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SJSU Wrestling Archives The Spartan Daily 12-7-79 |
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Spartans Pull One Out Over Gators |
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by Ron Lazzarotti |
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| With the meet on the line, SJSU's heavyweight wrestler Casey Gulliford came through with a 9-5 decision over San
Francisco State's Nelson Armstrong, providing the Spartans with a 20-17 win over the Gators Wednesday night at
Spartan Gym. It was a classic situation. The score was tied at 17 when Gulliford and Armstrong took the mat. The match, scoreless in the first quarter, picked up in the second as Gulliford moved out to a 3-1 lead. Armstrong battle back though, and with 1:08 left in the final period, he tied the score 5-5. With the entire crowd on its feet screaming, Gulliford score a one-point escape, then a two-point takedown, and hung on to win. "He was in a lot better shape than me. I've only been out here a week from football," Gulliford said as he breathed heavily following his match. "But i knew i had to win. I was psyched." "My teammates (chanting Ca-sey) got me going," Gulliford said "There's nothing like knowing your team is behind you." "Coach Kerr makes it a team sport," he said. "He teaches us pride and discipline." The meet opened with the Gators playing a psychological game and waiting for the Spartans to take the mat first, as the wrestlers were introduced for each match. Their game seemed to work in the first two matches as the Spartans dropped both, falling behind 7-0. At 118, SJSU's Mike Rodrigues fell behind in the first quarter and never recovered, losing 14-4 to Gator Adrian Levexier. In the 126-pound division, the Spartans' Steve Lutz took and early lead 2-0, but eventually fell behind 4-2 near the end of the first period, and dropped the match 7-5. The Spartans began to turn things around in the 134-pound division, as John Middlestead moved out to an early lead he never relinquished, winning 13-8. Then in a rematch of one of Saturday's match, San Francisco State's John Monolakis turned the tables on SJSU's Dennis McDowell, winning 7-1. McDowell had defeated Monolakis Saturday on his way to the 142-pound crown in the Mumby Invitational. At 150, SJSU's Doug Stewart got the Spartans back on track as he decisioned Julian Lathan 9-2. However, the Gators still hung on to a 10-6 lead. Fighting to stay within striking distance, the Spartans' hopes were shaken when Reggie Thompson dropped an 11-5 decisioned to San Francisco State's Kevin Newsome. With the possibility of falling too far behind to stage any kind of a comeback, the Spartans' Randy Davis got SJSU going in the right direction with a 21-7 wind. More importantly, Davis' victory added five team points to the Spartans' total, closing the Gators' lead to 13-11. In the 177-pound division, SJSU's Dave Brouhard made short work of Dan Young, pinning him at the 1:03 mark of the first period. With Brouhard's victory, the Spartans took the lead for the first time 17-13. However, the lead was short-lived San Francisco State's Lars Jensen avenged his Mumby Invitational loss to Ken Klein by decisioning Klein 14-6, setting up Gulliford's heroics. Although the Spartans escaped with a win, SJSU coach T.J. Kerr was hardly pleased with his team's performance. "I was really disappointed," he said. "We wrestled like we never had any skill." With this victory, the Spartans picked up their seventh win against no defeats in dual meets this season. SJSU will be on the road this weekend traveling to Utah and Chico. The starting lineup will journey to Utah for the Beehive tournament today and tomorrow, and the rest of the team and the Spartan Wrestling Club will compete in the Chico Doc Peterson Open tournament Saturday. |
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