Nov. 20, 2001
The Cleveland State wrestling squad opened its dual season with a strong win over cross-town rival John Carroll. The Vikings grabbed nine consecutive matches to defeat the Blue Streaks, 36-3. "This is a nice way to start the season," said Head Coach Jack Effner. "We could have been a little sharper, but its early and we'll be ready for Edinboro after the break."
JCU struck early against the Vikes, earning their only win in the first match of the meet. Freshman John Bedford (Woodville, Ohio/Woodmore), filling in for Phil Mansueto (Middletown, N.Y./Middletown), fell to senior Jim Cook, 9-3. However, that was all the Blue Streaks would get.
In the most exciting match of the night, 141-pounder Paul Theodore (Youngstown, Ohio/Boardman), starting in place of co-captain Nick Boucher (Sunfield, Mich./Lakewood), went back and forth with Bobby Romano. Theodore had a 4-3 lead with 13 seconds left in the match when he was called for stalling. Romano was awarded one point to send the match into overtime. Both wrestlers failed to score on the other, and Theodore chose down in sudden death. When it seemed as if Romano would win, Theodore pulled out of the hold with a rolling reversal with one second left to win, 6-4.
Anthony Coleman (Bellevue, Ohio/Bellevue) also fought a close battle with JCU's Mike Markovic. Both wrestlers had difficulty scoring, as Coleman amassed two points on an illegal finger-four hold by Markovic and an escape. But Coleman displayed solid defense in the third period. Markovic grabbed his only point of the match on riding time.
The Vikings began to heat up in the 157-pound match. Sophomore Mike Smith (Lorain, Ohio/Southview) displayed his quickness en route to six takedowns and a 14-10 victory. Jason Effner (Garfield Heights, Ohio/Garfield) continued to impress after moving from 157 pounds to 165. The sophomore dominated Ryan Ficco on top and took an 11-4 win.
Gerald Harris (Tulsa, Okla./East Central) showed why he was the Eastern Wrestling League's (EWL) Wrestler-of-the-Week in the 174-pound match. The junior used two throwing takedowns, two single-leg takedowns and an inside-leg trip takedown for a 12-3 major decision.
Sophomore Joe Phillips (Maple Heights, Ohio/Maple Heights) also impressed in the 184-pound match. After starting at 174 last season, Phillips showed no signs of decline at the higher weight-class. Phillips took advantage of a tired Dave Lance in the third period, grabbing three takedowns to win, 12-3.
197-pounder Stipe Miocic (Willowick, Ohio/Eastlake North) proved the crowd how he won the Oklahoma Gold Classic two weeks ago. The sophomore was very aggressive on the mat, earning eight takedowns and two near-falls with a cradle. Miocic won the match by technical fall at 5:59.
Sophomore Russ Davie (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) won the heavyweight spot by forfeit. Finally, co-captain Rocco Mansueto (Middletown, N.Y./Middletown) looked sharp in his match against Brent Purcell. Twice Mansueto turned a double-leg takedown into a cross-face cradle for a near-fall in the first period. The junior grabbed his third near-fall of the match in the second period to win by technical fall, 17-2, in 4:47.
The Vikings will host its second dual match of the season against EWL rival Edinboro on December 6.
