phillip simnpson

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Simpson Clinches Army's Win Over No. 4 Harvard, 19-15

Tennessee Native's 60th Career Victory a Memorable One

Jan. 24, 2003

WEST POINT, N.Y. - Sophomore Phillip Simpson proved once again that he is one of the top wrestlers in the nation. With Army and Harvard knotted at 15-15 going into the final match, the 2002 NCAA Qualifier made quick work of Mike Baria giving the Black Knights a 19-15 victory Friday night at Christl Arena.

The 11-0 victory was Simpson's 21st of the year and the 60th of his brief career. The win was also huge for the Army program (7-4), which was able to halt its losing streak at four matches. Harvard entered as the No. 4 team in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association and laid claim to a number of nationally recognized competitors.

"This was the first time in my three years at Army that we've been able to beat Harvard," noted head coach Chuck Barbee. "I'm extremely pleased with this win. Harvard is a quality program with a superior coaching staff, and they are never easy to beat."

After splitting the first four contests with its EIWA rival, Army rattled off three-straight decisions to build a 15-8 lead with only the lightweight matches remaining.

Dave Germakian was the first to cut into the Army lead, picking up a 12-4 majority decision over Jon Anderson in the 125-pound match. In the 133 contest, Max Metzer (No. 4 - EIWA) tied the score at 15-15 with a 12-8 decision over Bernard Gardner. Metzer came very close to scoring a majority decision, but Gardner scored several points in the last minute to prevent Harvard from ever reclaiming the lead.

"Bernard was wrestling against a quality opponent tonight, and did an excellent job of preventing him (Metzer) from scoring the bonus points," commented Barbee. "Bernard knew how to play it smart and is just getting better by the week."

Ron Schroeder's match at 165 versus Robbie Griffin was one of the night's most competitive. Schroeder built up an early 6-2 lead; however, the crafty Griffin was able to work his way back to tie the score at 6-6 entering the third period.

In the final frame both competitors worked equally hard to gain an advantage, but Schroeder scored first after picking up an escape point. The Army junior eventually clinched the match with a two-point takedown coming at the 20-second mark. Schroeder's win also provided the Black Knights with a 6-5 lead through three matches.

The Crimson regained the lead when Pat O' Donnell (No. 4 - EIWA) held off freshman phenom, Luke Calvert, 4-2. Army's star rookie pushed to score a last-second takedown, but O'Donnell succeeded in blocking all of Calvert's attempts.

The seesaw battle between the EIWA rivals extended into the 184 match, where Matt Bernard outlasted P.J. Jones, 12-7. Like Schroeder, Bernard let an early lead slip away before rallying strong in the final period. Bernard, who began the season at 174, has earned six victories since making the jump to 184.

Bernard's win pushed Army back in front by one point, 9-8, and then Joe Forsman extended the Black Knights' lead to four with a tight 4-1 victory over Eddie Jones.

"Ron (Schroeder) and Matt's (Bernard) efforts really helped us win the match," said Barbee. "Ron didn't even know that he was going to be competing until a day ago, so he did an excellent job despite the short notice. Matt wrestled like a lion, which he's been doing all season long, and gave us another huge win."

There was more nail biting on both benches during the heavyweight match, which was claimed by John Paxton, 1-0. The sole point of the 285-pound duel wasn't attained until the 1:37 mark of the third period. Paxton will be seeking his 80th career victory Wednesday night versus Sacred Heart.

157-pounder Jeremy Conner collected Army's first triumph of the evening with a hard-fought 6-2 decision over Nick Picarsic. The victory was Conner's 20th of the season.

Jesse Jantzen, the No. 3 ranked wrestler in the nation at 149, opened the program with an incredible performance against freshman Anthony Dunkin. The Crimson senior proved worthy of his ranking after scoring a technical fall with just a few seconds remaining in the first period.

Army's next contest is on Wednesday night versus the Pioneers of Sacred Heart. The match is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

Army 19, Harvard 15

149: No. 3 Jesse Jantzen (H) tech. fall

Anthony Dunkin, 18-3 - 1:28

157: Jeremy Conner (A) dec. Nick Picarsic, 6-2

165: Ron Schroeder (A) dec. Robbie Griffin, 9-7

174: Pat O'Donnell (H) dec. Luke Calvert, 4-2

184: Matt Bernard (A) dec. P.J. Jones, 12-7

197: Joe Forsman (A) dec. Eddie Jones, 4-1

HWT: John Paxton (A) dec. Jonas Coral, 1-0

125: Dave Germakin (H) maj. dec. Jon Anderson, 12-4

133: Max Meltzer (H) dec. Bernard Gardner, 12-8

141: No. 8 Phillip Simpson (A) maj. dec. Mike Baria, 11-0