Edinboro Match Notes

Live Stats Available for Edinboro-Bloomsburg Match at TrackWrestling.com

PROBABLE LINEUPS

Edinboro Fighting Scots (5-3, 3-0 EWL)
125 -- #19/#16 Kory Mines (Jr.-r, 16-6, Bedford, OH)
133 -- #2/#2 A.J. Schopp (Jr.-r, 22-1, Tyrone, PA
141 -- #1/#1 Mitchell Port (Jr.-r, 18-0, Bellefonte, PA)
149 -- #16/#17 Dave Habat (Jr.-r, 19-4, Parma, OH)
157 -- #17/#16 Johnny Greisheimer (Sr.-r, 17-7, Wantagh, NY)
165 -- Kasey Burnett-Davis (Jr.-r, 9-5, Meadville, PA)
174 -- Patrick Jennings (So.-r, 7-8, Ridge, NJ)
184 -- #15/#14 Vic Avery (So.-r, 12-2, Foxboro, MA)
197 -- Vince Pickett (So., 11-8, Galloway, OH)
Hwt. -- #19/#16 Ernest James (Sr.-r, 18-5, Medford, NY)

HEAD?COACH: Tim Flynn (Penn State '87, 178-68-5, 17th year)
Rankings: InterMat/Amateur Wrestling News

Cleveland State Vikings (1-5, 0-0 EWL)
125 -- John Martin (Fr., 4-11, Columbus, OH)
133 -- Dan King (So., 15-9, Harrisburg, PA)
141 – Jared McKinley (So., 16-7, Indianapolis, IN)
149 -- Nick Montgomery (Fr., 9-11, Willoughby, OH)
157 -- R.J. LaBeef (So., 3-5, Pomfret, CT)
165 -- Matt Donohoe (So., 7-9, Tynsboro, MA)
174 -- Nick Corba (Fr., 10-7, Beaver Creek, OH)
184 -- Xavier Dye (So. ,6-7, McClure, OH)
197 – Corbin Boone (Sr., 9-3, Holt, MI)
Hwt. -- Riley Shaw (So., 12-8, Washington, OH)

HEAD?COACH: Ben Stehura (Lock Haven '00, 6th year)
Rankings: InterMat/Amateur Wrestling News

Bloomsburg Huskies (5-5, 1-1 EWL)
125 -- Sean Boylan (Sr., 14-16, Seaville, NJ)
133 -- Nick Wilcox (Sr., 18-8, Greene, NY)
141 -- Elliot Zackoski (Jr., 7-10, Scranton, PA)
149 -- Derek Goodwin (Jr.-r, 4-10, Hamburg, PA)
157 -- Kevin Hartnett (Jr.-r, 14-10, Staten Island, NY)
165 -- #15/#15 Josh Veltre (Sr.-r, 14-3, Rochester, NY)
174 -- Mike Dessino (Sr.-r, 21-6, Middlesex, NJ)
184 -- Sam Shirey (Sr.-r, 9-18, Beaver Springs, PA)
197 -- #5/#4 Richard Perry (Sr.-r, 22-1, Meriden, CT)
Hwt. -- NR/#14 Justin Grant (Sr.-r, 22-4, Easton, PA)

HEAD?COACH: Jason Mester (Central Michigan '04, 5-5, 1st year)
Rankings: InterMat/Amateur Wrestling News

THE MATCH STORIES

Edinboro can clinch at least a tie for the Eastern Wrestling League regular season crown this weekend with wins over Cleveland State and Bloomsburg. The Fighting Scots travel to Woodling Gymnasium to face the Vikings on Friday, January 24 before returning home the next day to host Bloomsburg. That match gets underway at 7:00 p.m. at McComb Fieldhouse. Edinboro is currently 3-0 after EWL competition and 5-3 overall after defeating Lock Haven 37-3 last Saturday. With George Mason and Rider added to the EWL late in the scheduling process, not every team is wrestling the two newcomers. Edinboro's closest pursuers are Rider (4-1) and Bloomsburg (1-1), although Cleveland State will wrestle its first EWL match of the season against the Fighting Scots. Edinboro wraps up the EWL portion of its season against Bloomsburg.

The Fighting Scots turned in a strong showing at the Virginia Duals two weeks ago, taking second place. Following a first round bye, they edged 25th-ranked Old Dominion 17-16, then advanced to the finals with a 23-9 win over 15th-ranked Virginia Tech. Virginia, ranked 13th, would edge Edinboro in the finals, 20-19.

A very young Cleveland State squad has posted a 1-5 record, with that victory coming against John Carroll. Coach Ben Stehura's Vikings have not competed in a dual since December 19, but have wrestled in the Southern Duals and many competed in the Purple Raider Open at Mount Union this past weekend.

Bloomsburg and Edinboro have had a spirited rivalry in recent years, and though coach John Stutzman has moved on to Buffalo, the Huskies feature a veteran lineup under first-year coach Jason Mester. The Huskies are 5-5 overall and 1-1 in the EWL, with a win over Lock Haven and a loss to Rider. They've faced a challenging schedule with the likes of Lehigh, Illinois and Arizona State.

The Fighting Scots own a 22-8 record in the all-time series with Cleveland State, winning the last eight meetings. That includes a 37-3 victory a year ago at McComb Fieldhouse. Edinboro has a 19-6 advanatge in the all-time series with Bloomsburg, but the Huskies snapped a seven-match losing streak with a 19-18 win that was decided on criteria.

The Fighting Scots turned in a strong showing at the prestigious Midlands Championships. They matched their highest finish ever in the event, coming in second. In addition, five wrestlers placed, led by Mitchell Port. The redshirt junior was the champion at 141 lbs., Edinboro's first since 2011. A.J. Schopp bounced back from a loss in the semifinals to take home third place at 133 lbs., and Johnny Greisheimer was also third at 157 lbs. Ernest James was fifth at heavyweight and Vic Avery came in eighth at 184 lbs., although the redshirt sophomore forfeited his final two matches due to an injury.

Edinboro has continued to climb in the various national rankings. The Fighting Scots are ranked ninth in the latest InterMat poll and have been as high as sixth. The Scots are 14th in the USA Today/ NWCA/AWN Coaches Poll. In addition, they are 10th according to WrestlingReport.com and 11th in WIN's Tournament Power Index.

The Edinboro lineup features as many as eight ranked wrestlers, led by Mitchell Port, who is ranked number one at 141 lbs. Port finished as the runnerup at 141 lbs. at the NCAA?Division I?National Championships last March, earning All-American honors for the first time. He owns an 18-0 record and is number one according to InterMat, Amateur Wrestling News and WrestlingReport.com, and second in the WIN?rankings. A.J. Schopp (22-1), another junior, was first for a week at 133 lbs. before suffering his first loss of the season at the Midlands Championships. He is second according to InterMat, Amateur Wrestling News and WrestlingReport.com and third in the WIN poll. Vic Avery (12-2) is as high as 12th at 184 lbs. according to WIN, along with 13th by AWN, 15th by InterMat and 17th by WrestlingReport.com. Dave Habat (19-4) is ranked 14th at 149 lbs. by WIN, along with 16th by InterMat, and 17th by WrestlingReport.com and AWN. Johnny Greisheimer (17-7) reappeared in the rankings recently after being out for several weeks. The senior has climbed to 14th at 157 lbs. according to WIN, 16th by AWN and WrestlingReport.com, and 17th by InterMat. Kory Mines (16-6) stands 15th in the WIN poll, 18th according to WrestlingReport.com, and 19th by InterMat and AWN at 125 lbs. Ernest James (18-5) parlayed a strong showing at Midlands into a boost in the rankings. The heavyweight is now 16th according to AWN, 19th by InterMat, 20th by WIN and 21st by Wrestling Report.com. Finally, Vince Pickett (11-8) is ranked 28th by WrestlingReport.com at 197 lbs.

Head coach Tim Flynn has once again assembled a demanding schedule, with no fewer than five teams ranked in this week's InterMat Top 25 or USA?Today/NWCA/AWN Coaches Poll. Leading the way is Iowa, which visited McComb Fieldhouse on December 5 as the top-ranked team in the country. Using the NWCA?poll, which is a measure of dual meets, Iowa is currently ranked second. Pittsburgh is eighth, while Virginia Tech has been ranked as high as eighth and is now 17th. Rider was ranked 25th at the time Edinboro faced the Broncs, and Bloomsburg has been ranked at various points in the season and are currently 24th in InterMat's Top 25. The Fighting Scots also competed in the Virginia Duals, where they faced 13th-ranked Virginia in the finals. Throw in the Midlands Championships and Edinboro's wrestlers have again faced some top talent.

Edinboro returns to action next weekend with a home dual against Buffalo on Saturday, February 1. The Fighting Scots Fighting Cancer match gets underway at 7:00 p.m. at McComb Fieldhouse, with admission free with a donation to benefit Breast Cancer Awareness.

THE SERIES RECORDS

THE?CLEVELAND?STATE SERIES
Edinboro leads?22-8

LAST?MEETING
2012-13: EDINBORO 37, CLEVELAND?STATE 3 -- the Fighting Scots made it eight straight wins against the Vikings, winning nine of ten bouts. A.J. Schopp (133 lbs.) and Johnny Greisheimer (165 lbs.) won by fall.

THE?BLOOMSBURG SERIES
Edinboro leads?19-6

LAST?MEETING
2012-13: BLOOMSBURG?19, EDINBORO 18 -- the Huskies snapped a seven-match losing streak to Edinboro, winning on criteria for the 19-18 victory. The match between 15th-ranked Edinboro and 19th-ranked Bloomsburg was so close that it came down to criteria 3.15.1, total match points. The Huskies prevailed, 52-41.

THE?COACHES

EDINBORO -- Tim Flynn (Penn State '86) is in his 17th season as the helm of the Fighting Scots. He has elevated the Edinboro program to one of the best in the country, compiling a 178-68-5 record. Edinboro has had 11 top-20 finishes and three in the top ten at the NCAA?Division I?National Championships during his tenure. He has produced three national champions and 30 All-Americans. All told, Flynn has been named the EWL?Coach of the Year five times and the PSAC?Coach of the Year 11 times.

CLEVELAND?STATE -- Ben Stehura (Lock Haven '00) is in his sixth season as the head coach of the Vikings after serving five years as the Limestone College head coach. Stehura joined CSU in 2008 after building a successful program at Limestone in Gaffney, S.C. The first head coach in Limestone's history, Stehura took the team from three wins his first year to 13 in 2007-2008.

BLOOMSBURG -- Jason Mester (Central Michigan '04) was named Bloomsburg's head coach this past summer. He took over the Huskies after serving as an assistant coach at Missouri for two years, then taking over as the top assistant coach at Central Michigan a year ago. He also served as the strength and conditioning coach at Nebraska for five seasons. One of the top wrestlers in CMU history, Mester is tied for 11th in school history with 104 career victories from 2001-04. He won three Mid-American Conference championships (2001, 2003, 2004) at 141 pounds and was an All-American in both 2003 and 2004. Mester was named MAC Wrestler of the Year as a senior.