Starter-on-starter action? Forget it. Penn State and Lock Haven didn’t take any chances Saturday with the individual postseason looming in less than two weeks. Still, some lessons were absorbed during Penn State’s 35-8 victory at Thomas Field House:

Using a lineup comprised of four backups and some starters at odd spots, the Nittany Lions (14-5) claimed eight bouts before 1,300 fans. The match included senior Mark McKnight receiving his 100th career college victory by forfeit at 125 and a surprise win from Bellefonte graduate Mike Lorenzo at 174. But the most intriguing development might have occurred at 141 where returning All-American Jake Strayer competed for the first time in 22 days. Strayer hammered Lock Haven backup George Ester 19-2 Strayer, who sustained a rib injury during a wrestle-off with Garrett Scott earlier this month, looked solid in his return. He took Ester down four times and recorded three back points with nine seconds remaining to secure the technical fall. Strayer scored 10 points during the third period. “The first minute was pretty rough,” Strayer said. “But after that I felt pretty good again.”

A cruel reality surrounded Strayer’s performance — he might not receive a chance to improve upon last year’s seventh- place finish at the NCAA Championships. At first, Strayer’s hopes for returning appeared bleak. But Strayer returned to practice Friday and quickly re-entered the starting lineup. Scott, who has recorded four straight victories, didn’t wrestle against the Bald Eagles (9-8) because of an illness. “I was supposed to be out for the season,” Strayer said. “It obviously stills hurts, but it’s healing a lot faster than I intended. Neither Strayer (11-5) nor coach Troy Sunderland know whether another wrestle-off with Scott (16-3) will be conducted before the Big Ten Championships. The two-day tournament begins March 8 in Minneapolis. “That’s something we are going to decide,” Sunderland said. “I think we were all a little surprised he was able to go. It’s going to be one of those really difficult decisions, and it’s something where we will sit-down as a staff and look at what’s the best thing for the program and the individuals involved.”

Strayer’s victory helped Penn State take a 14-0 lead after three bouts. The Nittany Lions then shifted their lineup as backup 133-pounder Mike Eagen competed at 149, starting 149- pounder Bubba Jenkins replaced Dan Vallimont at 157, Lorenzo, a backup 165-pounder, replaced David Erwin at 174, and Jack Decker replaced Phil Bomberger at 184. Lock Haven recorded its two victories at 149 where Matt Fittery hit a four-point move at the buzzer to defeat Eagen by technical fall and 184 where Jeremie Cook defeated Decker 3-1 in overtime. Injuries forced Lock Haven to compete without starters John Trumbetti (125), Clint Shirk (141), Landis Wright (165) and Tom Kocher (174).

The dual included three matchups between starters. Penn State’s Tim Haas defeated Billy Ashnault 7-3 at 133, Phil Davis pinned Ben Hepburn at 197 and John Laboranti defeated Dan Craig 13-5 at heavyweight. “We wanted to see our guys fight,” Lock Haven coach Rocky Bonomo said. “Sometimes you wrestle a team like Penn State and you tighten up and you’re always on edge. You’re stalling and you’re intimidated, and you can see it. That didn’t happen tonight. I thought our guys went after it. There were some solid scrambles and it was a great night of wrestling for the fans.” Lorenzo was involved in one of the match’s most exciting bouts. Lorenzo, the son of former Penn State coach Rich Lorenzo, used a first-period takedown, two escapes and 2:02 of riding time to defeat senior Mike Metzger 5-2 and earn his first college dual-meet victory. “It was mental,” Lorenzo said. “I guess I just wanted it more.”

Thanks to Guy Cipriano and the "Centre Daily Times" (State College, Pa.) for the article