Feb. 21, 2009

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- The Navy wrestling team won seven of the first eight bouts en route to capturing the program's ninth-consecutive victory over arch rival Army in the annual Star Match held at West Point on Saturday afternoon. While Navy's Bruce Burnett is unbeaten against the Black Knights in his nine seasons as head coach, his Midshipmen have outscored Army, 208-91, over their nine-match winning streak.

"I'm really pleased to be able to keep the winning streak alive for our program," said Burnett. "I honestly think we had the opportunity to win all 10 matches today with how we wrestled.

"Sometimes you don't know how your team will respond going into a match like this, but I?really could not have been more happy with the effort. Every one of our guys put everything they had out there today and represented the Naval Academy well."

Navy took an early 3-0 lead in the match following a hard-fought 3-2 win by rookie 125-pounder Prescott Garner (West Linn, Ore.). After a scoreless opening period, Army junior Lance Penhale turned Garner for a two-point nearfall to open the second. Garner, however, countered with a reversal to even the match heading into the final stanza. Not only did Garner pin Penhale's arm behind his back, smothering him with the hold, the Navy freshman was able to ride him out, earning the decisive point for riding time. Garner, who improved to 25-12 with the win, has claimed victories in five of his last six matches.

"I knew that the 125-pound match would be a big one and Prescott did a great job of getting us off to a good start," added Burnett. "A rivalry match like this is filled with nerves and emotions by both teams, but being a freshman is certainly difficult."

Navy senior Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) pushed Navy's lead to 7-0, dominating fellow senior team captain Whitt Dunning at 133 pounds. Having never lost to Army in the Star Match as an individual competitor or as a member of the team, Baker scored four takedowns and earned a two-point nearfall en route to a 12-2 major decision. The 2008 All-American is now 11-0 this season, including 8-0 since returning from multiple injuries sustained prior to and during the early part of the season.

"Joe really stepped it up today and I'm happy that he's been able to come back from what has been a difficult year and career, for that matter, battling injuries.

"His match may have been the turning point. I think Army was hoping that Dunning (who was out of the lineup the last three weeks with an elbow injury) would give them a big boost, but Joe opened it up on him and really made it difficult for Dunning to try and get back into it."

In a rematch of the 141-pound match at the All-Academy Championship, Navy junior Matt Pagan (Carteret, N.J.) locked horns with Casey Thome, who turned back Pagan, 3-1, two weeks ago. Following a scoreless first period, Thome suffered a knee injury and despite is best efforts in remaining in the match, he was forced to default at 4:23. Navy was awarded six points for the default and took a 13-0 lead after three matches.

"There's no doubt that when Casey Thome got hurt, it put Army in a pinch losing six points. Matt was really wrestling him hard when the Army kid got hurt. I think he learned some things after facing him a couple of weeks ago and saw where his weaknesses were and how he could capitalize on them."

In the featured bout of the day, seventh-ranked Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) and 10th-ranked Matt Kyler met at the center of the mat for a rematch of the championship bout at the All-Academy Championship. Much like the previous battle, the two wrestlers were meticulous in choosing the right opportunity to attack the other.

Neither wrestler scored in the first period, however, each earned a point for an escape in the next two periods, forcing extra minutes. The one-minute sudden victory period came and went, forcing two 30-second tie breaker bouts with each getting an opportunity to start in the down position. Saddoris was down first, but couldn't fight his way out of Kyler's grasp. Kyler, meanwhile, wasted little time in scoring the escape, taking a one-point lead with 25 seconds remaining in the tie breaker. Saddoris looked to have the takedown near the end of the period, but time expired with Kyler fighting him off for the 2-1 TB win.

"Bryce had a tough loss today. Both wrestlers were very well prepared and we knew it would be a close match, as was the first time they met. Bryce looked to have him down on the mat at the end, but they didn't give him the takedown when he needed it.

For Saddoris, it was just his fifth loss of the year and fourth loss to a ranked wrestler. Meanwhile, Kyler has knocked off Saddoris twice in just weeks, while also sandwiching an impressive win over Lehigh's Trevor Chinn, ranked No. 14, between the two Saddoris wins.

The momentum shift was short-lived for Army, however, as Navy bounced back with four consecutive wins. Senior 157-pounder Joel Ahern (Herkimer, N.Y.) returned to the Navy lineup after suffering a concussion at the All-Academy Championship and helped push the Mids' advantage to 17-3 midway through the bout. Ahern looked strong on his feet and was actively seeking a bonus point win against Rudy Chelednik, but time ran out on Ahern as he picked up a 10-4 decision en route to his 26th win of the year.

Sophomore Matt DeMichiel (Whitesboro, N.Y.) earned his second win over an Army competitor in as many weeks. He turned back Michael Gorman at the All-Academy Championship and came back to beat veteran wrestler Brian Rowan, who had been sidelined since injuring his knee during the season-opening Edinboro Duals. DeMichiel struck first (2:41) and never trailed in the match, though Rowan trimmed the lead to one to open the third behind an escape. DeMichiel, however, took Rowan to the mat with 50 seconds to secure the 5-3 win.

Earning his seventh straight win of the season was Navy rookie Luke Rebertus (Elkton, Md.), who seemed to easily get past Army sophomore Jacob Vetter at 174 pounds. The match was nearly over before a blink of an eye, as Rebertus took Vetter down to the mat and then scored a three-point nearfall with 1:43 remaining in the opening period to lead 5-0. By the start of the third period, Rebertus had built a a 9-2 advantage. He went on to close out the match with an 11-4 win as he picked up his 32nd victory of the year.

Casey Caldwell (Liberty, Ind.) capped off a sensational senior dual campaign by dominating Army's Pat Smith, scoring a 16-3 major decision to push Navy's lead to 26-3 with two bouts remaining. Caldwell put Smith on the mat five times and collected a two-point nearfall, as well as a reversal in the win. By match's end, he had ridden Smith for better than four minutes to add insult to injury for the final point.

Caldwell, who has claimed wins in 13 of the last 14 matches including nine straight, is just one win away from joining the 30-win club. After winning a combined four matches in his first two seasons at the Academy, the senior has put together a stellar 57-22 mark in the last two years. Additionally, he boasts an 18-4 dual mark during his career, including a 13-2 record this season.

Navy seniors Philip Neese (Lexington, S.C.) (197) and Tyler Moyer (Bremerton, Wash.) (HWT) dropped tight decisions to their counterparts in the final two matches. Neese narrowly missed out on an opportunity to upset 20th-ranked Richard Starks in a 5-3 decision, while Moyer was unable to get Sprigg on the mat in a 5-2 loss.

"Philip and Tyler both had good chances at winning their matches and though they came up short, I'm really proud of the way they pushed to the end. I thought Phillip had Starks frustrated and on the ropes at one point, but he gave way to a takedown at the end that proved to be the final margin. And Tyler, I thought, had a takedown at the edge of the mat, but the call wasn't there for him."

The Midshipmen will be back in action in two weeks when they make the short journey to Philadelphia, Pa. to take part in the 2009 EIWA Championship, slated for March 7-8 at the historic Palestra. All session passes are on sale for $70 for adults and $35 for students, while individual session passes are also available. Tickets for the 2009 EIWA Championship may be purchased by calling the Penn ticket office at (215) 898-6151 or by logging on to www.pennathletics.com(.)

Navy 26, Army 9125 - Prescott Garner (N) dec Lance Penhale (A), 3-2133 - #10 Joe Baker (N) major Whitt Dunning (A), 12-2141 - Matt Pagan (N) inj. def. Casey Thome (A), 4:23149 - #10 Matt Kyler (A) dec #7 Bryce Saddoris (N), 2-1 TB157 - Joel Ahern (N) dec Rudy Chelednik (A), 10-4165 - Matt DeMichiel (N) dec Brian Rowan (A), 5-3174 - #20 Luke Rebertus (N) dec Jacob Vetter (A), 11-4184 - Casey Caldwell (N) major Patrick Smith (A), 16-3197 - #20 Richard Starks (A) dec Philip Neese (N), 5-3HWT - Michael Sprigg (A) dec Tyler Moyer (N), 5-2