#23 Hofstra/#13 Edinboro Preview (UPDATED W/RESULTS)
165 
The Matchup: Ryan Patrovich (HU) vs. Chris Hrunka (Edinboro)
Synopsis: If this had a match between Patrovich and normal starter, Jarrod King, it would have made for a much more interesting story. Patrovich, who has never beaten King, would have been looking to get off of the schneid, much the same way that teammate Lou Ruggirello did last week against Cornell’s Mike Grey. But alas, unless something has changed in the past week or so, it would appear that King will remain out of the lineup while nursing a nagging injury. Out goes King, in comes Chris Hrunka. Hrunka, who opened the season by winning four of his first six matches in a reserve capacity, has struggled a lot of late, dropping his last eight consecutive bouts, including all five of the dual matches he has wrestled while substituting for King. Originally, when making my predictions on the HU/EU dual, I left 165 as a regular decision in favor of the Pride RS sophomore. But, after looking at the margins of defeat that Hrunka has been victim to this season, I decided that despite the fact that Patrovich is not always the most offensive minded wrestler on the team, he should be able to accumulate enough takedowns against a seemingly overmatched wrestler to win a 10-2, 11-3, 12-4 type decision. For Patrovich, the object has to be to push the pace. He is no doubt a very skilled counter wrestler. But, knowing that he is a considerable underdog, I would think that Hrunka strategy would be to wrestle conservatively. This means that the responsibility falls on Patrovich’s shoulders to generate his own offense. When pitted against unranked or overmatched opponents this season, the product of Islip High School has demonstrated an ability to create his own scoring chances. With 149 and 157 likely costing the Pride bonus points, it would be big if Patrovich could get a few of those points back to keep the dual as we enter the heavier weight classes.
Prediction: Patrovich Wins by Major Decision
Projected Team Score: 12-10 Edinboro
Result: Patrovich (HU) Dec King (Edinboro), 3-2
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174 
The Matchup: #10 Alton Lucas (HU) vs. Paul Paddock (Edinboro)
Synopsis: A battle of former NYS Champions, Lucas is expected to be the stronger, quicker, and more polished wrestler in this bout. Paddock, despite being an all-everything wrestler on the scholastic level, has yet to find his stride on the college scene. So far in 2008/2009, Paddock, who was called into duty when Phil Moricone went down with an injury, has only managed a sub .500 record at 10-14. Among these losses is one to Ohio State reserve, Sean Nemec, who usually sees time at 157 pounds, and UPenn’s Scott Giffin, who the Pride senior defeated two weeks ago. Both wrestlers have a loss on the year to Penn State’s Quentin Wright. However, whereas Lucas lost a last second decision, Paddock was pinned by the Nittany Lion Phenom. On paper, this would be a matchup that Lucas could/should score bonus points in. However, do to his usually conservative nature, I would predict that the senior from West Babylon would jump out an early lead and then rely on his strong defense and athleticism to hold off a late charge by the Fighting Scots’ RS freshman. In his last match, Lucas seemed to tire very quickly. Therefore, if he wants to dispel any rumors that he is not capable of going hard for the full seven minutes, this would be the time to do it.
Prediction: Alton Wins by Decision
Projected Team Score: 13-12 Hofstra
Result: Lucas (HU) MD Foley (Edinboro) , 16-4
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184 
The Matchup: Ben Clymer (HU) vs. #17 Chris Honeycutt (Edinboro)
Synopsis: Going by record and national rank, one would automatically have to consider Honeycutt the favorite. But, oddly enough, in matches against common opponents such as Binghamton’s Josh Patterson and Doug Umbebauer of Rider (to whom both wrestlers lost), it was Clymer who was able to keep the score within a closer margin. Hence, one may be swayed into thinking that Clymer should be favored. However, as soon as allow yourself to be convinced that Clymer is the sleeping giant in this bout, you remember that Edinboro’s backup, Shawn Fendone owns a comfortable 7-2 win over the Pride true freshman. Therefore, since Clymer has yet to beat a ranked opponent, it would seem that the safe choice would be to go with Honeycutt. But, considering Clymer has done his best wrestling of the year (albeit in losing efforts) to opponents carrying a national rank, it would only be fair to say that he is a gamer and should not be in any danger of giving up anything outside of a regular decision. Last season, Honeycutt came into the Mack and threw Justin Danz to his back for a first period fall. Unless a fluke happens, I cannot envision a repeat of that scenario. Look for Honeycutt to win the battle from neutral because of his superior strength and one year of extra experience. For Clymer, who has yet to really break out on the offensive end, the key is to make the most of his time from the top position. Should he succeed in holding Honeycutt down for a significant portion, if not the entire period, he will have shortened the match sizably and put himself into a position where he may only need to score one or two takedowns. Honeycut does not have a bad loss on his record all season. Hence, he may be due for an off day.
Prediction: Honeycutt Wins by Decision
Projected Team Score: 15-13 Edinboro
Result: Honeycutt (Edinboro) Dec Clymer (HU), 6-0
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197 
The Matchup: Anthony Tortora (HU) vs. Pat Bradshaw (Edinboro)
Synopsis: Much like the match at 149, I have not gotten it confirmed that normal starter, Joe Fagiano, will be sitting out again. However, at this point, until the transfer from Indiana actually makes an appearance in the lineup, I am going to presume that he is a no go. For everything that Tortora has not been this season, the one thing that he has been, is a gutsy dude. While I am sure all of the talk about him being undersized is stale, I will say that I think it takes a guy with a lot of heart to go into a match knowing that he will likely be going against a significantly larger opponent, and will more times than note, find himself on the losing end. Since joining the starting lineup, Tortora has not won too many. But, despite his win/loss record, no one who has watched him compete can question his effort. The guy refuses to break, and in many cases, has actually dug deep late in matches to prevent bonus points from being scored. Given the circumstances, I consider Anthony Tortora as having been doing his job. Even in defeat, he is setting a good example for his younger teammates….With a 21-5 record on the year, Bradshaw has been extremely consistent for the Fighting Scots in this, his junior campaign. At times throughout his career, he was teetered and been a member of the national top-20. Hence, there is no questioning his ability. All of his losses this season have been to solid opponents. Working against him though, may be the fact that in matches where he did not pin his opponent, he seems to allow the match to remain low scoring. If he allows tomorrow’s match to remain close for too long, he may find himself on the wrong end of a match that he should be able to win with ease.
Prediction: Bradshaw Wins by Decision
Projected Team Score: 18-13 Edinboro
Result: Bradshaw (Edinboro) Dec Fagiano (HU), 6-2
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285 
The Matchup: Jordan Enck (HU) vs. #12 Joe Fendone (Edinboro)
Synopsis: Another week, another battle against the #12 wrestler in the nation for true freshman, Jordan Enck. Last weekend, it was then #12 Zach Hammond that the Manheim, PA product got the best of. This Saturday, despite the rankings being identical, the challenge may be more difficult. Sporting a 22-5 record on the year, Fendone is a monster on the mat. Already this season, he has tallied 15 pins to go along with a pair of major decisions. Thus, If Enck does not come out ready to go to war, he will quickly find out that even on Valentine’s day, his Fighting Scot opponent will have no love for him and will put him away ASAP. In watching Fendone last year in his match against Tom Daddino, I will say that he stuck me as an above average athlete for the weight class. While he is not what I would call super quick, he did appear to be more mobile that Enck’s last opponent, Hammond. Hence, if Enck (wrestling through a bum knee) had trouble getting in deep on the Big Red heavyweight, he may find it almost impossible to finish on a more agile EU wrestler. Enck, who even with the knee brace should be the quicker man, has struggled to establish his offense of late. Therefore, if he has any hopes of making it 2-for-2 in the upset department in as many weeks, he is going to need to try to win another close decision. To do this, he need to be certain to minimize, if not eliminate altogether, Fendone’s ability to put opponents on their backs for a count. If Enck is unable to explode off of the whistle and finds himself caught underneath Fendone, the results may be less than flattering for the Pride freshman… Last season, I was impressed by how well Daddino was able to ride Fendone. If Enck, known to be a fairly decent rider, is able to keep the #12 wrestler down on the mat, he may find that he too could score on a tilt. Inspired by his victory last week, I say that Enck keeps this match to a decision. However, at this point in time, my gut tells me that the smart play is to go with the more experienced, polished Edinboro big man.
Prediction: Fendone Wins by Decision
Projected Final Team Score: 21-13 Edinboro
Result: J. Fendone (Edinboro) Pinned Enck (HU) 3:44
Final Team Score: Edinboro-26; Hofstra-13
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