The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team dropped a tight 19-16 match to No. 24 Stanford today.  Bonus points were the difference as the two teams split the 10 bouts.
 
The highlight win for the Mocs was No. 20 Jared Johnson's 4-2 decision over No 13 Nathan Butler at heavyweight.  Johnson used an escape and takedown in the second period, plus riding time, to open the year with a big result. 
 
The first match was indicative of the whole day, a one-point win for Stanford.  Freshman Alonzo Allen scored an early takedown to give UTC a quick lead.  He kept a 3-1 advantage going into the third period, but Brian Rossi posted an escape and a takedown for the victory.
 
Freshman Chris Debien was the second of five first-timers on the mat for the Mocs.  He scored an 8-3 decision over Mason Pengilly at 133. 
 
"Debien's a stud," said head coach Heath Eslinger. "He's doing great things, and he's going to continue to do better. Again, he's young, but chronologically he's very mature in his wrestling."
 
After a four-point win by the Cardinal at 141, junior Michael Pongracz moved up a weight to take on Tommy Pawleski.  Pongracz escaped late to tie the match a 2-2 and send it to overtime.  He then took down Pawleski just before the horn in the first sudden victory period. 
 
Leading 7-6 after four matches, Stanford ran off four straight wins to nearly put it out of reach at 19-6.  The Mocs tried to mount a comeback, beginning with senior John Lampe's major decision at 184. 
 
No. 14 Scottie Boykin gave the Mocs a chance with his decision at 197.  That left Johnson needing a pin to force a tie on the scoreboard.  Johnson did not get the fall, but he was impressive in his win. 
 
"Justin Lampe looked great, Scottie Boykin looked good and that's a signature win for Jared Johnson," said Eslinger. "That was a huge win.
 
"We're alright. I don't like to lose, nobody does. The question is what are we going to do about it."
 
The Mocs don't have any time to dwell on the loss, as both teams load the bus this afternoon and head to the Hokie Open in Blacksburg, Va. The one-day tournament starts tomorrow morning at Virginia Tech's Rector Fieldhouse. 
 
"Tomorrow is a long day," explained Eslinger. "It will give us a lot of material to work with. We will wrestle a ton of matches. At the end of the day, you have to have substance to work with and see where we can get better. This gave us some. Tomorrow will give us a lot."

Be sure to check back to GoMocs.com for complete information.  The next home matches are Saturday, Nov. 14, against Cumberland and Southeastern, beginning at 10:00 a.m. (E.S.T.) in Maclellan Gym.  Tickets are on sale now on GoMocs.com or by calling the UTC Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627). 
   
No. 24 Stanford 19 – Chattanooga 16
125: Brian Rossi (Stanford) – Dec. 4-3 - Alonzo Allen (UTC) – Stanford 3-0
133: Chris Debien (UTC) – Dec. 8-3 - Mason Pengilly (Stanford) – Tied 3-3
141: No. 12 Joey McKenna (Stanford) – MD 10-2 - Roman Boylen (UTC) - Stanford 7-3
149: Michael Pongracz (UTC) – SV1 4-2 - Tommy Pawelski (Stanford) – Stanford 7-6
157: Max Hvolbek (Stanford) – MD 14-2 - Andrew Webb (UTC) – Stanford 11-6
165: No. 4 Jim Wilson (Stanford) – MD 20-7 - Dominic Lampe (UTC) – Stanford 15-6
174: Keaton Subjeck (Stanford) – MD 14-4 - Sean Mappes (UTC) – Stanford 19-6
184: John Lampe (UTC) – MD 17-6 - Ryan Davies (Stanford) – Stanford 19-10
197: No. 14 Scottie Boykin (UTC) – Dec. 8-3 - Michael Sojka (Stanford) – Stanford 19-13
285: No. 20 Jared Johnson (UTC) – Dec. 4-2 - No. 13 Nathan Butler (Stanford) – 19-16