F And M Staves Off Rally To Edge Matmen, 19-17

Harvard heavyweight Tony Abbott twice had Franklin and Marshall co-captain Aaron Malinsky in a predicament Saturday afternoon in the IAB. but time ran out before he could get the fall that would have boosted the Crimson matmen to a 19-19 tie with the Diplomats.

Instead, Abbott had to settle for a 10-5 decision, and Harvard had to settle for its first loss of the season, 19-17.

Behind 2-1 as the final period began, Abbott came alive and soon had Malinsky within inches of a pin. Malinsky escaped, but Abbott was on him again and pressing for a fall as the bout ended.

Dave Seanlon (190) had pinned Fred Albrect with 16 seconds left in the second period of their bout to rally the Crimson from a 19-9 deficit.

For the second time in three meets, Harvard trailed 13-0 after the 134-pound bout, and crucial losses in the 158 and 177-pound classes provided F and M with an almost insurmountable lead.

Dean Sheppard (138) battled Terry Bowen evenly for two periods, but tired in the last stanza to drop a 4-2 decision. Steady John Stevenson scored a take-down in each period to outdistance Harvard's Tony Rayner (177), 6-0. The loss was Rayner's first this season.

Determined Pat Coleman (150) edged the Diplomats' Doug Ward in a rematch of their eastern quarterfinal bout last year. Coleman started slowly, then pulled away for a 6-2 victory.

A pin by either co-captain Paul Catinella (142) or junior Mark Faller (167) could have meant the difference for the Crimson, but neither could gain a fall. Catinella overpowered Doug Rebent, 11-2, and Faller was impressive in a 14-4 win over Scott McClintock.

The massacre in the lightweights this time included pins in the 118 and 134-pound classes, and a 9-4 decision in the 126-pound bout. Diplomat sophomore Chris Black pinned Harvard's Jay Galeski (118), and senior Jestyn Payne did the same to Bill Wasserstrom (134). Crimson senior Tom Schnorr dropped the decision at 126 to F and M co-captain John Hilliard.