With the first quarter of the season almost over, the Terrapin wrestling program will receive an early holiday gift today when they host a once-dangerous Pennsylvania team now limping toward the break.
Although they are off to a 2-1 start, the beginning to the 2009 season has been tumultuous for the Quakers. Entering the preseason, Penn had high expectations: They were ranked No. 24 in the country and returned a solid nucleus of talented wrestlers.
But after just one team event, their lofty expectations took a hit when three of their seniors and best wrestlers were arrested and charged with aggravated assault on Nov. 16. The arrests stemmed from an incident that occurred Oct. 3. The university responded quickly, suspending Matt Dragon, Cesar Grajales and Roger Peterkin and severely limiting coach Rob Eiter’s options.
Terp coach Kerry McCoy said he knew of the suspensions but added he probably wouldn’t ask Eiter, who is a good friend, about the status of the trio anytime soon. Dragon, Grajales, and Peterkin entered the season ranked No. 17, No. 7, and No. 6 in their weight classes respectively, and their absence gives the No. 7 Terps a decided advantage tonight. McCoy admitted the Terps should win, but also downplayed the talent disparity between the two teams.
“It’s gonna hurt them to not have three of their top wrestlers, but we just have to stay grounded and prepared,” McCoy said. “They are a team that can really sneak up on people, and there is still talent there. So hopefully our guys will come out fired up.”
It should help that the Terps finally get to wrestle on their home mats for the first time since the opening dual meet of the season more than a month ago. Tonight is Greek/Campus organization night, and the team is going to great lengths to market the matchup, but Comcast Pavilion should be rowdy regardless.
Many of the Terps said they actually feed off of the crowd’s energy when they are on the mat. McCoy stressed the importance of getting off to a quick start and having aggressive, high-energy wrestlers like 125-pounder James Knox and 141-pounder Alex Krom to set the tone. That could make the difference in the match, especially with a home crowd behind them.
“I love it all, the cheering, the heckling, it’s all such a fun environment to wrestle in,” Knox said. “It’s really nice to get to come back home and we are all excited to have the crowd behind us once again.”
The Terps (6-1, 1-0 ACC) have the chance to end the first leg of their season in great shape before the schedule gets more difficult. The team will get Christmas off, but will be back to work right before the New Year when they travel to the Midlands Championship, a tournament always loaded with talent and depth.
Just as last Friday’s shutout victory against North Carolina included a taste of vindication for the Terps, the team will be looking for revenge in this meet as well. The last time these two squads met two seasons ago, Penn needed a shutout victory from the now-suspended Peterkin at 125 pounds in order to knock off the Terps.
Hudson Taylor, the Terps’ starter at 197 pounds, thinks that alone should keep the Terps from getting complacent this time around.
“We really wanna crush them,” Taylor said. “They are a good team, and we need to be wrestling our best like last week. But the guys who are still around aren’t interested in losing to Penn again.”
lemaire@umdbk.com
