really excited I got to come along to experience this. It’s the Army and I’m Marine Corps and very biased,” he said. “Still, it’s really cool, just being around military guys on Veteran’s Day, watching wrestling, that’s awesome.”
Sanderson said having a veteran in the wrestling room was a “no-brainer decision.” He said Wissler’s wisdom and experience can provide valuable lessons for the rest of the team.
“He brings a lot. He’s been in war, real war,” Sanderson said. “We think we have it tough wrestling in front of a big crowd or missing meals or sacrificing little things, but you talk about an individual who has put his life on the line to let us do those things that we think are tough.”
No. 2 Penn State 45, Army West Point 0
(Friday at West Point, New York)
125: No. 12 Nick Suriano, PSU, maj. dec. Trey Chalifoux, 15-4.
133: No. 9 Jered Cortez, PSU, maj. dec. Austin Harry, 14-1.
141: No. 12 Jimmy Gulibon, PSU, maj. dec. No. 17 Logan Everett, 16-6.
149: No. 1 Zain Retherford, PSU won by tech. fall over Matt Kelly, 21-3 (6:31).
157: No. 1 Jason Nolf, PSU, pinned No. 14 Russ Parsons, 2:19.
165: No. 8 Vincenzo Joseph, PSU, won by tech. fall over Andrew Mendel, 21-6 (5:48).
174: Geno Morelli, PSU, dec. Ben Harvey, 6-4.
184: No. 3 Bo Nickal, PSU, pinned Samson Imonode, :25.
197: No. 16 Matt McCutcheon, PSU, dec. No. 11 Rocco Caywood, 4-2.
285: No. 14 Nick Nevills, PSU, won by tech. fall over David Farr, 17-2 (4:31).
Attendance: 1,898.
Referee: Rob Butka.
Takedowns: PSU 38; Army 3.
Records: Army 0-1; Penn State 1-0.
Next match: Stanford at Penn State, 2 p.m. Sunday.
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Some fans might look at the final score of Friday night’s match between No. 2 Penn State and Army — a 45-0 Nittany Lion shutout — and ask, “Why?”
Why would Penn State pick the Black Knights out of all the teams around the country to reward with a coveted home dual meet.
Well, it starts with respect for the institution, for a program on the rise, for the good of the sport.
“We absolutely respect Army and its program,” said head assistant coach Casey Cunningham. “They’ve got good kids and a good program.”
Add in the fact that one of Army’s assistant coaches is former Penn State starter Bryan Pearsall who, Nittany Lion head coach Cael Sanderson said, “called us 100 times to ask us to schedule them.”
Then factor in the fact that three athletes from Army’s World Class Athlete Program train with Penn State’s Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. One of them is former Nittany Lion national champion Matt Brown. And, once he completes basic training, former Nittany Lion Morgan McIntosh will join that group.
That Penn State opened its season at West Point on Veteran’s Day was a happy coincidence. That honor wasn’t lost on Penn State.
“I think, more than anything, it’s humbling. I couldn’t even really express the gratitude that I have and we have,” he said.
“We wouldn’t have NCAA wrestling if it wasn’t for our military and the freedom we enjoy in our country and the sacrifices that have been made throughout history and are being made today. Really, these are our brothers. It’s an honor to be here. We’d fight side by side with them if need be.”
Penn State, instead, fought head to head with the Black Knights and routed their brothers in arms. The Nittany Lions swept all 10 bouts, scoring bonus points in eight of them, and amassed a 38-3 edge in takedowns.
The result wasn’t what Army wanted, but to have the defending NCAA champions respect their program enough to make the four-hour trip north meant a lot.
“It means a lot to our program and our guys for them to wrestle in front of a crowd like this,” Pearsall said. “Our program is definitely on the rise. We’ve come a long way. Tonight isn’t what we wanted but we’re still headed in the right direction.”
Much like the rest of the wrestling world, Sanderson said he wanted to see this year’s team on the mat against someone other than teammates.
“Just like everybody else, I was excited to see the team compete. We saw some new faces, some young guys compete and the guys wrestled well, scored a lot of points. We’re always going to have areas to improve on, but we’re focusing on the positives,” he said.
Three Nittany Lions made their debuts — true freshman 125-pounder Nick Suriano, sophomore transfer 133-pounder Jered Cortez and redshirt freshman 165-pounder Vincenzo Joseph — and all impressed.
“I thought they all wrestled great,” Sanderson said.
Suriano kicked off the 2016-17 season with a dominating 15-4 major decision, scoring six takedowns along the way.
“I thought Suriano wrestled great, scored a bunch of takedowns. (He’s) just solid, strong, fast. He does some things that normal people can’t do. He’s pretty special,” Sanderson said.
Cortez, who had to sit out last year after transferring from Illinois, roared out to an 8-0 lead after a period and then cruised to a 14-1 major decision win.
“I think Jered wrestled well. I think he was happy. It was just a matter of making progress. He hadn’t wrestled in a year and a half. He needed to get out there and get that feel back,” Sanderson said.
Joseph scored a takedown within seconds of the opening whistle, built a 12-3 firs-period lead and then added two takedowns each in the second and third periods in rolling up a 21-6 technical fall in 5:48.
“Vincenzo wrestles hard. He wrestles with some fire and enthusiasm. He’s trying to score points all the time. He can go big. He can do some big things. He can also hit singles and score on both sides,” Sanderson said.
Joseph said he tried his best not to think about his debut.
“I was pretty excited to get back on the mat,” he said. “I tried not to think about it a lot. Even days in advance, if I think about it a lot, I’ll get pretty nervous. Once I get on the mat it’s just routine.”
The same could be said for the rest of the Lions’ lineup. Bo Nickal, up a weight at 184, needed just 25 seconds to score a fall. He was joined in the pin parade by Jason Nolf, who needed just 2:19.
Nick Nevills (17-2 in 4:31) and Zain Retherford (21-3 in 6:31) amassed technical falls. Jimmy Gulibon added a 16-6 major decision. Geno Morelli, who won a first wrestle-off with Shakur Rasheed this week, earned the start at 174 and gutted out a 6-4 decision.
Matt McCutcheon, who was beaten by Bo Nickal at 184, moved up to 197 and eked out a 4-2 win.
Penn State turns its thoughts to its home opener 2 p.m. Sunday against a Stanford squad that will present some interesting challenges for the Nittany Lions.
Joseph, though, shared one final thought of a Veteran’s Day spent on among military officers in training situated in the breathtaking vistas of West Point.
“This was an incredible experience,” he said. “I’m very grateful that Army had us come in and wrestle today at this place. It’s an amazing place. Hopefully we can come here and wrestle again.”
The symbolism of wrestling at West Point wasn’t lost on another member of Penn State’s traveling party — walk-on heavyweight Ethan Wissler.
The 26-year-old former Marine, who served two tours in Afghanistan, just joined the team a few weeks ago. The agriculture systems management major is still feeling his way in an ultra-competitive Penn State wrestling room.
“I love the sport. I love everything about it. I love the hard work. I get my butt kicked all the time. It’s part of the game. I haven’t wrestled competitively since 2008,” Wissler said.
“The room is full of professionals. That’s what I love about it. When it’s time to go to work, we work. When it’s time to laugh and joke, we laugh and joke. That’s what makes it great. I’ve improved, but I have a long way to go. I’m not even remotely close to beating these kids. I’ve definitely made some headway.”
Wissler said he jumped at the chance to make the trip when it was offered to him by the coaching staff, even though it was to the home of a military rival.
“This is great. I’m really excited I got to come along to experience this. It’s the Army and I’m Marine Corps and very biased,” he said. “Still, it’s really cool, just being around military guys on Veteran’s Day, watching wrestling, that’s awesome.”
Sanderson said having a veteran in the wrestling room was a “no-brainer decision.” He said Wissler’s wisdom and experience can provide valuable lessons for the rest of the team.
“He brings a lot. He’s been in war, real war,” Sanderson said. “We think we have it tough wrestling in front of a big crowd or missing meals or sacrificing little things, but you talk about an individual who has put his life on the line to let us do those things that we think are tough.”
No. 2 Penn State 45, Army West Point 0
(Friday at West Point, New York)
125: No. 12 Nick Suriano, PSU, maj. dec. Trey Chalifoux, 15-4.
133: No. 9 Jered Cortez, PSU, maj. dec. Austin Harry, 14-1.
141: No. 12 Jimmy Gulibon, PSU, maj. dec. No. 17 Logan Everett, 16-6.
149: No. 1 Zain Retherford, PSU won by tech. fall over Matt Kelly, 21-3 (6:31).
157: No. 1 Jason Nolf, PSU, pinned No. 14 Russ Parsons, 2:19.
165: No. 8 Vincenzo Joseph, PSU, won by tech. fall over Andrew Mendel, 21-6 (5:48).
174: Geno Morelli, PSU, dec. Ben Harvey, 6-4.
184: No. 3 Bo Nickal, PSU, pinned Samson Imonode, :25.
197: No. 16 Matt McCutcheon, PSU, dec. No. 11 Rocco Caywood, 4-2.
285: No. 14 Nick Nevills, PSU, won by tech. fall over David Farr, 17-2 (4:31).
Attendance: 1,898.
Referee: Rob Butka.
Takedowns: PSU 38; Army 3.
Records: Army 0-1; Penn State 1-0.
Next match: Stanford at Penn State, 2 p.m. Sunday.
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