2007-2008 SEASON PREVIEW
CLARION WRESTLERS OPEN SEASON AT BINGHAMTON DUALS SUNDAY
Clarion University=s NCAA Division I Wrestling team is ready to roll out the mats on a new season featuring second year head coach Teague Moore and a very young Golden Eagles squad.
The Golden Eagles open 2007-2008 against #2 ranked Iowa State on Sunday at 9:30am, then wrestle Sacred Heart at 11:30am at the Binghamton Duals.
This year’s schedule is very strong including teams like Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Lehigh, Eastern Michigan, Rider and the normal EWL rivalries. Seven home dual meet dates dot the season schedule with the home opener scheduled for Wednesday, December 19th against Kent State at 7pm.
Starting with Kent State, all of the Golden Eagles dual meets will be broadcast on either WCCR-FM or WWCH-AM in Clarion and on Red Zone media on the internet. Rich Herman and former legendary head coach Bob Bubb providing the play by play and color commentary.
In a twist of scheduling, Clarion wrestling fans will actually have a chance to see the PSAC Championships at Tippin Gymnasium this year to lead off the season. The PSAC has moved its annual championship to December 8th and Clarion is the host this year.
MOORE BEGINS 2ND SEASON
5TH CLARION COACH SINCE 1960
The Golden Eagle wrestling program embarked last year on a new era in wrestling with Teague Moore at the helm. He is only the fifth Clarion coach since the program was re-started in 1960 under Frank Lignelli. Lignelli coached from 1960-66, Bob Bubb from 1967-92, Jack Davis from 1993-97 and Ken Nellis from 1998-2005. A proud tradition of wrestling since 1960 and Division I wrestling since Bubb’s arrival in 1967, Clarion has a dual meet record of 480-269-12 over 48 years with 8 Division I Nationals Champions, 43 D-I All-Americans, 51 EWL winners and 106 PSAC champs.
Moore brought the Golden Eagles a 7-13 dual meet record last year with wins over Millersville (23-22), AIC (36-6), Duquesne (21-18), East Stroudsburg (26-12), Davidson (33-12), Binghamton (26-21) and Delaware State (37-9), placed fourth at the PSAC’s and 7th at EWL’s.
That was a big improvement over the 2006 record of 0-17 before he arrived.
The 2008 outlook? “I’m really excited about the new season,” said coach Moore. “I believe we have a much more balanced lineup than we had a year ago, and our fans should enjoy the caliber of wrestling we’ll bring to the mat each night. We’re still a young, rebuilding team though, and we’ll still have the normal growing pains that young teams go through.”
“The hallmark of this team will be to have each wrestler go all out for 7 minutes while challenging their opponents to stay with us. We want Clarion to be known as a third period team that excels in the final minute of its matches. We need to be mentally and physically prepared to take advantage of our conditioning, self-confidence and heart to win the close matches. We also expect to improve as the season progresses since the ultimate goal is to peak in March for EWL’s and nationals. Patience, continued teaching and setting high goals for each wrestler is what we’ll dedicate ourselves to this season. We do not have the depth we’d like, so staying healthy is a must throughout the year.”
SAL LASCARI & HADLEY HARRISON WILL CAPTAIN THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Moore will look to co-captains Sal Lascari (Jr. Gray/North Star) and Hadley Harrison (So. McKean/ General McLane) to provide team leadership this season.
Lascari, a 141-pounder, returns to the starting lineup after posting a 22-14 record at 133-pounds a year ago. He placed third at the PSAC Championships and sixth at EWL’s a year ago.
Harrison, meanwhile, had a strong freshman campaign with a 21-19 overall slate, placed fifth at PSAC’s and sixth at EWL’s.
LABRAKE, MORELLI, JOSEPH & JORDAN ALSO RETURN
133-pounder Rob LaBrake (So. N. Bennington. Vt./ Mt. Anthony Union) returns along with Mario Morelli (So. DuBois), Scott Joseph (So. Export/Kiski Area) and Dixon Jordan (So. Cheverly, Md.).
LaBrake, who sat out last season, posted a 10-21 mark as a true freshman in 2006. He placed 6th at PSAC’s and competed at EWL’s. He was a 4-time Vermont State Champion in high School.
Morelli, from nearby DuBois, had a very good freshman year in 2007 when he posted a 13-14 overall record. He placed 5th at PSAC and sixth at EWL’s at 165 pounds, but this year is moving up to 174.
Joseph and Jordan worked hard a year ago and have put in the time and sacrifice to improve. Joseph was 6-24 last year at 184 pounds and he returns to that spot. Jordan was also 6-24, but he placed 6th at EWL’s.
IVANCO, T. LASCARI, UNCAPHER, COX & HUSSAM LINEUP NEWCOMERS
Coach Moore will also look to several newcomers to provide the Golden Eagles with some firepower.
Jay Ivanco (Monroeville), a red-shirt freshman, will likely start the year at 125-pounds. From Gateway High, he was a three-time PIAA placewinner and 3-time Section Champion.
Tony Lascari (So. Gray), was 0-2 last year in limited action but has returned at 133-pounds to challenge Rob LaBrake. Lascari was a 4-time PIAA Qualifier and placed at PIAA’s his freshman year.
Travis Uncapher (Grapeville/Hempfield), a true freshman, posted a 43-3 record last year and placed third at PIAA’s. He has a career record of 128-27. He is expected to start for the Golden Eagles at 157-pounds.
Dave Cox (Orlando. Fla./Oviedo), a newcomer who transferred from Newberry College (S.C.), had a strong high school background in Florida. He earned 4 wrestling letters at Oviedo High School and placed second and fifth at the Florida State Championships. He will start at 157-pounds.
Roman Hussam (Lewisburg) is a true freshman who will start at heavyweight this season. Hussam was a PIAA Placewinner and posted a career record of 121-30 at Lewisburg. He earned 4 wrestling and football letters and was King of the Mountain Champion.
Also battling to start will be Andrew Smith (West Chester/Unionville) at 125 and Justin Porter (Sr. Vinita, Ok.) At 141 pounds.
Smith is a true freshman from Unionville High School. Porter, who transferred to Clarion from Oklahoma State, should be eligible in December. He won two letters at Oklahoma State before transferring. He was a two-time Oklahoma State Champ and two-time runner-up in high school with a career record of 122-11.
MOORE TRYING TO RED-SHIRT SEVERAL WRESTLERS
If the team stays healthy, a number of wrestlers will likely red-shirt the season. Two-year starter Greg Lewis (Jr. New Providence) at 141, Cameron Moran (Fr. James City/Kane) at 125, Chris Lascari (Fr. Gray) at 149, Jimmy McCauley (Fr. New Bethlehem/Redbank Valley) at 157, Darren Bollman (Fr. Imperial/West Allegheny) at 157, Jason Tisinger (Fr. New Market, Va.) At 184 and Geovannie Miller (So. Pgh. Taylor Allderdice) at heavyweight.
Lewis was 15-14 last year and has a 2-year record of 29-27 at 141-pounds. Moran was a three-time PIAA placewinner at Kane High and was as high as second. He had a 140-16 career record. Lascari was a 3-time PIAA Qualifier and placed 7th at States. He had a 154-33 career record. McCauley, from nearby Redbank Valley, had a career record of 114-26. Tisinger, from Stonewall Jackson High, was 34-9 last year at heavyweight. He projects at 197 or 184. Bollman, is from West Allegheny and will wrestle at 157, and Miller, a heavyweight, is from Taylor Allderdice High and was 6-3 last year.
CLARION NOTES: EWL’s this year will be a one day tournament for the first time in its history … It is set for Mar. 8 at Pitt … NCAA’s return to St. Louis (Scottrade Center) Mar. 20-22… Coach Moore came to Clarion from Harvard where he was an assistant coach. He was also an assistant at Oklahoma State (03-04), Oklahoma (02-03) and Pitt (2000-01)… A native of Pittsburgh and a 1995 grad of North Allegheny High, Teague was a three-time PIAA placewinner including a second in 1993, third in 94 and state Champion in 1995… A 3-time PA. State Freestyle Champ and Junior National Freestyle Champ, he went on to Oklahoma State and was a 4-year starter under John Smith … A 3-time NCAA D-I All-American he was third in 1999, fourth in 1997 and NCAA National Champion at 118-pounds in 1998… He was 118-25 in his collegiate career and went on to wrestle for the USA … He was third at the Olympic Trials in 2000, won US Open at 55kg in 2002 and was a national team member and runner-up at the World Team Trials … National Team member in 2003 Teague was a Silver Medalist at the World Cup and was third at the World Team Trials and US Open Nationals… In 2004 he was third at the US Olypmic Trials and at the US Open… Moore replaced Ken Nellis who was 47-89-3 from 1998-2005… Nellis coached 7 All-Americans... Nellis replaced Jack Davis as head coach...In 5 seasons Davis was 43-34-5 ... Clarion was 14th at the NCAA's in 1997, 12th in 96, and 15th in 1995 and 94 under Davis ... Legendary coach Robert "Bob" Bubb directed the Golden Eagles for 26-seasons (1967-92) and compiled a record of 322-121-4 … He led Clarion to top 10 team finishes at the NCAA's in 1992 (8th), 1987 (6th), 1973 (4th) and 1972 (6th)... Bubb was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on June 4, 2005 in Stillwater, Oklahoma … His wrestlers won 7 D-I individual titles, 3 college division titles, 27 All-America placings, 29 EWL champs and 68 PSAC winners… His 1986 team went 17-0-1, ranked third in the nation in the final poll behind Iowa and Iowa State… The NCAA selected its 75th Anniversary Team in 2005 – naming the top 15 collegiate wrestlers of All-Time… Clarion had two named to that team in Wade Schalles (71-74) and Kurt Angle (88-92)… Schalles was a 2-time NCAA Champ with an amazing 153-5-1 record including 106 pins … Angle also was a two-time champion, was 116-10-2 in his career and of course won an Olympic Gold Medal in the 1996 Olympic Games… Coach Frank Lignelli re-started the wrestling program in 1960 and coached through 1966 … He was 61-12-0.