College Wrestling
#25 Rider University 38, Clarion University 3
Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Dual

LAWRENCEVILLE—Ranked 25th in the nation, the Rider University wrestling team opened the 2014-15 Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) schedule with a 38-3 victory over Clarion University on Sunday afternoon in Alumni Gymnasium, winning nine of 10 matches.

“The dual went well,” said head coach Gary Taylor.  “The kids were aggressive and the coaching staff did a good job getting everyone prepared and focused with the holiday this past week.  Everyone worked hard.”

For Rider (4-1, 1-0 EWL), 19th ranked junior 133 Robert Deutsch (Cherry Hill/Eastern) opened the action with pin in 4:16, after building a 10-1 opening period lead with two near falls, to record his eighth win of the year.

Fifth-year senior Chuck Zeisloft (Woodbury Heights/Gateway), ranked 18th, won a hard fought battle at 141.  Zeisloft opened with a first period take down and leading 2-1, used an escape in the second period for a 3-1 lead.  After Clarion cut the deficit to 3-2, Zeisloft used a third period take down with a minute remaining for a 5-2 victory, his seventh victory of the season.  Zeisloft won four of five matches last week to earn EWL Wrestler of the Week honors with a runner-up finish at the Keystone Classic, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania.

At 149, red-shirt freshman B.J. Clagon (Toms Rivers/Toms River HS South) won by fall in only 1:19 to give the Broncs a 15-0 lead, his team-leading third pin of the season and 10th win of the year.  Clagon won six of seven matches last week and placed third at Penn's Keystone Classic to earn EWL Rookie of the Week honors.

“The season is going well,” Clagon said.  “My only loss was to the number one kid in the country.  I've tried to just work hard each and every day in the room.  I just try to wrestle my style and have fun.  The team is also working hard, it is a big family thing, we are all in this together and it isn't an individual sport.  We all support each other.”

“B.J. is a very natural wrestler, one of the most natural wrestlers in my 37 seasons at Rider,” Taylor said.  “I try to get him to trust his instincts, keep him focused and working hard.”

Red-shirt freshman 157 Chad Walsh (Cherry Hill/Camden Catholic) had two second period takedowns and won by fall just 13 seconds into the third period for his first pin of the season and seventh win of the season.

Sophomore 174 Ryan Wolfe (New Castle, Del./Caravel Academy) built an 8-3 lead after two periods on the strength of four takedowns to record his sixth win in 10 matches this season.

Fifth-year senior 184 Clint Morrison (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cedar Cliff) opened his match with a takedown and near fall for a 5-0 first period lead and went on to a major decision victory by a score of 13-4 to improve to 3-1 on the season.

Fifth-year senior 197 Donald McNeil (Plainville, Mass./Wyoming Seminary) had with two take downs for a 4-1 lead, eventually winning by major decision 14-6 for his sixth victory of the season.

Junior heavyweight Greg Velasco (Union Beach/Keyport) broke a scoreless tie with a second period escape and used 1:54 of riding time for a 2-0 victory, his fifth win of the season.

Red-shirt freshman 125 J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, Va./Christiansburg) opened his match with a takedown and used a two-point near fall for a 4-0 first period lead.  An escape and takedown in period two opened Wert's lead to 7-0 as he recorded his sixth victory of the season, winning 8-2.

Rider was a 21-16 winner over Clarion last season and the Broncs have won 14 of 16 matches all-time against the Golden Eagles.

“It was important to get off to a good start with an EWL team,” Taylor said.  “Clarion has a strong tradition and their kids wrestled hard.”

The Broncs host Penn at 4pm on Sunday in Alumni Gym before traveling to Lehigh on December 7.

“Penn is going to be a tough match,” Taylor added.  “They have several ranked wrestlers and they are always tough.”

-RU-

#25 Rider University 38, Clarion University 3

133: Deutsch (RID) won by fall  Liggett (CLA)                       4:16        6-0
141: Zeisloft (RID) def. Pezze (CLA)                                       5-2        9-0
149: Clagon (RID) won by fall Sherlock (CLA)                      1:19      15-0
157: Walsh (RID) won by fall Delong (CLA)                           5:13      21-0
165: Braddock (CLA) def. Reca (RID)                                     3-0      21-3
174: Wolfe (RID) def. Pavasko (CLA)                                      8-3      24-3
184: Morrison (RID) major dec. Sutherland (CLA)                13-4      28-3
197: McNeil (RID) major dec. Darch (CLA)                           14-6      32-3
Hwt.: Velasco (RID) def. Davis (CLA)                                     2-0       35-3
125: Wert (RID) dec. Carr (CLA)                                            8-2        38-3