Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

By TIM RAUB; Times Leader Sports Correspondent
Saturday, January 24, 1998     Page: 1B

WILKES-BARRE- The King’s College wrestling team knew it was a decided
underdog going into Friday night’s match against the 10th-ranked Delaware
Valley Aggies.
   
“I knew that we were facing a tough match coming into the night,” said
King’s head coach Ned McGinley. “We were the definite underdogs, so we were
hoping for close matches in the lower weights.”
    But the Monarchs (6-6) couldn’t pull enough surprises, as Delaware Valley
(9-2) handled King’s 29-6 Friday night at Scandlon gym.
   
Delaware Valley got things rolling from the start, picking up decisions in
the first three matches, before King’s picked up its first points of the
evening.
   
“I knew that we were in trouble when we lost two close matches early in the
meet,” McGinley said. “It is always tough when you have to fight back from an
early deficit.”
   
Kevin Lesoine finally got the Monarchs on the board with an 8-4 decision of
Justin Kovacs at 142 pounds.
   
Kovacs started the match with hopes for an upset with a takedown to earn an
early 2-0 lead. But Lesoine, the Monarchs’ first career 100-match winner,
immediately got out for the escape to pull within one at 2-1 to end the first
period.
   
Kovacs chose to take the bottom position to start the second, which allowed
Lesoine to put him on his back and garner three back points, giving the
Monarch the lead at 4-2. Kovacs fought to his stomach, but Lesoine turned him
right back and picked up two more back points to extend the lead to 6-3 to end
the period.
   
Starting from the bottom position to start the third, Lesoine escaped on
the referee’s whistle for the one-point move to extend the lead to 7-3. But
Kovacs came right back and took Lesoine down to close the lead to two, at 7-5.
   
Lesoine picked up one more point before the end of the match with an
escape, and received a point for riding time to win the decision and put
King’s on the board, pulling the Monarchs within 9-3.
   
Former Wyoming Valley Conference standout Tony Barbrie kept his undefeated
record intact with a 6-0 decision in his Wyoming Valley wrestling debut at 158
pounds against the Aggies’ Joe McGowan.
   
“There is always some kind of animosity before a big match,” said Barbrie,
a former state medalist for Pittston Area. “But I knew that if I wrestled well
that I had a chance for the win.”
   
Barbrie dominated his opponent from the beginning, with a takedown early in
the first period and led 2-0 heading into the second.
   
Barbrie kept McGowan on the mat for all of the second period, but was
unable to score any points, and the lead remained 2-0 going into the final
period with Barbrie starting from the bottom.
   
Barbrie started the period with an escape and then took McGowan down for a
three-point move and the 6-0 decision to pull King’s to within 12-6.
   
“It felt good to be back in the valley,” said Barbrie, whose six collegiate
victories all came on the road, with the last two coming by forfeit. “I faced
a tough, heads-up wrestler (Friday) in McGowan. He was tough to turn and
fought the whole match.”
   
After Barbrie’s decision, the Aggies reasserted themselves with victories
in the final four matches.
   
“Delaware Valley is coached really well,” Barbrie said. “They are taught to
fight back, and it shows.”
   
King’s travels to York tonight to face York College.
   
118-Mike Jones (DV) dec. Eric Kelly, 8-5. 126-Nate Marter (DV) dec. Joe
Jamison, 9-4. 134-Bryan Klass (DV) dec. Dennis Morgan, 8-1. 142-Kevin Lesoine
(K) dec. Justin Kovacs, 9-4. 150-Robert Gresko (DV) dec. Bill Stom, 9-7.
158-Tony Barbrie (K) dec. Joe McGowan, 6-0. 167-Mike Margelis