CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion wrestling team overcame the challenges of a patchwork lineup to claim their second Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) win of the season, defeating Bloomsburg 27-13 at Tippin Gymnasium on Friday evening.
The Golden Eagles (5-9, 2-3 EWL) will close out their conference slate on Sunday when they wrestle at Cleveland State.
Clarion was without the services of essentially four starters on Friday but battled their way past the Huskies, winning six of the nine bouts contested and picking up another win via forfeit. Scott Marmoll clinched the match with a win at 184 pounds, putting the score at 21-9 with two more to go. With the six points from a forfeit at 197 pounds in their pocket, the Golden Eagles were assured of a win at that point.
The sole bonus point win of the night came from Evan DeLong, who recorded his first win by fall since Jan. 8 with a pin of John Barber. Delong built a healthy 10-3 advantage through two periods thanks to four takedowns and a reversal, but the key moment came when he started the third period in the top position. DeLong maneuvered Barber to his back and pinned him just 13 seconds into the stanza.
The reigning EWL Wrestler of the Week Jake Gromacki got things started at 125 pounds, working over Willy Girard in the first period to set himself up for victory. Gromacki got a quick early takedown and turned Girard over for a four-point near fall, giving himself a 6-0 cushion. He rode that advantage all the way to the finish line, and despite allowing Girard the riding time point came out with a 6-3 win. Roshaun Cooley followed that up with an impressive win of his own at 133 pounds. He started the third period in the down position and escaped to take a 3-2 lead, and then brought down Matt Noble late in the period for a 5-2 decision.
Jake Keller won his second straight match in a protracted defensive effort against Nate Newberry, taking the decision at 149 pounds. Keller started the third period in the down spot and quickly reversed Newberry to break a scoreless tie, and then racked up riding time throughout the end of the period for a 4-0 decision. Also claiming wins by decision were Dom Rigous, who defeated Trevor Allard by a 4-0 score, and Scott Marmoll, who won 6-0 over Kyle Murphy.
Clarion 27, Bloomsburg 13
125: Jake Gromacki (Clarion) over Willy Girard (Bloomsburg) (Dec 6-3)
133: Roshaun Cooley (Clarion) over Matt Noble (Bloomsburg) (Dec 5-2)
141: Grant Bond (Bloomsburg) over Evan Myers (Clarion) (Dec 11-4)
149: Jake Keller (Clarion) over Nate Newberry (Bloomsburg) (Dec 4-0)
157: Kevin Laubach (Bloomsburg) over Mac Tanner (Clarion) (Fall 2:33)
165: Evan Delong (Clarion) over John Barber (Bloomsburg) (Fall 5:14)
174: Dom Rigous (Clarion) over Trevor Allard (Bloomsburg) (Dec 4-0)
184: Scott Marmoll (Clarion) over Kyle Murphy (Bloomsburg) (Dec 6-0)
197: Dustin Conti (Clarion) over Unknown (For.)
285: Bruce Graeber (Bloomsburg) over Terrell Fields (Clarion) (MD 8-0)
