BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University wrestling took on No. 7 NC State in Varsity Gym on Friday night. The Mountaineers were tied with the highly-ranked Wolfpack with two matches left, but were topped in the final two matches and fell, 21-14.
“I was proud of our fight tonight,” said head coach JohnMark Bentley. “How hard we fight is how I judge our performances. We obviously need to get a lot better at certain positions. Our guys gave great effort and didn't back down from a great team. I take a lot positive out of it because of the way our guys battled. Tonight also showed us where we need to get better. We'll work on some things and as long as they bring the effort like they did tonight, I'll be happy as a coach.”
The match started with key matchup at heavyweight between No. 12 Denzel Dejournette and No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski. Both wrestlers were undefeated coming into the bout with Dejournette at 12-0 and Gwiazdowski at 7-0. Dejournette battled hard with the reigning national champion for three rounds but fell to Gwiazdowski, 11-4.
Vito Pasone dominated the 125-pound match to push the Mountaineers into the lead with his 14-2 major decision over Jamel Morris.
With App leading 4-3, Jacob Grigg took the mat against Jamal Morris. Grigg fought off an early deficit and was inches from a second-round pin. Grigg held on to win an 8-3 decision and extended the Mountaineer lead, 7-3.
Michael Longo took on Kevin Jack, the No. 1 141-pound wrestler in the nation. Jack pulled away from Longo in the third period, winning the bout 10-1 and leveling the team scores at seven.
At 149 pounds, Matt Zovistoski faced Beau Donahue. Zovistoski was down, 5-4, heading into the third period but rallied for a 10-5 decision win. With the win at 149 pounds the Apps took a 10-7 lead.
David Peters-Logue took on No. 7 Tommy Gantt at 157 pounds. Gantt pushed the Wolfpack back in front, 11-10, with a 16-6 major decision. Forrest Przybysz hung with No. 8 Max Rohskopf through three rounds but eventually fell 4-0.
With NC State leading 14-10, Nick Kee dominated the third period of the 174-pound match and earned bonus points for the Apps with a 12-3 major decision. The major decision tied the team score at 14 with two matches left.
Taylor Jackson fell to No. 17 Pete Renda at 184 pounds by a 13-3 major decision to give NC State an, 18-14, advantage going into the final match of the night. Malik McDonald topped Randall Diabe, 4-1, sealing the, 21-14, Wolfpack victory.
The Mountaineers return to the mats of Varsity Gym Dec. 15 to take on the Duke Blue Devils. The match is set for 6:30 p.m.
No. 7 NC State 21, App State 14
Hwt: Nick Gwiazdowski (NCST) def. Denzel Dejournette (APP), D, 11-4 (3-0 NCST)
125: Vito Pasone (APP) def. Jamel Morris (NCST) MD, 14-2 (4-3 App)
133: Jacob Grigg (APP) def. Jamal Morris (NCST) D, 8-3 (7-3 App)
141: Kevin Jack (NCST) def Michael Longo (APP) MD, 10-1 (7-7 tied)
149: Matt Zovistoski (APP) def. Beau Donahue (NCST) D, 10-5 (10-7 App)
157: Tommy Gantt (NCST) def. David Peters-Logue (APP) MD, 16-6 (11-10 NCST)
165: Max Rohskopf (NCST) def. Forrest Przybysz (APP) D, 4-0 (14-10 NCST)
174: Nick Kee (APP) def. Lee Davis (NCST) MD, 12-3 (14-14 tied)
184: Pete Renda (NCST) def. Taylor Jackson (APP) MD, 13-3 (18-14 NCST)
197: Malik McDonald (NCST) def. Randall Diabe (APP) D, 4-1 (21-14 NCST)
