Penn State’s 141- pound dilemma reached a cruel zenith during the second round of the NCAA Championships. Freshman Garrett Scott, who spent most of this year competing with 2007 All-American Jake Strayer, experienced a painful 8-5 Thursday night loss to Minnesota’s Manuel Rivera. Scott held a 3-0 lead after recording a first-period takedown and second-period escape. A knee injury sustained during this month’s Big Ten Championships impacted Scott in the second period. Rivera took Scott down 45 seconds into the period and Scott then grimaced on the edge of the circle. The discomfort forced Scott to take injury time. Rivera scored the next five points, including three on a tilt, to take a 7-3 lead. Scott reversed Rivera with 35 seconds remaining, but couldn’t parlay the move into any bout-tying near-fall points.

The loss has painful ramifications for the Nittany Lions. Scott and Strayer both spent most of this year in the Top 10 of the National Wrestling Coaches Association/InterMat rankings. Still, Penn State won’t enter today with a quarterfinalist at its deepest weight. Advertisement“It’s very disappointing,” coach Troy Sunderland said. “Garrett just didn’t wrestle a very smart match. He was in on some shots and we talk about capitalizing on opportunities and he had three great opportunities in addition to the one that he did score on. But Rivera is a tough kid and tough defensively.” Sunderland didn’t reveal much information when asked about the state of Scott’s knee. The athletic tape wrapped onto Scott started halfway up his shin and ended halfway up his thigh. Scott, who pinned Wyoming’s Carter Downing in the first round, didn’t have any cover around his kneecap. “He obviously tweaked it in that scramble position when it looked like he was going to give up some back points,” Sunderland said. “He will battle through it.” Scott now finds himself in an unfamiliar place. He will begin the second day in the consolation bracket, a place he never entered during his three PIAA Class AA Championships at District 6 Juniata Valley High School. “I think it’s a big step for him to come back after a tough loss after something where he felt pretty confident he was going to win the match,” Sunderland said. “It’s a tough adjustment and we will see what he’s made of.”

District 6 streak in trouble

Scott wasn’t the only former District 6 standout who experienced a difficult day. Pitt senior and State College High School graduate Matt Kocher’s run in the 157-pound championship bracket ended with a 4-3 overtime loss to Boise State’s Tyler Sherfey. Kocher and Sherfey traded escapes during the second set of tiebreaker periods, but Sherfey advanced to the quarterfinals by recording 11 seconds of riding time. Kocher, who placed fifth at 157 last year, also started his tournament with a lengthy bout. He defeated Iowa’s Ryan Morningstar 4-2 in the second sudden-victory period. Between the two bouts, Kocher wrestled more than 20 minutes. Kent State true freshman and Indian Valley graduate Nic Bedelyon fell to Illinois senior Gabe Flores 6-4 in his first-round bout. Scott, Kocher and Bedelyon are trying to continue an impressive streak for District 6. At least one wrestler from the district has reached the podium every year since 2005.

Six Pennsylvania wrestlers to quarters

Despite Scott, Kocher and Bedelyon’s losses, Pennsylvania once again showed its depth during the national tournament. The state’s 46 qualifiers represented a tournament-high and six advanced to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinalists include Oklahoma State’s Coleman Scott (Waynesburg) at 133, Army’s Matt Kyler (Clearfield) and Hofstra’s Charles Griffin (Reading) at 141, Cornell’s Steve Anceravage (Bloomsburg) and Pitt’s Keith Gavin (Lackawanna Trail) at 174 and Penn State’s Phil Davis (Harrisburg) at 197.

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