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Discussion Topic: Kent State snakebitten at Southern Scuffle
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on January 2, 2008
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Snake bitten in the South
Series of heart-breaking finishes costs Flashes a top-ten finish in G’boro
Ty Linder – Kent State Athletic Communications
GREENSBORO, N.C. – They are commonly referred to as “tapper points” in amateur wrestling circles. Sunday, the Golden Flashes knew all too well how excruciating they can be.
In all rounds of action during day two of the Southern Scuffle at the Greensboro Coliseum, Kent State head coach Jim Andrassy watched in agonizing frustration as his wrestlers allowed point after point with 15 seconds or fewer remaining in regulation – or when the mat tapper comes on the mat to signal to the official the period is nearly over. In all, at least five matches slipped away from the Golden Flashes in the final seconds after victory seemed a certainty.
“Losing is never fun, but when you’ve worked so hard all match to build a lead and then can’t hold it, it’s tough,” Andrassy explained. “Our guys definitely need to do a better job of finishing matches.”
It started in a 133-pound quarterfinal match. Wrestling with a perfect 15-0 record and facing an opponent he’d defeated a month earlier, junior Dan Mitcheff let a late lead slip away, and he suffered a 5-3 loss. At 141, Drew Lashaway pinned his quarterfinal opponent, then built what looked to be an insurmountable 5-0 lead in the semis against top-seeded Charles Griffin of Hofstra. Lashaway seemed a cinch to add another upset to his legacy, but suddenly lost control of the bout and was outscored 11-1 the rest of the way, falling 11-6.
Back at 133, Mitcheff had leads in his final two consolation bouts but lost them and settled for a seventh-place finish. Lashaway also held a precarious lead in his consolation semifinal but lost 3-2. He would then save face with a 6-4 nod in the fifth place final to become KSU’s highest medalist on the weekend.
At 165 pounds, Kurt Gross ran into trouble in his quarterfinal match and lost 8-1. He dropped into the consolation bracket and after posting a 6-3 win, defaulted from the event for precautionary reasons. He was awarded eighth place.
Eric Chine actually turned Kent State’s fortunes back in the positive direction in his quarterfinal bout against fourth-seeded Jesse Strawn of Old Dominion. With the match tied 1-1, Chine notched a perimeter takedown with short time remaining to claim a 3-1 win. In the semifinals against Virginia’s Rocco Caponi, Chine again fell under Caponi’s slumbering spell, this time losing 2-0. Chine fell to Caponi 4-1 at the Penn State Open earlier in the month. In the consolation semifinals, Chine fell to Edinboro’s Chris Honeycutt 3-2 whom he’d defeated earlier in the tournament. Then in the fifth place final, he lost in overtime, continuing KSU’s tough luck fortunes.
Finally at 285, Jermail Porter led Edinboro’s Joey Fendone 5-1 into the third period. He seemed poised to become Kent’s second semifinalist, but he was cranked over to his back from the bottom position and pronounced flat at the 6:22 mark. Despite a late lead against second-seeded Zach Hammond of Cornell, Porter couldn’t hold it and suffered a 3-2 loss late in the third frame. He then lost the fifth place match to Fendone, 4-0.
Defending national champion Minnesota won the team championship by claiming four individual titles and racking up 182 points – out-distancing runner-up Edinboro by 50 points. Hofstra (121), Cornell (94) and Maryland (93.5) rounded out the top five. Virginia was sixth with 91.5, Bloomsburg seventh with 86, Boise State eighth with 84.5, Navy ninth with 79.5 and Old Dominion grabbed the final top ten slot with 74.5. The Flashes trailed the top ten by just a point and a half.
“We’ll try and rebound from this second day,” Andrassy said. “Our guys have been really looking forward to defending the home mats against Ohio State and we have a lot of work ahead of us in order to be prepared for the challenges they present.”
The Flashes and Buckeyes will do battle in Kent State’s home opener on Fri. Jan. 4 at 7:05 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early, wear yellow and make it a very boisterous atmosphere as the Flashes seek their third straight win over the Buckeyes.
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