Wrestlers rumble with Drexel

A Neighborhood Rumble. That's the billing for tonight's match (7:30 p.m. at the Palestra) between Penn's wrestling team and the Drexel Dragons. The Quakers take the mat for both their first dual meet and their first home meet of the season, and are looking to build on their solid performance at the Bloomsburg Invitational on November 20. Penn took second in that tournament, but it will not be satisfied with anything less than a repeat of last year's 22-15 victory over its crosstown rival. The Quakers are going to have to work for a win over the Dragons. Drexel boasts two wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in their weight class. At 167 pounds, Scott Morgan is ranked 18th and at 190 pounds Rich Evans is ranked 16th. However, Penn has a top twenty wrestler of its own – senior Gary Baker is ranked 13th at 118 pounds. In addition there will be the emotion of the Palestra crowd, and the Quakers' desire to start their season on a victorious note to help push Penn past Drexel. "I think it's going to be a pretty heated match," Penn coach Roger Reina said. "It's been a close rivalry, a good rivalry for the last several years. I expect emotions to be high." "It could be close or we could blow them out, depending on how well we wrestle," senior Gonz Medina said. "Before [the seniors] got here they were beating us, but lately we've been taking it to them. Everybody's going to be up for the first home match, especially with Drexel being a rival." The decisive factor in the Penn-Drexel matchup could be the outcome of three hotly-contested weight classes, all of which are rematches of the Bloomsburg Invitational. In the 158-pound class, Penn junior Roger London looks to avenge his 3-2 defeat at the hands of Drexel freshman Josh Stanley. And at 167, Penn freshman Brandon Slay lost his first college bout to Drexel's Morgan at Bloomsburg. However, as Reina said, Slay "has more matches under his belt and that match will be particularly interesting." Finally Penn's junior co-captain Brian Butler faces Drexel's Evans in a replay of Butler's 12-1 Bloomsburg victory. "Those three weights are going to be real interesting and key in deciding the outcome," Reina said. "I think [a victory's] important. The real focus for us going into the competition is that we continue to grow, we continue to build on our experiences. If we wrestle the way we're capable of, the win's going to take care of itself." In order for the Quakers to win, a number of other factors will have to fall into place. Penn will need to continue its smooth blend of strong veterans and talented newcomers, with the more-experienced Quakers providing leadership for the younger wrestlers. Also, Penn is fortunate to have a dual meet at home amidst all of its early-season tournaments and should attempt to milk the home-mat advantage for all it's worth as it is one of only four home meets of the year. Finally, the Quakers need to use the local rivalry and the feeling and emotion that it creates to their advantage. If all of these elements come together for Penn, the Quakers will likely be looking at a much more comfortable lead than a year ago. "This is a chance to wrestle here at home in the first semester versus a good rival and I think the kids are excited about getting into the Palestra," Reina said. "I think it's a loud place acoustically, which makes it a fun place to compete for all athletes. "[The rivalry's] come about because we're in the same neighborhood and we see their kids at various tournaments and in the offseason. I think the real key to it is that they've been very close highly-contested matches over the last several years. In the last few years we've held the upper hand. Regardless of the outcome, the Quakers are looking to improve on their previous experience. Seeing as Penn finished ahead of the Dragons at the Bloomsburg meet in addition to defeating them last year, the Quakers have reason to be confident tonight. If the Penn wrestlers can sway the pivotal 158-, 167-, and 190-pound matches to their side, coupled with their home mat and desire, they will almost surely earn a victory in the neighborhood rumble at the Palestra.