Edinboro at Penn State
  Dec. 15, 2002  Rec Hall  State College, Pa.   
  Last season, Penn State lost its dual meet with Edinboro 20-16 in Edinboro, Pa. This year, the Nittany Lions will be looking for revenge against the Fighting Scots. What's at stake? In-state recruiting advantage and bragging rights for another year.    Edinboro loses Josh Koscheck from last year, but in some areas, this team may be better overall. Penn State is also a better team this season, but they have been banged up the past few weeks, especially at the middle weights, which is Edinboro's biggest weakness this year. If one team can dominate from 149-165 pounds, they will have the best chance of winning this dual.    125 - Jacob Gray (Edinboro) vs. Adam Smith (Penn State)  Gray has become more consistent this season, but getting majored by the Penn State backup does not look good for Edinboro. Gray lost to Matt Smith at the Penn State Open 12-3 last weekend. Gray needs to learn how to stay aggressive and smart when he loses a lead or trails by three or four points. He sometimes goes into panic mode, and that is his ultimate undoing. Smith has also struggled, but he is still young. After January last year, he hit a rough spot and wasn't very competitive for the rest of the season. He needs to be strong here. The Nittany Lions will need a major decision out of this match, but it depends on which Gray and which Smith show up. This match could be a toss-up, but based on experience and ability, Smith should come away with a win.  TheMat.com Prediction: Smith    133 - Shawn Bunch (Edinboro) vs. Josh Moore (Penn State)  This match should be full of fireworks. Bunch moved up in weight this season and seems to be getting more consistent after a slow start. He is an incredible athlete, which has helped him win most of his matches so far in his young career. If Bunch struggles anywhere, it is in his defense. Moore is an aggressive wrestler on his feet, but he is also solid from the top position. He is a better technical wrestler than Bunch, but not as good athletically. These two matched up last week at the Penn State Open. In the tiebreaker, Bunch won the flip, but Moore was able to score three back points for the win. Remember, riding time was not a factor in their last match. This match should be a little higher scoring this time. Much more is at stake and there is already some water boiling over from the last match. Following Bunch's loss, the two wrestlers traded shoves and words before being separated. This would be a good match to end the dual with.  TheMat.com Prediction: Bunch    141 - Cory Ace (Edinboro) vs. Scott Moore (Penn State)  Ace is one of the leaders of this Edinboro squad. Like Bunch, he moved up in weight as well this year. He is an offensive machine on his feet. His only slip this season was getting pinned by his teammate Doppelheuer. He has yet to face an opponent as strong as Moore this year. Against top competition, Moore has had a knack of giving up a lot of takedowns throughout his career. This year, he has become a pinning machine, recording 10 already. He has become more patient on his feet and gotten much better technically from the top position. Both these wrestlers will look to score first from their feet, because each can turn from the top. This could be a match with a number of twists and turns, reversals and near falls. The wrestler with the best defense will win this match.  TheMat.com Prediction: Ace    149 - Ron Doppelheuer (Edinboro) vs. Nathan Galloway (Penn State)  Doppelheuer moved up this season after losing his wrestle-off with Ace. He is still getting accustomed to the higher weight, but he has become more consistent. This freshman does not have much experience, and losing his only match at the Penn State Open to Galloway's backup didn't help. The good thing he does have going for him is that he is technically sound. He does not make many mental errors. Therefore, his losses are all close matches. Galloway is a true freshman who is as talented as it gets. He is the Damon Bailey of Penn State wrestling (only Indiana fans will understand). He has had a couple of slight setbacks this year, but he is still in a learning phase. Galloway has a great single-leg and is tough from the top position. He sometimes allows his opponents to get deep on him, but his counter defense is as good as it gets. It is strange to think that two young wrestlers can have a solid technical match, but this should be one of them.  TheMat.com Prediction: Galloway:    157 - Dave Patrick (Edinboro) vs. James Woodall (Penn State)  Patrick joined the team this season after going to a chef's school straight out of high school. It will take the right ingredients and a little stirring for him to come away with a win in this match (sorry, had to put it in). Actually, Patrick has been surprisingly solid so far this season. With the regular starter Ryan Yates out of the lineup this year with an injury, Patrick can prove his toughness. Patrick like to throw, and he is good at getting it. He is beginning to shake some rust off and had an exciting 14-13 match with Woodall at the Penn State Open. Although the score should be lower this time around, it shows he has an offensive arsenal. Woodall is a talented sophomore who got a good taste of Division I competition last year. Like Patrick, he can score some points. Unlike Patrick, he has a lot of experience and has improved technically. He was disappointing last weekend. Coaches need him to come out strong in this match. If he doesn't, he could get caught. In such a close dual, neither team can afford an upset.  TheMat.com Prediction: Woodall    165 - Matt R. King (Edinboro) vs. Chris "Doc" Vecchio (Penn State)  Matt R. King, not to be confused with Matt D. King, has become a legitimate All-American candidate this season. This junior has consistently gotten better throughout his collegiate career. His two losses this year have been to two tough competitors, Lucas Mackesy and Noel Thompson, by a total of four points. Though his style is not exactly like that of former Edinboro great Josh Koscheck, it is very similar. He likes to bang opponents around and be the aggressor on his feet. Vecchio was an All-American last season. He has struggled so far this season, losing some very winnable matches against beatable opponents. He has been sloppy at points and just doesn't seem to have the same edge as he did last year when he was dominating opponents. King beat Vecchio in the dual meet last year, and with King getting better and Vecchio on a downslide, there is no reason to believe that King won't win again this year.  TheMat.com Prediction: King    174 - Nate Yetzer (Edinboro) vs. James Yonushonis (Penn State)  Yetzer has already shown signs of improvement this year. He began the season at 165, but has since moved up in weight. He has been impressive so far, and he seems refreshed at the higher weight. It also helps this lineup much more. Yetzer is only a sophomore, but he has already figured out how to win the matches he should win. His team could use some major points here. Yonushonis is a true freshman who has really started to turn some heads this season. Coaches wanted to redshirt him, but with all of their injuries, they have no choice but to wrestle him here. Yonushonis is best on his feet and can score from the top position, but his riding skills are not the greatest. He is a top talent who will have a major impact on this lineup in a couple of years, but this match could be a