Oct. 24, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Senior Jason Coyne (Trafford, Pa.) carded a pair of takedowns and two escapes to score a 6-3 decision over sophomore Matt DeMichiel (Whitesboro, N.Y.) in the final match of the night and stage a 17-16 come-from-behind victory by the Navy Gold squad in the annual Navy Blue-Gold Challenge Matches Friday night at Halsey Field House. Coyne's takedown with 36 seconds remaining in the match sealed the win for himself and the gold team.

Though the two teams split the 10 matches with each claiming five wins, the gold squad produced back-to-back extra-point victories which proved to be the deciding factor.

Down 6-13 with four matches remaining, freshman John Majka (Chicago, Ill.) faced off against veteran Matt Pagan (Carteret, N.J.) at 141 pounds. The two-time Illinois state placewinner struck first with the opening period's lone points on a takedown. Pagan evened the match in the second period with a takedown with just under a minute to go. Majka, however, scored four points in a matter of three seconds, taking Pagan to the mat with three seconds to go and collecting a two-point nearfall at the buzzer. In the third period, Majka blanked Pagan, as he escaped just seconds into the stanza and again carded a takedown and nearfall by period's end. The 11-2 major decision on the part of Majka narrowed the deficit to just three at 13-10.

The following match featured returning NCAA qualifier Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) against junior Kyle O'Neill (Gaylord, Mich.). Saddoris scored three takedowns and a pair of nearfalls in the opening period to open up a 10-2 lead. He would go on to win the match 14-3 with riding time to give the gold team a narrow 14-13 lead with two matches remaining.

Senior Joel Ahern (Herkimer, N.Y.) was able to stop the gold's run temporarily with a 4-1 decision at 157 pounds. In a match of missed opportunities, Ahern had sophomore Robby Neill (Brick, N.J.) on the ropes several times, grasping his leg needing only a sweep to bring him to the mat. The same sequence played out several times, however Ahern had a difficult time bringing Neill down. Experience, though, perhaps made the difference in the end as Ahern was able to get Neill off his feet with 14 seconds remaining in the match to break a 1-1 tie. He claimed the 4-1 decision thanks to 1:21 of riding time to give his blue teammates a two-point advantage heading into the final match of the evening.

Coyne and DeMichiel fought one another a year ago for the right to represent Navy. Coyne was coming off a broken leg, while DeMichiel was transitioning from a standout high school wrestler to a challenger among the college ranks. So Friday's match was no surprise in terms of two hungry wrestlers battling it out for bragging rights.

Coyne struck first with a takedown midway through the opening period, but was met almost immediately with a reversal by DeMichiel. As quickly as the sequence took place, Coyne freed himself from DeMichiel's grasp and took a 3-2 advantage into the second stanza. Coyne pushed his lead to two points after an escape early in the period. Down 2-4 heading into the final period, DeMichiel chose the down position. He narrowed the lead to one with 1:53 to go, however, with 36 seconds remaining Coyne was able to get DeMichiel to the edge of the mat and score the deciding points of his match, as well as the meet.

Other highlights of the evening included wins by freshmen Pat McCaffrey (Chicago, Ill.) (125), Aaron Kalil (Salem, N.H.) (133) and Luke Rebertus (Elkton, Md.) (174). McCaffrey used a third-period escape to get past second-year standout Allan Stein (Portland, Maine), while Kalil easily handled sophomore Joe Boone (Poway, Calif.). Kalil turned in four first-period takedowns to jump out to an 8-3 lead and eventual scored a 12-5 decision for the blue squad. Rebertus, meanwhile, had a spirited match against junior Mike Billings (Waterford, Mich.). With the match deadlocked a two apiece after the opening period, Rebertus scored a reversal with 21 seconds to go in the second stanza, followed by a two-point nearfall to take the lead for good in a 7-4 victory.

Junior Russ Kropp (Pittsburgh, Pa.) (184), senior Philip Neese (Lexington, S.C.) (197) and senior captain Scott Steele (Baltimore, Md.) (HWT) also picked up wins in the match.

"I wasn't particularly pleased with some of the technical things that happened tonight, nor with the weight cuts I saw, but let's be honest, this is October and it's a tough time of the year for these young men. It's the first time they've had to make weight this season and it's an interesting atmosphere because the fans don't really know who to cheer for.

"Several of the polls have us ranked in the top 25 and even as high as No. 19, but I?don't think we were even close to that ranking tonight. Certainly by the end of the season we have the potential to be, but we have a lot of work to do in the wrestling room.

"I was encouraged with how Scott (Steele) and Bryce (Saddoris) wrestled and certainly Jason Coyne was aggressive and fought to get the win. We have some good young talent and it was nice to get them out on the mat in front of a crowd to get them some experience. I'm really excited about this season, but we do have some work to do."

Navy will officially open its season next Saturday at the Eastern Michigan Open where last year four Midshipmen placed second in their respective weight classes and Steele was crowned the heavyweight champion.

2008 Blue-Gold Challenge Matches:
174 Luke Rebertus (G) dec. Mike Billings (B), 7-4 RT 3-0
184 Russ Kropp (B) dec. Casey Caldwell (G), 3-2 3-3
197 Philip Neese (G) dec. Matt Reck (B), 9-4 RT 6-3
Hwt Scott Steele (B) major dec. Mike Landis (G), 16-4 RT 6-7
125 Pat McCaffrey (B) dec. Allan Stein (G), 3-2 6-10
133 Aaron Kalil (B) dec. Joey Boone (G), 12-5 6-13
141 John Majka (G) major dec. Matt Pagan (B), 11-2 10-13
149 Bryce Saddoris (G) major dec. Kyle O'Neill (B), 14-3 RT 14-13
157 Joel Ahern (B) dec. Robby Neill (G), 4-1 RT 14-16
165 Jason Coyne (G) dec. Matt DeMichiel (B) 6-3 17-16

### Go Navy ###