Sports
Wrestlers pick up win against Cleveland State
Sophomore Trey Hicks losses 9-0 on Saturday but Clarion holds on to beat Cleveland State 30-10. (Archive Photo / The Clarion Call)
The Clarion Golden Eagles wrestling team battled a duo of opponents last weekend, losing once to University of Pittsburgh on Thursday, Feb. 10, and coming away with a strong
win on Saturday, Feb. 12, against Cleveland State University.
On Thursday, the Golden Eagles played host to the Pittsburgh Panthers at Tippin Gymnasium.
The match ended in a decision in Pittsburgh’s favor, 32-9. Clarion freshman, Anthony White, defeated Pitt’s Dane Johnson in an overtime bout that ended in a score of 7-3.
James Fleming, Clarion’s No. 6 ranked, 157-pounder, followed White’s win with another decision in the Golden Eagles’ favor, 8-1.
Alex Thomas finished off Phil Sorrentino for Clarion’s only other victory of the night, in the lowest scoring fight of the night, 1-0.
The 165-pound match was between Pittsburgh’s Ethan Headlee and Clarion’s Bekzod Abdurakhmonov. Abdurakhmonov, who was suffering from an illness at the time, fell to
Headlee, 3-2.
“I shouldn’t wait for him. I should go right at him,” Abdurakhmonov said.
Clarion bounced back from Thursday’s loss when they went to visit the Cleveland State Vikings.
The Golden Eagles entered the match with an overall record of 3-9, as compared to the Vikings’ 3-11.
Cleveland State had yet to post an Eastern Wrestling League win going into Saturday’s bout.
Clarion had previously won only one fight in the EWL.
The Golden Eagles got off to a solid start with Abdurakhmonov’s win over Rob Michaels, a decision that ended 7-2.
Abdurakhmonov proved that he had overcome his illness of the previous days, and learned from his mistakes against Pittsburgh.
Scott Joseph was the next Golden Eagle to post a win.
Cleveland State’s Corbin Boone was pinned to the mat after 6:50, an impressive victory for Joseph who had moved up to a higher weight class to fit roster requirements for the
match.
Alex Thomas made back-to-back pins when he ended his match against Cleveland State’s Nick Anthony in a mere 1:07.
This impressive win for the sophomore set the mood for the rest of the contest.
Cleveland State won only two bouts during the rest of the match.
Quintas McCorckle, Tom Gowing, Anthony White and James Fleming all put wins up on the board for Clarion University.
When all was said and done, the team had combined for a score of 30 to Cleveland State’s 10.
This was a much needed victory for the struggling Clarion wrestling squad.
The Golden Eagles are now setting their sights on the upcoming National Collegiate Open to be held at the Clarion University Recreation Center.
Only redshirted wrestlers will compete in this tournament, which will include players from schools all across the state.
“I think (the redshirts) will do really well,” Abdurakhmonov said.
Clarion wrestling is looking to finish a hard-fought season on a positive note, with wins at the NCO and possibly a berth in the PSAC championships.
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