CLARION 8TH AT 63RD PSAC WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
        Clarion notched four placewinners and scored 31 team points as the Golden Eagles finished eighth of nine teams at the 63rd PSAC Wrestling Championships held on Saturday at Slippery Rock.
        Edinboro won the team title with 146 points, Bloomsburg was second with 113.5 and Lock Haven was third with 91 points, holding off host Slippery Rock who was fourth with 87.5 points. Rounding out the nine team field were fifth place East Stroudsburg with 83.5 points, Kutztown sixth with 46, Shippensburg seventh at 41.5, Clarion eighth with 31 and Millersville ninth with 29.5.
        Clarion freshmen Greg Lewis (141; Fr. New Providence - Lampeter-Strasburg HS) and A.J. Brooks (hwt; Fr. Lewes, De. - Sussex Tech) placed fourth at their respective weight classes, while freshmen Rob LaBrake (133; Fr. N. Bennington, Vt. - Mt. Anthony Union) and Logan Downes (165; Fr. New Kensington - Valley) were sixth.
        Lewis and Brooks both advanced to the semifinals. Lewis knocked off Alex Renn (Shipp) 6-2 and ESU’s Alex Bimes (7-0) in the championship bracket, before losing in the semi’s to Brad Forbes (Bloom) 4-3. In the wrestle backs Lewis majored LH’s Brian Lewis (9-1), before losing 6-3 to Millersville’s Cody Becker for third place. Lewis’ 3-2 PSAC record brings his season mark to 11-7.
        Brooks meanwhile opened the PSAC’s with an exciting 2-1 tie breaker decision in overtime over Edinboro’s Karl Davia, then was pinned at 2:59 by eventual champ Mike Spaid (Bloomsburg). In the wrestle backs Brooks notched a 9-4 decision over LH’s Tim Myers, before losing a tough 5-4 decision to ESU’s Adam Karacevicz. Brooks is now 8-14 on the season.
        LaBrake opened against SR’s Sal Lascari and was pinned at 2:27. He won his first wrestle back bout, a 19-4 technical fall John Andel of Millersville, then lost a tough 3-2 decision to Ricky Donald of Bloomsburg. Rob then lost a 9-2 decision to Lascari for fifth place and now has a season record of 9-13.
        Downes was also 1-3 at PSAC’s. He opened with a 12-2 loss to Frank Beasley (Bloomsburg), defeated Jon Shaeffer (Kutztown) 6-1, lost to Keith Smith (ESU) 8-0 and lost 8-3 to Rory McCoy of Lock Haven for fifth. Downes now has a 5-17 season record at Clarion.
        Also wrestling at PSAC’s were Dave Gardner (174; Jr. North Huntingdon), Derrick Smith (149- Fr. Mexico, N.Y.), Lucas Christopher (157; Fr. McMurray - Peters Twp.) and Dominic Ross (184- Fr. Sharon). Dave Gardner was 1-2 at 174 and did not place. He has a season record of 12-10. Derrick Smith (149), Lucas Christopher (157), and Dominic Ross (184) were all 0-2. Smith is 2-7, Christopher 5-11 and Ross 1-14 in the current season.


CLARION NOTES: The eighth place finish was the lowest since 1961 when the Eagles placed 11th in their second year re-starting the program... Clarion was 6th in 1962 and never lower than fourth until 2004... Clarion was fifth in 2004 and 2005... Since 1960 Clarion has had 6 years without a PSAC champion...The last was in 1988, although the team finished fourth .... The others were 1960-64... Clarion travels to Bloomsburg on Friday and Rider on Saturday for their next two dual matches ... Clarion is without 125- Toby Seger, 149- T.J. McCance, 165- Chris Goings, 184- Charlie Cilinski and 197- Matt Wilcox, all with injuries...Edinboro put nine wrestlers in the finals, tying Clarion’s PSAC record nine in the finals in 1983. Clarion posted seven champions that year, while Edinboro had six individual winners on Saturday. Boro 133-pounder Shawn Bunch was the “OW” of the PSAC’s.