MATCH ANALYSIS: Fickell emerges for Wrestling

Joe Montana started at quarterback for the 49er teams of the late 1980's, but Steve Young filled in when Montana couldn't play without the 49ers missing a beat. Andrei Rodzianko normally starts at 197 pounds for Penn, but Mike Fickell showed he can fill in when Rodzianko can't play without the Quakers missing a beat. The only problem for Penn was that their Jerry Rice, senior tri-captain Mark Piotrowsky, was hurt. Penn, ranked 17th in the preseason Intermat poll, knocked off 11th ranked Rider by three and a half points yesterday, thanks to Fickell's emergence, but without Piotrowsky, No. 12 Arizona State proved too much for the Quakers to handle. "It's not easy to win when you only have 90 percent of your team competing," Penn captain Brett Matter said. Piotrowsky, the top seed in the 141 pound weight class in the tournament, had to be scratched only hours before the start of the meet when he didn't pass a medical test because of a skin infection. Quakers coach Roger Reina, under such short notice, did not replace Piotrowsky, leaving Penn without a wrestler at 141 pounds. So what could have been one of Penn's biggest strengths turned into its biggest weakness. The Sun Devils loaded up on points in the 141 pound weight class, taking first and third places, while Rider's Derek Jenkins took advantage of Piotrowsky's absence by placing second. Things nearly evened out for the Quakers yesterday, however, as a potential weakness at 197 pounds turned into a pleasant surprise. Normally occupied by senior tri-captain Andrei Rodzianko, the 197 pound spot in Penn's lineup took a crushing blow when its star decided to study abroad in Russia for the semester. However, junior Mike Fickell made Penn forget about Rodzianko, if only for a moment, with his performance yesterday. Coming off a disconcerting showing in the Ivy League Kickoff Classic in which he was disqualified for biting, Fickell proceeded to knock off three straight opponents en route to a first place finish in his weight class. "I knew I could beat these guys today. It was just a matter of getting the job done, of finally putting it all together," Fickell said. It's not as if Fickell came out of nowhere to win, though. He was the second seed in the tournament and had placed in numerous meets, but had never claimed an individual championship -- until yesterday. The Quakers could not take advantage of Fickell's emergence yesterday, however. It's obvious that Penn has all the pieces to be one of the top teams in the nation, but they need consistency to win. Yesterday, even excluding the freak injury to Piotrowsky, Penn lacked that consistency. With early-round disappointments and a subpar day from the lighter weight classes, the Quakers fell behind Arizona State early. Despite a late-round surge and victories in three of four championship matches against the Sun Devils, Penn found it almost impossible to gain ground. You get the feeling that the Quakers will be a dangerous team later in the season, however. Reina likes to use these early meets as learning experiences, and with the whole team together and no letdowns from anyone, the Quakers could beat almost any team. And when Rodzianko returns, Fickell will move down to fill a hole at 184 pounds, so the Quakers could be better than those 49ers, finding a way to play both Montana and Young. They need Piotrowsky to get healthy again, though, as Jerry Rice can't catch any passes when he's catching rashes.