Cyler’s 3-2 victory over Matt Moley represented Penn State’s signature victory during its two-dual opening weekend. Cyler grabbed Moley’s leg at the center of the mat before working his body behind the two-time All- American. Moley fought his way to the edge of the circle. But Cyler kept Moley inbounds, registering the decisive takedown. It only seemed fitting that Cyler, who defeated the nation’s second-ranked 157-pounder, aided the Nittany Lions (1-1). The senior transferred from Iowa State to Penn State to end his career on a team coached by his older brothers Cael and Cody. Cyler went from stoic to jubilant after referee Gary Kessel raised his arm. He smiled, clapped his hands and pumped his fist in triumph as he sprinted off the mat. “It felt really good to get my first win in here for Penn State,” he said. “It was a great crowd, a great atmosphere. I needed to get a good match under my belt. I wrestled a great opponent.”
The victory arrived at an odd time in the meet. The teams left the mat after the victory, taking a 10-minute intermission, one of the new twists in Penn State’s dual-meet presentation. The break, which included “We Are” chants and push-up contests, gave Steadman additional time to consider the magnitude of the situation. But he gathered himself to defeat Jake Dabashinsky 3-1. Two days after failing to convert a late shot against Lehigh’s Joe Kennedy, Steadman dragged Dabashinsky down with 31 seconds remaining. Steadman kept Dabashinsky down for the rest of the bout. “When I won that match, everybody was up screaming and yelling,” said Steadman, a late bloomer who went 5-16 last season. “I was like, ‘Wow, it’s real. It’s finally coming together.’”
Steadman’s victory gave Penn State a 17-15 lead. Heavyweight Cameron Wade further excited the crowd, which included 40 mat-side observers in a premium seating section, by pinning Zac Walsh in 4:42. “That made it a lot better,“ Wade said. “You always want to go out there and pin everybody, but that’s not what I was looking for.” Wade wasn’t the only wrestler who ended his bout prematurely. Penn State freshman Bryan Pearsall appeared on his way to a high-scoring decision, and possibly a major, at 133. But the 10-5 lead he built meant nothing when Dan Gaylord countered a shot and went head-hunting. Pearsall’s head fell into Gaylord’s grasp, and the Huskie freshman forced a sudden ending. The pin gave Bloomsburg the bonus points coach John Stutzman sought when his team left its scenic campus. But Stutzman said the Huskies (2-1) needed something else to spoil Penn State’s home opener — victories at 157, 165 and 197. Bloomsburg suffered another frustrating loss at 165 as Dan Vallimont’s second-period reversal held in a 2-1 decision over Ricky Schmelyun, who accumulated 1:26 of riding time. “I’m very disappointed at this point in time,” Stutzman said 10 minutes after the match. “We were in position to win 57, 65 and 97. I tell the guys it’s real simple. You have to get bonus points and upsets. We got the bonus points. We didn’t get the upset. We’re not that far off as a program.”
Still, the Huskies, who operate on 4.5 scholarships, well under the NCAA Division I maximum of 9.9, had many doubting whether Cael Sanderson would earn Penn State win No. 1. They received consecutive decisions from Nathan Graham and Derek Coffey at 174 and 184 to take a 15-14 lead entering the final two bouts. The situation might have fazed Steadman last year. But Steadman said two unrelated events — Cyler’s victory and Nick Fischer holding Graham to an 11-5 decision at 174 — provided a lift. Fischer, a 157-pounder, replaced David Erwin, a fifth-year senior Cael held out of the meet. “The pressure was really high,” Steadman said. “I could obviously see the score. Fischer did his job, Cyler did his job and I needed to do my job. I actually got a lot of momentum from Fischer and Cyler.”
Cael showed few outward signs of emotion throughout the meet. Like he did during Friday’s loss at Lehigh, Cael sat calmly in his corner seat even during the wild stretch from 125 to 149, which also included Brad Pataky’s nine-takedown 22-7 victory over Jason Guffey at 125 and Frank Molinaro’s five-takedown 12-3 win over Josh Roosa at 141. After signing dozens of post-meet autographs, Cael downplayed the significance of earning his first Penn State win. “It’s not too significant,” he said. “I’m just looking for these guys to wrestle well. My goal is to try to get the best out of these guys and get the most out of them. If we do that, the wins will come.” A few minutes earlier, Cyler dropped subtle hints of what the victory means to Cael. “It was real important, especially for my brother coming into a new program,” Cyler said. “It’s hard to step in. All the guys are making improvements. Everybody wrestled really well. I know he’s feeling good right now.”
Notes: Freshman David Taylor went 5-0 to capture the 157-pound title at this past weekend’s Washington and Jefferson Open. Taylor, a four-time Ohio state champion, won four bouts by technical falls. Freshman Jake Kemerer went 5-1 and finished third at 165. Kemerer lost to West Virginia’s Donnie Jones 5-3 in the semifinals.
Thanks to Guy Cipriano and the CDT for the article